An amazing truth about our Creator is that He is not a god of chaos, as we read in 1 Corinthians 14:33a, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” Other translations of this verse use the words “disorder” or “confusion”. God’s creation was orderly, perfect, and good for mankind. Behold, “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

When studying chemistry in school, equations are balanced, measurements are precise, and reactions are complete. I suppose these elements (no pun intended) are partially what drew me to study the subject in college. I did not know then that the accuracy, controllability, and predictability that I loved about chemistry would become so elusive outside the academic world.

Enter applied chemistry in an industrial work setting: finished products often do not pass Quality Control testing, and formulas made in a lab rarely transfer to a production plant without problems. I experienced frustration at the variables that I could not control: contamination, malfunctioning and ill-maintained machinery and instrumentation, and the effects of human error and dodging blame. Chemistry’s controllability and predictability seemed to have completely disappeared!

I recall one instance when a large formula batch did not pass any of the required testing. The typical first step in this situation is to continue agitation/reaction time for a while to ensure a uniform mixture. If extra mixing does not solve the problem, then the next course of action is to make a chemical adjustment. This time, an uneasy feeling prompted me to do something different. I climbed up the vessel to have a look inside. To my great surprise, the mixing prop had detached from the shaft and was lying on the bottom of the vessel. The motor was simply spinning the shaft in place. In other words, the mixer was not mixing. The separate chemicals remained layered on top of each other as they had been added to the vessel. After pointing out the problem to the chemical operator, I was informed that the prop had fallen off a week before! No one had notified the lab or addressed the issue with maintenance. Nothing to see here, so go point fingers elsewhere.

I came to an important conclusion. School chemistry was specifically designed for students to experience success.

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