March 31 is Bunsen Burner Day – commemorating the birth in 1811 of German chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, the inventor (refiner) of the laboratory device that bears his name.
I relate the tale of when I was in college chemistry lab. We were doing something with hydrochloric acid that involved heating it in a test tube over a – you guessed it – Bunsen burner. I was working next to a nice fellow whose name I do not remember. I do remember that the acid in my test tube kept boiling and shooting out of the test tube, showering my lab neighbor with a fine spray of hot hydrochloric acid. I do remember him saying, “Oh, Oo, Ow.” I do remember apologizing over and over. I do remember him being very gracious. I also remember seeing a number of small holes begin to appear in his clothing. I did not point that out to him. Anyway, lab neighbor from the past, I am still sorry and hope you have suffered no lasting consequences.
So a salute to Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, who made this laboratory escapade possible.
Flame on!
Gunsmoke and Knitting 