A Ticking Firebomb
Annalise Rogalsky finally got the potassium metal to react, but not during her experiment.
Laura is an assistant editor for The Scientist. She earned her PhD in biomedical sciences from Rush University by studying how circadian rhythms and alcohol affect the gut.
View full profile.
Learn about our editorial policies.
In 2017, I was a third-year undergraduate student at Gonzaga University in Stephen Warren’s group. Our team studied farnesol, a molecule used to potentially treat seizures in mice suffering from alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Farnesol treatment is short lived, and to find out how it is metabolized, I attempted nonenzymatic synthesis of its metabolite farnesol glucuronide.¹
To achieve this, I chose potassium metal as the strong base to remove a hydrogen molecule from glucose for facilitating the reaction. One late night during spring break, I was catching up on washing used glassware. I rinsed a container with an organic solvent and poured the refuse into the plastic funnel connected to the waste container inside the fume hood. Next, I repeated this step with water.
The moment I poured the wastewater into the plastic funnel, it caught on fire! Horrified, I realized that there was unreacted potassium metal in the glassware. The waste jar contained a mix of solvents and water. It was a fireball.
I froze for a moment but then quickly sprang into action. Terrified, I pulled the burning funnel off with tongs and extinguished the flames with a beaker of water. The fume hood was a mess, but I averted a potential lab explosion. When I nervously broke the news to my advisor, he was surprisingly calm. He simply laughed and said, “That must have been exciting, huh?”
That memorable incident served as a cautionary tale about lab safety. Even during my graduate studies, this story reminded me to keep a cool head when my research work was literally or figuratively on fire.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Reference
- Staines AG, et al. Biochem J. 2004;384(3):637-645.
Have you experienced an "Epic Fail" in your laboratory research? Share your story for a chance to be featured in an upcoming column.
