A crisis of confidence.

[baratron]

Hrm. With all the media going nuts over a possible terrorist attack featuring cyanide gas, I've been looking in my inorganic chemistry books. Simply because I have a chemistry degree, therefore people are going to expect me to know about this stuff. Or something. Apparently while Scotland Yard is refusing to comment that the alleged plot involves cyanide, the government are busy making posters to tell people what to do in the event of this sort of attack. Read into this what you will.

Well, I am now having a major crisis of confidence. Looking through my inorganic chemistry books, I am reminded that I wasn't very good at inorganic chemistry. I was absolutely terrible at organic chemistry, and not even very good at physical or analytical chemistry. That would be me not being very good at... all of the major classes of chemistry, then. And I call myself a chemist? Erk.

Anyway, this This is London article about cyanide is almost accurate - surprisingly so for a science article in a major newspaper. It even explained away my confusion about hydrogen cyanide being liquid at room temperature by explaining that the attacks on the Japanese underground mixed together two other chemicals to form HCN (exothermically - hence it would be released as a gas). And I am extremely amused by the poor Disaronno Amaretto people's failed advertising campaign.

But worry about the chance of dying horribly on the Tube? Nah. I'm far more concerned about the fact that I am apparently completely crap at my chosen subject...

Comments

A matter of relitivity

[hiddenpaw.livejournal.com]

I used to think I was great at maths. I was at one point top of my class. Then I went on to A level and felt slightly less good at it. Then I met a university graduate who left me felling utterly crap at maths. The point being At the time I was doing A level I was effectively comparing myself to the the best mathmaticians in the school who were actualy a very small group statisticaly speaking and the number of people who do Maths at uni (Or even make it to uni) are even smaller.) At the end of the day remeber that for both of us most of our friends have been to university. It's only now that I've begung to realise that this isn't what everyone dose. As far as I can work out less than half the population go to uni and even fewer graduate. In short compared to the adverage person your probably a chemisty genious. for instance when you start writing here about chemistry I just skip it these days because I learned quickly that I never understand more than the smallest amount of what you are saying yet I see many responses from people who understand it perfectly.