cooperative education
Edited by DAVIES L. MCCLELLAND
GEOFFREY ALAN
My Cooperative Work Experience at SKF Laboratories Laura L. Knipmeyer Northeastern University, Boston, MA 021 15
The Orranic Chemistrv. Department of SKF Laboratories . iinds p r a ~ r i c diynthctic n m e a ru n,nipmndi t11ar havr IJC,I.I~ h , \ v n to ~ J \ . Il~it,loaical ! actioir\. and i)rcm:ie as niarkctiil~le drugs. I was assignedto two sen& chemists, Michael Christie and Lendon Pridgen, and worked on their respective projects for three months each from June through December 1978. I ran organic reactions proposed by the senior chemists or designed from the literature for the preparation of compounds similar to the one desired. Separation and identification of the products obtained from these reactions occupied most of my * :-a ,,,,,.. 'I'lte delurtmcnt held rrrqwnr tneeting, and icmindrs ar whirl1 I hco~metamiliar w~ththe w r k o r u t h t ~ htmiit.r~ in the department as well as those brought in from academia for consulting or educational purposes. I also attended the American Chemical Societv audio course on Heteroc~clic ('hem~itryyiven 1)).the dvp;irttnent. I hccaml. itsauainted with the reference rn;ttvri;il. that are frequently useful to the organic chemist. I have done literature searches in Chemical Abstracts and Beilstein, which are large cross reference indices encompassing material from many journals. I used the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Synthesis, and Tetrahedron Letters most often. I learned how to set up reactions according to the specifications of the senior chemist and experimental sections of the literature. Several methods were used for the addition of gases or solids to a reaction mixture. The control of temperature was often a crucial aspect. Special techniques were used for handling dangerous sLbstances such as bromine, nitrosyl chloride, phosgene, and methyl vinyl ketone. The safety of lahoratory procedures was always a primary constraint. In addition to the usual oraanic lahoratory equipment of vacuum pumps, special apparatus for large scale reactions, up to and over 10 I, not usually found in academic laboratories. Various types of chromatography wereused to monitor the progress of a reaction. Thin-layer was usually the most con-
This monlWs column is the winning entry from the 1980 Cooperative Education Student Essay Competition administered by the Chemistry Department of Northeastem Univemity. This Competition is open to all NortheasternChemistry majors with six months or more of outside work experience. Laura Knipmeyer's entry is based on her work at SKF Laboratories in PhiladelDhia while she was a student in the ~~~F~
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w s c r om n a pre"0o.s colmn see J C n t ~EC.L 57, 439 ,1980 1 It grapncaly i uslratcs now cooperative education helps to set career objectives, and should be interesting reading for all chemistry students and educators.
venient, hut gas and liquid chromatography were also empluy (1. p r d.mne \Vhett the renctim w a ~cuniplett~or w.+< t $ ~ ~ ) fLr reason, the products were separated by crystallization, extraction, preparative thiu-layer or column chromatography, or distillation. I analyzed the products by taking melting points, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spectra. The Analytical Department performed elemental analyses and mass spectra that I learned to interpret as well. Careful nlannine..of mv dav was necessm to he able to work ,it ,I time. Itmc tion 1:mc.s. w r k - L I P oti murc th;rt~mt. reattits,-l~;tIlen~ed - In.this pwitimi ;utd \\a>ahlt. t o I a r n techniques from many different people. My co-workers were young people, willing to discuss their recent experiences at Ivy League graduate schools. I transferred to Northeastern when I moved to Boston hecause I liked the cooperative program a t Drexel. I went to Drexel because it was the best college that accepted me at the time. Freshman year I wanted to transfer to a four-year school because I didn't think co-op would help me get into medical school. Instead I liked co-op and found out I didn't want to go to medical school. ~
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Laura L. Knipmeyer received her BS degree from Nameastern University in June 1981 and iscurrently a doctoral student in organic chemistry at the University of California. Berkeley. Ms Knipmeyer's ultimate goal is to work in some area related to medicinal chemistry. She participated in the Cooperative Chemisby Program at Drexel University horn 1976 through September 1979, where she achieved highest honors in 1978 and 1979: in 1979 she transferred to Northeastern University where she comoleted ,~~~~ her deoree with a 3.4 averaae and aorrm asa cooperat r c % a m at Sm tn. dl neana French aoorirtur es, vhlcrl sne oescr oes n her m z e - r nnlng esray Sne has a m worked as a oacler o q c a qLa r) conlrol lecnn c an for the C 3 01 PhlladelDna Water Depanment ~
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Volume 59
Number 1 January 1982
45
organic laboratory credits. A cooperative five-year program reinforces your education by giving you experience in your field before graduation. I particularly liked the fact that cooperative work was much
46
Journal of Chemical Education
more interesting and well paid than a summer job could ever be. Co-op allows you to try out the job you think you would like. This is important because the subject you enjoy in school may not translate into a job you think you can live with.
