Scents and sentimentality

Nose

Source: © Getty Images

Deprived of familiar lab odours, Derek Lowe indulges in some nasal nostalgia

Pandemic conditions led to my longest hiatus from the chemistry bench in nearly 40 years, going back to my undergraduate days. I do like to keep my hand in, and I enjoy running reactions. Turning one substance into another has never quite stopped feeling a bit like sorcery. And among the things that I have missed the most was another sorcerous aspect: the familiar smells