[kriggy]

Hi guys, I never thought I will start topic like this but whatever.
I just started 2nd year of my masters degree and I feel that nothing in lab is working for me. I mean I can prepare the needed precursors but none of the new stuff is working. I spent last 2 weeks optimizing reduction of nitro group of my compound on small scale and when I did it today on larger scale it basicaly didnt work at all. I understand that stuff like this happens but it doesnt make me feel less bad. I still love chemistry but I just feel stupid that it doenst work no matter what I do.
Will this feeling go away or is it just stress that my thesis defence is slowly comming and I have nothing in my hands so far?
Glad for any imput.

[Corribus]

Will this feeling go away <...>?

It won't go away but you'll eventually go numb to the fact that 90% of the s#*$ you try doesn't work. Hell, half the time I repeat an experiment that works once doesn't work again. It's the other 10% that keeps us going. I've been a research scientist for about 15 years now and still I ask myself on a weekly basis why the hell anyone puts up with this crap. Once you get your own lab, a lot of that day to day stress is passed on to your underlings, but not as a government research scientist, where underlings can be in short supply.

[kriggy]

Yeah, I guess you are right.
The worst thing about my situation is that those are rather simple reactions not working not some fancy metal-catalyzed coupling..

thanks for support! 

[Babcock_Hall]

I was several years into my Ph.D. before we were even sure we could get the chemistry to work more or less reliably.