50 Shades of Brown: An Index of Chemical Misery

Abstract: Modern labs are replete with instruments and techniques for determining the complexity of crude reaction mixtures. TLC, NMR, IR, MS, the list goes on. These techniques all require a sample of material in question, and time to analyse it. Conspicuously absent from the illiterature is a rapid and non-destructive assay for the purity of a reaction mixture. Herein, we describe a technique for the instantaneous analysis of sample purity with visible light spectroscopy.