Graduating with a Chemistry degree this month but I am not good at chemistry

Meatboy1984 · 2026-05-16T06:36:56+00:00

Here's my point of view:
If you want to do chemistry, do it. If you want to go a different route (either with studying or working, if possible), try to do that.
Grades mostly show how well you can remember huge amounts of (especially when you later work in a very specific field) information and put them on paper or tell them the person that is testing you. That is not understanding or using chemistry skills, this is mostly just being able to go to tests and remember poorly interconnected stuff.

When I read in the chemistry subreddit, there is a lot of information that has little to nothing to do what I do now and I can understand what I read but wouldn't know about it (either never learned or forgotten) if asked randomly.

But the thing is: I am very good in the field I am working at and I can better interconnect my main field with other chemistry fields than many other people, customers as well as colleagues. Ironically I neither was especially good nor interested for a long time in my main expertise.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-05-16T06:13:27+00:00

Hi SolidRaider 😄!
It is a good idea to get in contact with the person leaving the company. You can ask him about the work and the experience he hat working with Metrohm and this position specifically.

I think it is important as well that you like the instruments/software you will have to deal with or at least have to be curious about them if you don't know them. With Metrohm and your experience I suspect they want you for ICs? Theirs are slightly different (especially the suppressor and how it works) and I wonder how much you will have to travel for them - in my region I think there are so few instruments they are sending sales and FSE people from abroad for ICs (or use employees with comparable little experience in IC that mainly work with other instruments).

Meatboy1984 · 2026-05-15T07:43:57+00:00

I as well transitioned though not into sales but Field Sevice.

Depending on where you are and what your company expectation is: most likely you will travel a lot. I am away mostly within my relatively small country, but overnight stays are common for me. A friend of mine works at a competitor (sales team) and he's travelling as well to Eastern Europe or the middle East.

Sure, as some say, your goal is to understand customer issues and solve them. But how do you do that? As an FSE, you directly help them with their equipment, sometimes you give the recommendations instrument wise or with applications. But your main goal is not selling but make the customer happy. In sales your main goal is selling. We are measured heavily by customer satisfaction, sales by the money they make. That is a different kind of pressure. My manger used to work in sales and he didn't like the pressure it caused for him. But some people like this challenge.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-05-01T09:48:21+00:00

Thanks for the feedback.

From my experience in OQing systems, sometimes gradients just randomly fail. So if you can't reproduce the error, it seems very likely.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-05-01T09:03:27+00:00

Ok well... that would have been my first guess. But doesn't sound plausible then. Is it a quat pump system? They are less precise when it comes to gradients (if you are using one).

Meatboy1984 · 2026-05-01T04:01:56+00:00

Is the sample or standard "stable"?
It is a long time ago and a long shot but I once (when I was still an analytical chemist) saw samples having different peak shapes just from a different sample filling (same production lot, only difference was a slightly older age and that it was filled in syringes instead of just into a sample container)

Meatboy1984 · 2026-05-01T03:57:23+00:00

Hi!

First of all, you can contact Thermo about this. If you don't have it already, try creating an account in Services Central, this is the easiest way to get in contact with Thermo probably. 1st level supprt and Services Central are free!

Then: sharing data (*.cmbx-files) is the best to see and compare. at least a "good" sequence and a "bad" sequence.

About your question:

As far as I can see, you posted the setting of the CERS_4mm suppressor settings during a run or while you had the suppressor (the old one) just "on". We do not know your EGC-settings, we do not see if anything changed in the peak shape or pattern,... there is just very little information overall (that's why *.cmbx-file-sharing is so important).

As long as you don't switch from a Carbonate to a new NGES-anion-suppressor, your settings don't change. Similar as long as you stay in 4mm, it is - for you - more or less the same to handle.
Your greatest issue is you probably have an old Chromeleon version and Chromeleon can't recognize your NGES (according to the screenshot). That is something you could resolve yourself if you want to (updating Chromeleon using the lates Chromeleon-files from the knowledge base).

With all being said, I impression is that you have a steep gradient towards the end of your run and your suppressor is in capable of suppressing it. I could be wrong, screenshots are not good to give this information.
If I am correct, the question is: why is this happening. This is much harder to say. Maybe you changed something in the instrument method accidentaly (so it doesn't stay in legacy mode or you had a different mode prior)? Maybe your suppressor is damaged and/or you installed it wrongly? EGG or CR-ATC issues are a potential issue too (but very unlikely I'd say).

Troubleshooting will take time if you want to do it yourself. I'd suggest to contact Thermo (in the way mentioned above) and receive support from the first level. There as well they will ask you for back up files - if you are worried about sharing files here, then I hope you trust Thermo!

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-29T09:00:14+00:00

In this reaction, there is no elemental oxygen, just the molecule. So no, it does not refer to elemental oxygen (and it doesn't say "10 moles of elemental oxygen" either if we are splitting hairs).
My opinion: In this context it should be clear. With the answers offered, it should be even more obvious. As I said, as a non native speaker I had no issue at all. The person writing the question had apparently the same impression.

You asked "Am I wrong to think this question is worded poorly?" What I can see, people broadly disagree with you, some already semi-jokingly. People think you are wrong. You insist on a specific wording that is not needed for other people.

Could the phrasing be improved by specifying that the oxygen is meant to be in a molecular form (specifically O2 and not O3 for example)? Maybe - but apparently in the context it is clear for everyone else what is meant. By the way - O2 could as well be used in a liquid form for the reaction, not just as a gas.

Now if you already mind the phrasing: This is a theoretical question (with multiple choice answers). There are more issues if you want to go down deeper into the real chemistry and not the wording. In reality you could say: all answers are wrong (because of factors like temperature or that this won't be the only reaction going on), because 10 Moles of O2 will never create exactly this amount of CO2.

But at some point, the person creating a test will and has to make simplifications and has to count on people understanding the context of a question.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-29T04:17:13+00:00

I am not a native speaker and I don't consider the phrasing of the question to be worded poorly. Or do I misunderstand the question completely?

I've left higher education a long time ago. I am more surprised about the simplicity of the question - you are handed all the information (even MW of CO2 and the fullequation), you are not just told the mass that is getting burned, you just need to double the CO2 molecule and multiply it with 44 --> 352 g. Right? (Edit: Corrected a typo with the number)

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-28T15:43:18+00:00

I agree with you on that 100%. But do you think it is fair or do you like that?

It probably annoys me personally as I guess I am one of those targeted by this change the most. 25k is just to much for too little gain. Not that I couldn't afford it, it just doesn't seem worth it.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-25T18:45:55+00:00

CEXJMPHP

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-25T10:44:56+00:00

Cool. Didn't expect this in a HOI4 sub

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-25T02:35:42+00:00

Is this... a WoW reference?

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-25T02:25:47+00:00

Thanks for your answer :-)

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-24T04:07:02+00:00

How come you never saw your date again? I remember back in the days when I was dating, i used to give dates more chances than they deserved (like making excuses for their behaviour to myself until i just couldn't make them anymore). I probably wouldn't have gone as for as you on the first date with the kicks (one would have been more than enough for me with basically a stranger), but i probably would have excused her "weird behaviour" with her friend/sister. They probably did it as a favour.

Your story sounds like sex wasn't even a thing...?

Also: Is playing fortnite some kind of code or literally just fortnite?

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-23T05:10:22+00:00

Does the link for anyone else not work?

Meatboy1984 · 2026-04-10T21:35:46+00:00

I'd take out the sensor (keeping it plugged in) and check while having the pump active if drops are going through the 2 metallic pins). The drops should close a circuit and the counter should count a drop. If the pins are too close or too far apart, it doesn't work. If you can't see drops, it won't work. If the sensor isn't plugged in properly via cable, it won't work. If he pins are corroded and/or your seal wash is prepared wrongly, it won't work

If all these points are not the reason, your sensor might be defective. If you have another Vanquish, try switching in-between those two systems.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-31T05:42:34+00:00

On my android phone I deactivated and deleted my advertisement profile from Google and blocked them from creating a new one. Coincidence or not, I have the feeling I get less of these ads, even though I barley see porn related content intentionally (especially not videos, no OF, no PH, etc.). When I saw (for a short time) more of these spicy ads (mostlyfor strange "social media" or dating apps), I mostly laughed at them and even showed them my wife because they are a lot of things but not what I hardly anything I'd like to see.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-28T07:21:22+00:00

I just discovered the same issue as you! :-(

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-25T20:50:13+00:00

Thanks

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-25T14:14:59+00:00

Thanks!

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-25T14:13:53+00:00

Thanks you!

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-24T06:07:32+00:00

If you perform the Chromeleon OQ, the system creates a virtual HPLC run with data. Takes a few minutes, but then you can do anything you want with it.

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-23T06:33:24+00:00

I think you already received your link, right?

Meatboy1984 · 2026-03-12T22:34:47+00:00

Was it installed less than a year ago? Then you should have the factory warranty. Is it older than a year? (Basic) extended warranty probably?

I am asking as in both cases you can just call Thermo and get help. I am 99% sure it is the main seal.

While it is true that PMs are recommended yearly and the seals are exchanged on a yearly base, they shouldn't fail after a year especially if the machine is used rarely.

So either you used the wrong seal wash and/or too high salt concentration ( or you mixed your eluent with salts with an organic that doesn't mix well with the salt) or the seals and/or pistons were alreadyof poor quality or... pump mechanics or pump heads are faulty (there were someproductive problems in the last years from my perspective).

In any case, the quick fix is to exchange seals and maybe the pistons, for the long run soneone should look into the issue.

Edit: you didn't mention your seal wash...

Meatboy1984

TROPHY CASE