Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
saw to it. The picture shown was worth, literally, a thousand words. Of
course, as the Golden Sixties gave way to the Stagnant Seventies (Smith
& Karlesky 1977, Graham & Diamond 1997), expensive laboratory
equipment became more difficult to procure; but by that time it had be-
come a vital necessity.
Besides a 'keeping-up with the Joneses' element, publication of NMR
spectra conformed to another, more of a long-term trend (in the sense of
braudélian
longue durée
): displaying one's evidence, as if scientific jour-
nals had turned into courtrooms. NMR spectra, in that respect, were
showcase data. They brought forward prime evidence.
In addition to those two roles, showing-off and confounding critics,
published spectra were also iconic of the excellence of the laboratory
work behind the paper. They underlined how neat and careful it had
been. One would see at a glance not only the quality of the spectrum with
sharp, well-resolved, tell-tale lines, one could also not help noticing the
absence of impurities, or that statements made in the text about the coex-
istence of different reaction products were borne out by the data, and so
forth.
Last but not least, NMR weighed hard on the budget of chemical
laboratories. It gave chemistry, starting in the 1960s, a new need for
money, for big money. The small science, that of a lone craftsman, was
being displaced by another form of small science, no longer that of the
single investigator but that of the small research group, a considerably
more expensive endeavor.
12
The NMR spectrometer had to be replaced
every three to five years with a new instrument (Roberts 1990). In order
to stay competitive, one had to somehow secure grant money for such
hefty investments.
12
The simple running costs for daily operation of a chemical laboratory also escalated.
This is easily seen on the example of fluids. Prior to the 1950s, water and gas for
Bunsen burners were the only ones routinely provided. After the 1960s, supplies that
became standard included: compressed air; tanks of helium, argon, nitrogen; liquid
nitrogen; special oils for thermostatic baths or vacuum pumps;
etc
.
