Question: How many chemical reactions have actual worked out for you? So when your mixing chemicals is there always a change? Is it interesting and fun mixing chemicals together?

Shreesha Bhat answered on 12 Mar 2015:

Hi Zaynah,

If you are talking about known reactions (which people have already tried and tested) then i think i have lost the count of the reactions! Let me estimate, i would say atleast 500. But, if we are talking about inventing new reactions, then it comes down to a few. I recently finished working on a reaction which involves reacting two very extremely reactive molecules, which is very difficult and hence nobody had tried earlier. But, i tried and after a few months of failure, got it to work, and believe me, it felt so much accomplishing! Now, i am so addicted to it, that as my second project, have taken up a similar challenge.

Coming to your second question, Mixing chemicals always doesn’t lead to a change. It depends on what type of chemicals you are mixing and a whole lot of reaction conditions, lets say for example, in a reaction you need a base to abstract a proton, but you add a neutral substance, it may not change anything.likewise for temperature effect, solvent effect, etc. When, i was working on my reaction, i was desperate to see a change, but with a particular set of chemicals i was using, it did not change anything, but then you need to think if this doesnt work, what will!

Its a lot of fun to mix chemicals, but not any random ones. Some are really explosive, so you need to be careful! Before mixing chemicals, i would say if we have an idea in mind with a theoretical and conceptual backing, and if its something new…its definitely fun to see if it works!