Ode to an analyte

Andrea Detlefsen
Jul 24, 2017 · 1 min read

Trickle through tubes, round tiny sample loops,
A flux so small, unseen, we have to trust,
That drip by nano-drop you’ll make it through,
And give a sign, preferably robust.

First, we’ll separate you from the mass,
With solvents arranged in a gradient.
We’ll measure twice, cut once, bombard with gas,
Then to the waste you’ll go, because you’re spent.

What do we seek, you must be wondering:
Your bonds, your bones, your connectivity.
Where are your weakest points, what makes you sing?
Are you of interest clinically?

To us, you will appear as mass to charge;
A mess of dips and peaks, a fingerprint.
But through the noise and brouhaha, at large,
It’s of your true nature we’ll glean a hint.

A sum of parts, no you are so much more,
And that is why we’re desperate to explore.

Lab Musings

To inform and inspire. Creative science writing by Pitt undergraduates.

Andrea Detlefsen

Written by

Is an undergraduate chemistry major at UPitt, who, after taking one poetry seminar, will be giving her best shot at bringing the two disciplines together.

Lab Musings

To inform and inspire. Creative science writing by Pitt undergraduates.

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