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Green Synthesis

Green is a word we have always associated with sustainability, and Synthesis, in chemistry, is the process of forming a product by initiating a chemical reaction. Green synthesis is an eco-friendly approach to making chemical compounds using natural, non-toxic materials like plant extracts, water, or enzymes. It avoids harmful chemicals and harsh conditions, making the process safer for both humans and the environment. This method is widely used in fields like medicine, agriculture, and materials science, promoting sustainability and reducing pollution.

So, here's a simple metaphor. We're all familiar with the ways of gardening. Green synthesis is like gardening with compost instead of chemical fertilisers. Just as we use kitchen scraps and leaves to enrich the soil naturally, green synthesis uses plant-based materials or safe, natural methods to create chemicals without harming the environment. It nurtures progress while respecting nature, growing useful compounds the way a plant grows—with patience, balance, and care. This method avoids toxic shortcuts and instead works in harmony with the Earth, proving that chemistry, like gardening, can flourish sustainably when we choose to work with nature instead of against it.

Entropy and Monday Mornings

It’s a Monday morning. You reach work to find 25 unread emails, a messy house, 5 essays due, a broken coffee machine, and you’re not sure if you locked your door on the way here. And it doesn’t end there. There’s more work piling up! When there’s chaos all around us, it is only natural to feel overwhelmed. What if I tell you, every object (yes, the non-living ones) experiences this too! 

Only at a very atomic level. Each task in our mind is a microstate, a unique arrangement of thoughts at that point of time. The greater the microstates, the greater the number of tasks, the greater the chaos. Chemistry defines a microstate as an instantaneous arrangement of atoms or molecules in a system. And just as our task list increases, the chaos increases. Similarly, for a system, as the number of microstates increases, the entropy increases. Entropy is the measure of disorder or randomness or the possible number of microstates a system can have. It’s just chaos, where lower entropy means greater order and less chaos(Friday Nights), and higher entropy means more disorder and more microstates(Monday mornings).

Entropy tends to rise with time in an isolated system, such as an overloaded brain on a Monday. This implies that things naturally transition from order to disorder in the absence of outside input. Now, imagine some Lo-fi music playing in your headset as you work through the e-mails, sipping on the perfect coffee that you ordered, powering through your day. Maybe you even wrote a to-do list, helping you stay organised. Doesn’t seem so bad when an external effort is made. Similarly, in isolated systems, entropy usually tends to increase over time, meaning things usually go from a state of orderliness to disorderliness unless an external energy is put in to maintain structure.

S = k. ln(W)

Mathematically, the Entropy (S) of any isolated system can be measured by multiplying the Boltzmann constant (k) by the natural logarithm of the number of microstates it possesses (lnW). Entropy isn’t a bad thing—it’s just a natural tendency of systems to become more disordered over time, unless energy is added to maintain order. In your case, a little bit of organisation (external energy) can help you manage the entropy in your Monday morning.

To Science is to innovate.

To Science is to inspire.

To Science is to develop.

While science seeks the truth, leadership converts that truth into action. The role of a leader in science would be that of a catalyst, accelerating the process of bringing together theoretical ideas and practical reality.

Science cultivates essential skills like analytical thinking, problem solving and creativity - traits that shape individuals and the world around them.

But what is leadership in science?

At its roots, it begins with teachers — the school faculty who ignite curiosity and instil scientific thinking in young minds. They lay the foundation for all future innovation.

At a community level, leadership is manifested in colleges, innovation hubs, policy making bodies that work relentlessly on bridging the gap between talent and opportunity. They work on empowering the students to share, refine and realise their ideas.

At the national and international levels, we see leaders like Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Benjamin Franklin — figures who have left their mark in both science and governance. They not only lead by example but also uplift and inspire the public, proving that science and leadership together have the power to shape history.

So, no. Leadership in science is not merely about holding a powerful position while carrying a science degree. It is about innovating - and using that innovation for the greater good. For the self. For society.

Alchemy

Where the glow of the burners set and the vapors rise, Chasing the silver of moonlit skies. The alchemy flows in the chemist's hands, An elite crafter from the marble stands.

Colors of twilight glow and Jasmine's breath, How love has brought about death. With chemicals pumping in my veins And a soul scarred with chemical stains

The echoes of silent screams filled the room, An obsession leading to doom. A pulse now beating in the molecules, a breath of a bond unbroken, In chemistry's embrace, a soul had last spoken.

i'm one pedigree chart analysis away from moving into a cottage far away from people