Sherlock Holmes and the Fraudulent Ketone Thomas G. Waddell and Thomas R. Rybon University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN 37403 The following story describesapeculiar lahoratorysituation and a timely emphasis on good scientific practice in this age of growing concern over canes of fraud. This is the second article presenting a scientificproblem in mystery form in the context of the popular and beloved characters Sherloek Holmes and Dr. Watson.' There is a break in the story where the reader (students and teachers) can ponder and solve the mystery. Sherlock Holmes provides his solution in the paragraphs following this break.
It is with a certain reluctance that I take up my pen once more to chronicle the chemical adventures of mv friend herl lock Holmes. I say reluctance because I have nbt freely admitted in the nast mv fear of and intimidation by the strange science oichemismy. My readen well know mymediral hackeround but may indeed have detected certain defects in m i knowledge ofchemical science brought out in the previously recorded Kennington poisoning case in whose ultimate solution Sherlock Holmes played a crucial role. However, Holmes the Chemist can no longer be ignored, especially not by his best friend and companion in so many of his adventures, chemical and otherwise. I t was on a fresh snrine morning that Mrs. Hudson announced the arrival or DI-H. ~ o u d a Fagin, s Distinguished Professor and Chair of Natural Science a t the Universitv. The I'rofeasor, a burly man of somher countenance. had just settled into our visitor's chair when Holmes turned from the window and looked upon him. "I note with interest, Professor, that some new crisis has afflicted your department, a crisis, I might add, involving eminent faculty." The Professor drew up with a start and clasped his hands together. "Has news of this reached you already, Mr. Holmes? I had so hoped to keep this scandalous affair inhouse." "No, no, my good man," Holmes chuckled. "I read the situation from your very appearance, no less clearly than had you carried in a printed poster." Professor Fagin glanced down a t his clothing. "But what. .?" "Tut, tut, Professor!" Holmes exclaimed brightly. "Consider your well-manicured nails, perfect in all respects, except for two fingers on your right hand which are chewed to the quick and still bleeding. Surely a new crisis, only days old." "But the eminent faculty, Holmes, in his own departemnt," I put in. "Surely this is a mere guess.'' "Think, Watson," he replied. "No crisis in another department would bring about such insecurity and panic. No, i t is within his own. Eminent faculty? Why not? Would a student scandal or the debauchery of assistant professors warrant such concern? I think not." "You are right, of course, on every point," the Professor said, rocking back and forth with despair. "But the details are most shocking, Mr. Holmes. We have severe accusations of scientific fraud leveled a t two of our most distinguished and well-known chemists!"
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' Waddell, T. G.: Rybolt, T. R. J. Chem. Educ. 1989,86,981-982. 1008
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"Wait. Who charges them?" Holmes interjected. "They accuse each other!" he said, and he hegan to chew on the nail of the third fineer of his rieht hand as he continued to rock back and forth-on the edg;! of his chair. "Some noint must have recentlv broueht this to crisis. What e x a k y brings you to us today:?" ~ o & e s ' s bright levity had been re~lacedbv the huntsman's fervor. "The un&ersity is about to confer an award of considerable monetary value upon one or the other of them. They both have contributed greatly to chemistry and, unfortunately, are fierce opponents and bitter competitors." "I should like to know, Dr. Fagin, both the exact nature of their research and the manner of their work," Holmes said, turning his yellow meerschaum pipe slowly in his hands. "I have considerable knowledge of chemistry, so you may speak in technical terms." The Professor sighed, settled back, and began. "Dr. Mayer Wells is a brilliant scientist but quite eccentric and hard to work with. His laboratory is an awful disarray, and his filesare cluttered and smeared with chemicaland tea stains." I could not help glancing over into Holmes's own research corner, a glance not missed by Holmes, who glared a t me with annoyance. Professor Fagin continued, "Wells' research is in the area of reaction mechanisms, where he is establishing important orincinles associated with addition to ketones." At this noint ihe ~;ofessor wrote the following on an old envelope he found before him on the floor:
CfiHL3-C-CH3
II
+ H-X
--t
CSHI~-~-CH~
I
"He is so excited about his current work that you can hardly get him to stop talking. It's been rather annoying I should say, after all, he is not the only one engaged in important work." "What of his rival?" Holmes inquired. "Dr. Floyd Grounder, equally brilliant, is Wells' opposite in almost every other way. Dr. Grounder is a charming colleague and a popular instructor of our undergraduates. He seems always to be surrounded by enthusiastic and adoring students. The man is neat and very systematic in his work, which involves creative and ~ioneerinenatural nroducts structure elucidation. His woncierful d e p k m e n t a l seminars ~ UD-to-date.but auite understandablv he has usuallv"k e e.us been so busy for ihelast s&eralkonths that he hasnot had time to discuss his latest results." "Well, what can you tell me of his recent work?" Holmes asked. "Mr. Holmes, the soapwort spider-flower is an herb of significant medicinal value. Dr. Grounder is working on identifying a minor constituent which might revolutionize the treatment of several human diseases." Dr. Fagin again took up the old envelope and wrote the following:
"The final identification of this ketone would bring international fame. And yet, Mr. Holmes, these two scientific giants cannot get along and, as I have said, have now taken to leveling charges of fraud and fakery at each other." "Dr. Fagin," Holmes replied in is kindest manner, "I should be most happy to look into this interesting little problem. But bear in mind, if you will, that there are dark waters here, and I doubt very much whether the final resolution will alleviate your despair." "On the contrary, .. sir.. a clarification of this matter is all I ask a t this point!' "Capital!" cried Holmes. "Please arrange for Dr. Watson and me to visit your department a t th'earliest moment when both of the chemists are away." "Come tomorrow, Mr. Holmes. Both WelLs and Grounder are a t a scientific meeting in Paris until next week." "It is all arranged then," said Holmes, clapping his hands together and ushering our new client t o the door. When he had denarted and Holmes was filline his n i ~ e witb shag tobacco, finquired of my friend, "~olme;, c & t h matter be resolved with a single visit to the laboratories?" Gazing dreamily out the window, now open to the bright spring day, Holmes replied, "In matters of this nature, Watson, the culprit cannot help hut stand exposed in due time. Unlike other human endeavors, significant fraud in science can never go permanently undetected." The next morning found Holmes and me in a hansom cab clattering down Bond Street on our way t o the University and the lush country atmosphere of the great campus. Holmes said little during the t;ip but occasio~allyscribbled some formulaor noteon his whiteshirt cuffwith a black pen. Upon arrival, we were met immediately by P r o f e s s o i ~ a gin and led to the laboratory of the absent Dr. Floyd Grounder. As I had expected, the lab was immaculate and well-organized. Holmes glanced quickly around and went directly to Dr. Grounder's desk and began paging through the bound book that contained the written record of Grounder's most recent research. The pages were written upon in black ink, a clean unbroken narrative on each right-hand half of the open volume. The left-hand half appeared to be unmarked throughout the volume, which was about three-quarters complete witb chemical data that had no meaning to me. I wondered what Holmes saw on the these pages. Peering over his shoulder, I noticed a neat tahle of contents a t the start of the hook, listing experiment titles and page numbers covering the entire 200-naee volume. After mbment, Holmes stood u p and walked slowly down the bench. sniffine a t a lone series of clear unmarked.. onen . flasks as abloodh&nd wou'd, with great deep snorts. Although I did not remark so a t that time, i t always astonished and annoyed me that Holmes very life style and habits so often violated good safety practice. His research corner a t 221B Baker Street was without a fume hood, and chemical stains and noxious aromas periodically polluted our usually cozy surroundings. In addition, his heavy tobacco use further demonstrated his disregard for his personal safety. I madenote toreorimand him later for this sniffine a t unidentified chemical;, which to me seemed a most foolGh practice. "Dr. Mayer Wells' laboratory is down the hall," our client said, anticipating Holmes's next move. Having lived with Sherlock Holmes for some years, I was not as disturbed as Professor Fagin to enter Wells's duneeonlike laboratory. Our client was visibly disgusted and embarrassed. As before, Holmes moved directlyto the desk ~
~
a
and began peering a t the pages of Wells's research notebook. Now even I was disgusted a t what I saw. The pages of the notehook were marred with tea stains, and parts of each page obliterated with bums or chemical soills. Manv formulas were crossed out and narts of each page were &ribbled in pencil or bright red ink: I watched as Holmes walked down the leneth o f a lone bench covered with a series of stoppered flasks-TO each fiask was attached a carelesslv nlaced label. often marred with smudees. Holmes returnedto Wellsk notebook, and, after examining the pages for a few minutes, heslammed the notebook shut and called Professor Fagin his side. "Your culprit is identified, Doctor, You can expect a communication regarding my fee in a day or so." Stop Here
This mystery can be solved with a little thought. Can you answer these questions? (1) What did Holmes find in Dr. Grounder's laboratory and notebook? (2) What did Holmes find in Dr. Wells's Laboratory and notebook? (3) Which professor was engaged in fraud? The followingparagraphs contain Hohnes's solution to the mystery. Compare your solution to his. Professor Fagin was distraught. "Then there is fakery, Mr. Holmes? Oh, I feared this! Whar a scandal!" "Proceed calmly, Professor, and begin the appropriate university action against Dr. Floyd Grounder, who must not receive the monetary award." "Grounder, Holmes!" I cried. "Surely not!" "Surely, yes, Watson,"Holmesreplied withequalenthusiasm. "The popular and beloved Dr. Grounder is unquestionably guilty. As you well know, my friend, I myself live a rather cluttered life. However, in scientific research, whether one is neat or cluttered matters little as lone as eood laboratory procedure is followed. Thus, when I ex&inei the research notebooks and laboratories the situation was perfectly clear. In truth, no legitimate laboratory notebook could ever he written in permanent ink with no crossing out of formulas, calculations, and sentences here and there. There will always he errors in honest research. Moreover, in lab notebooks, one often leaves the left-hand page blank for miscellaneous notes, thoughts, and weighings. Although Grounder left the naees blank. there are no notes written there. None, ~ a t s & , n o tone!"' "The notebook of Floyd Grounder screams of guilt. Most telling, of course, was the table of contents. You undoubtedIv noticed this. Watson. The tahle of contents listed exneriments for theentire book, but only part of the hook was comnlete. The results of his research were nlanned before the experimental act! The fraud is apparent.;' ''Beyond these fads, Grounder's anparent reluctance t o talk ahout his current research was most suspicious and in sharpcontrast to Wells'open andenthusiastic willingness to discuss his experiments. Progress in science requires a give and take and an open exchange of information and ideas, both written and oral. Grounder was too hidden as to the nature of his work. Even the flasks in his lab were unlabeled and unstoppered. That is hardly a proper method for keeping track of the complexities of natural products research." "I must sav. Holmes. vou should refrain from inhaline chemicals, as inoticed doing in Grounder's lab." "Oh indeed, Watson, I admit it. You are always the physician, my good fellow. I shall consider your sound advice!" "But Holmes," I said, "how does all this relate to the actual research projects in which Wells and Grounder were engaged? How could you determine if it was the reaction mechanism of Wells or the natural product elucidation of
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Grounder that was false? Which was the fraudulent ketone?" "Watson, my dear fellow, in this matter it was not what hut how that was the key. At this time, we cannot say that the soapwort spider-flower does not contain a ketone of medicinal value. But if there is, it will be found out only by the proper application of the scientific method. Not by wishful thinking and deceitful trickery." "Well, Holmes," I continued, "was there more to be learned in Mayer Wells' lab?" "Ah yes, Watson," Holmes replied. "The research notebook of the disagreeable Dr. Wells was an open panorama of honest science. The notations, although in a messy style,
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were organized properly. His thoughts, errors, and progressions were clearly documented. His flasks were stoppered and labeled with careful annotations to each sample in his notebook. Excellent practice. I t is definite, Wells must get the award." That evening, in our lodgings on Baker Street, I brought up the subject again. "Holmes, is this a condemnation of a neat and orderly research style?" Holmes smiled wisely, and put down a handful of crime clippings from the Times."Not at all Watson, no indeed, It is honest practice and procedure that matters. Whether neat or cluttered, the laboratory research notebook, if properly kept, will always demonstrate the progression, the validity, and the honesty of scientific research."
