More work

So I attended my group meeting on Sunday night. Everyone has to give presentations on their work and present a summary of an article published in a major journal that is relevant to the group. I'll be doing that this Sunday as well. That sounds fun. This week I am helping Charlie (my grad student) purify his compounds to help him finish his paper. I learned how to isolate the desired product on a TLC plate and scrape off the top layer of the TLC plate. I also learned how to setup column chromatography. Once I remember how to set up the column, I will be in good shape as the rest of it is figuring out where the desired product is by TLC, then using the rotary evaporator to remove the solvent. I also am helping Charlie revise his paper so he can try to publish it in PNAS later this summer. I've been eating lunch with my fellow Americans and eating dinner with Charlie each day.