Synthesising Colour and Confidence in Chemistry - Responding to a ‘real-world’ Challenge
Second year Chemistry BSc students Madeleine Dasher and Selkie Huk have enjoyed getting stuck into a lab challenge for their work-based placement. Find out how they reached their breakthrough moment with a transformative learning experience.
A Professional Setting
As part of our work placement module at the University of Chester, we had the unique opportunity to run our own mock chemistry companies, SelkieSyn Labs and DASH Labs and respond to a fictional brief from a client that requested several merocyanine dye compounds.
Unlike a standard laboratory practical, this placement wasn’t about following a set method.
We approached the task as if we were real chemists; we planned the synthesis, managed timelines and communicated as professionals.
A Colourful Challenge
Our fictional client asked us to synthesise a merocyanine dye that would produce different colours when added to various solvents.
We started by preparing an intermediate compound before performing Knoevenagel condensation reactions with three different aldehyde reagents, producing three different dye compounds.
The compounds then simultaneously underwent purification, recrystallisation, and analysis. This gave us significant experience in multitasking and task prioritisation, which are essential skills for our future chemistry careers.
Beyond the Chemistry
This placement was equal parts communication and chemistry. We had to present each of our synthesis proposals to the ‘client’, using persuasive language, helping us to gain confidence in our ability to communicate complex scientific ideas clearly.
We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be independent and overcome any obstacles we faced by using our own reasoning and experimenting with various approaches.
Our Takeaway
We are extremely proud of what we achieved. Our breakthrough moment was towards the end of the placement, when we were able to test our dyes with different solvents and achieve the results that we desired from our literature research.
The experience solidified our passion for Chemistry and gave us a true understanding of what it may be like to work in research or within industry. This experience taught us to think like scientists, not just students. It was a transformative experience that we are grateful to be a part of.
We found this work placement module project incredibly innovative and interesting. We encourage any budding scientists to research and find out more about topics of interest and to develop their knowledge - like we did in our lab placement. This experience was so enjoyable and fascinating. If you want to find out more about these types of chemical reactions or this line of work, come to the University of Chester and study Chemistry!
We would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our supervisor and fictional client, Gabriele Wagner, as well as Marlene Barrera Ventura and Phil Sturla.
Find Out More
Are you considering choosing Chemistry for your degree? Find out more about what Chester has to offer including supportive lecturers, a professional focus and hand-on practicals in our brand-new labs on our course page. Or why not book a visit and find out more about life at Chester?