Gary1234
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The practice of 'amateur'/hobby chemistry- does it make you a better chemist in an academic or professional capacity?
Hello folks,
I would love your opinion on this......
Do you think that your chemistry hobby makes you a better skilled or more proficient chemist in an academic or professional capacity? I think it does.
Your chemistry hobby enables you to satiate your hunger for chemical curiosity and discovery by experiment. You are the boss; you are in control- you
do not have a college professor or boss telling you that such and such an experiment is not permitted on 'health and safety' grounds.
In amateur chemistry, you are limited only by your skill, chemical knowledge and access to reagents and equipment. Making your own reagents from
scratch rather than buying them (the 'easy option') often makes amateur chemistry that more interesting.
Amateur chemistry helps you to improve your practical technique and the element of risk helps you to develop a healthy respect for hazardous
chemicals. For example, on numerous occasions, I have safely prepared manganese heptoxide (in small, manageable amounts, of course) without any
'unexpected events'. I am kitted out in full safety gear. I even carry out my own risk assessments before an experiment.
With health and safety rules being so draconian these days, could you ever imagine your college lecturer allowing you to prepare a hazardous
substance, such as manganese heptoxide, in your inorganic lab, even in small quantities?  :
Even kids chemistry sets these days boast about containing 'no chemicals' (so, what
DO they contain- a vacuum in a box?).
So, in short- yes, I feel that 'amateur' or hobby chemistry certainly does make you a better chemist in an academic or professional capacity.
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blogfast25
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To me the main difference is that as a professional you tend to have considerable resources but are limited by and to the project you’re working on
by the organisation that pays you. That can lead to tunnel vision. And in my case a loss of interest after x years of doing much the same thing over
and over again.
Hobby chemistry allows you to go where you want to go but your budget, and thus capability, are much more restricted.
Either way, you’re not completely ‘free’.
As regards handling or preparing dangerous substances, you’re generally much better equipped in a professional setting than as a hobbyist but your
project may not call for any such preparations. But if it does you’ll be in an excellent position to do so.
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phlogiston
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I am absolutely convinced it helps a great deal and there are countless examples of scientists in top positions that were passionate amateurs when
they were younger.
Over the years passionately trying to make hard-to-get chemicals etc. I find I did accumulate quite a bit of useful knowledge and experience that is
still helping me on a nearly daily basis, even though I am know a biochemist by profession which is quite distinct from the things I once enjoyed as
an amateur. I imagine it would be even more of an advantage if your carreer matches the interest you had as a hobbiest.
Also, working with dangerous chemicals in a unsuitable, amateur environment will teach you several important lessons the hard way. You become much
better at estimating the real, actual risk of dealing with certain things, rather than simply repeating what MSDS sheets etc tell you. To see things
go wrong in various ways will allow you to anticipate these problems much better next time. When an experiment fails you have to think much more and
troubleshoot it. Working with improvised equipment/chemicals causes a higher failure rate.
[Edited on 25-11-2011 by phlogiston]
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"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
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Thread Pruned
28-11-2011 at 00:01 |
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