Tim Smith
@chemsmith.bsky.social
Chemist, dad, husband, slow endurance athlete. Currently make/purify stable isotope compounds at MilliporeSigma. I like being with my wife and daughter, working out, traveling, hiking, broadway shows, rock n roll, tolerant joyful smart people.
Is IR spectroscopy dead? Is anyone routinely using it? Can it be used to indicate purity? I figure I’m just clueless here - my company goes with other methods (e.g., NMR, HPLC-GC, KF, MP/BP, titration, ion chromatography) to access structure/purity. #chemsky #chemchat
Max Jr also wants to know.
Max Jr also wants to know.
November 14, 2025 at 4:44 PM
ORRRC (Ohio) Veterans 10 Miler. Finished it 2 min slower than my half marathon PR. 🤨 🧑🏻🦯
November 8, 2025 at 6:47 PM
ORRRC (Ohio) Veterans 10 Miler. Finished it 2 min slower than my half marathon PR. 🤨 🧑🏻🦯
Assuming this is real, folks with money go here, eat, and leave a tip.
November 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Assuming this is real, folks with money go here, eat, and leave a tip.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Election Night wasn’t just a Blue Wave — it was a Blue Tsunami. And the color that made it all possible was Black.
November 6, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Election Night wasn’t just a Blue Wave — it was a Blue Tsunami. And the color that made it all possible was Black.
It’s that time of year.
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 AM
It’s that time of year.
Anyone here with practical knowledge about making phenylalanine from phenylpyruvate using phenylalanine dehydrogenase (or similar)? #chemsky 🧪
November 5, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Anyone here with practical knowledge about making phenylalanine from phenylpyruvate using phenylalanine dehydrogenase (or similar)? #chemsky 🧪
I did my undergrad here. Excellent department. Good people. Also Iowa City is a particularly cool place. Forget your typical idea of “Iowa” as a state - IC has lots going on.
#chemsky, please share! Virtual information session Thursday, November 13th at 7:30 – 8:30 pm CST for students interested in pursuing a PhD in chemistry. Register here: uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
November 4, 2025 at 11:29 PM
I did my undergrad here. Excellent department. Good people. Also Iowa City is a particularly cool place. Forget your typical idea of “Iowa” as a state - IC has lots going on.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Ozempic, MRI machines and flat screen televisions all emerged out of fundamental research decades earlier — the very types of study being slashed by the US government
go.nature.com/47hn0n5
go.nature.com/47hn0n5
7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
Ozempic, MRI machines and flat screen televisions all emerged out of fundamental research decades earlier — the very types of study being slashed by the US government.
go.nature.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Ozempic, MRI machines and flat screen televisions all emerged out of fundamental research decades earlier — the very types of study being slashed by the US government
go.nature.com/47hn0n5
go.nature.com/47hn0n5
Is anyone here good at separating amino acids from one another (on gram scale). E.g., using resins? For example separating methionine from isoleucine. I’m a bit new at it. #chemsky 🧪
October 30, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Is anyone here good at separating amino acids from one another (on gram scale). E.g., using resins? For example separating methionine from isoleucine. I’m a bit new at it. #chemsky 🧪
Reposted by Tim Smith
History repeats.
October 4, 2025 at 6:54 AM
History repeats.
Benzyl chloroformate is not trivial to come by. Been waiting on an order from Acros. Does anyone know 1. where to get it from fairly quickly and/or 2. alternatives to benzyl chloroformate for making Cbz-protected amines. (Yes it needs to be Cbz protected.) #chemsky 🧪
October 1, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Benzyl chloroformate is not trivial to come by. Been waiting on an order from Acros. Does anyone know 1. where to get it from fairly quickly and/or 2. alternatives to benzyl chloroformate for making Cbz-protected amines. (Yes it needs to be Cbz protected.) #chemsky 🧪
Reposted by Tim Smith
quick while the government is shut down let’s all switch to metric
October 1, 2025 at 4:11 AM
quick while the government is shut down let’s all switch to metric
Always feels pretentious to mention books I’ve read, and I’m not really a voracious reader. But, this book is super interesting, full of history I never knew, and funny as hell.
September 30, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Always feels pretentious to mention books I’ve read, and I’m not really a voracious reader. But, this book is super interesting, full of history I never knew, and funny as hell.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Reposted by Tim Smith
Where the separate divisions of ANTIFA landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944:
September 18, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Where the separate divisions of ANTIFA landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944:
Reposted by Tim Smith
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
August 13, 2025 at 6:06 AM
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
Has anyone had issues/troubles getting Glutamine synthetase to "work well?" I keep getting low conversions and can't seem to resolve this. Pretty frustrated/embarrassed.
Alternatively, if you know a NON-enzymatic way to do this, I'd be very interested! I feel like it should be doable. #chemsky 🧪
Alternatively, if you know a NON-enzymatic way to do this, I'd be very interested! I feel like it should be doable. #chemsky 🧪
July 26, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Has anyone had issues/troubles getting Glutamine synthetase to "work well?" I keep getting low conversions and can't seem to resolve this. Pretty frustrated/embarrassed.
Alternatively, if you know a NON-enzymatic way to do this, I'd be very interested! I feel like it should be doable. #chemsky 🧪
Alternatively, if you know a NON-enzymatic way to do this, I'd be very interested! I feel like it should be doable. #chemsky 🧪
Reposted by Tim Smith
A motivating quote from @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social:
“…You are discovering knowledge and gifting that to humanity for all of posterity. Once you learn something no one can take that away. It is not an object. It is an intellectual currency that will be shared throughout the generations…”
“…You are discovering knowledge and gifting that to humanity for all of posterity. Once you learn something no one can take that away. It is not an object. It is an intellectual currency that will be shared throughout the generations…”
July 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM
A motivating quote from @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social:
“…You are discovering knowledge and gifting that to humanity for all of posterity. Once you learn something no one can take that away. It is not an object. It is an intellectual currency that will be shared throughout the generations…”
“…You are discovering knowledge and gifting that to humanity for all of posterity. Once you learn something no one can take that away. It is not an object. It is an intellectual currency that will be shared throughout the generations…”
Reposted by Tim Smith
Now THAT's a cease and desist letter
July 14, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Now THAT's a cease and desist letter