NUIG academics’ Breaking Bad meth-lab aces chemistry test

Watching television is not generally conducive to study, but hit series Breaking Bad may have the right chemistry to inspire inquiring minds.

At least that’s the finding of two NUI Galway researchers who have been studying the science behind the programme’s drug factory storyline.

Dr Roisín Doohan and PhD student Michael Gurry, recreated the crystal meth lab used in the show and have been testing some of the chemical combinations and methods the characters use to make their illicit produce. The results are more science fact that fiction. “We wanted to experiment to see how accurate the chemistry depicted in the programme is, and it’s incredibly accurate,” said Dr Doohan.

Their experiments used a mix of ingredients such as methamphetamine, hydrofluoric acid, fulminated mercury, thermite, and ricin. For obvious reasons, neither Dr Doohan nor the programme makers for that matter, provide every detail of how to go about making such a potent and destructive drug.

“They use two different methods of synthesis on the show so we go through the steps and recreate parts. We don’t go every step — nor do we know every step. We create snapshots. We absolutely do not want to encourage anyone to set up a crystal meth lab.”

What they do want to do is encourage young people to think of studying chemistry. They put their work on display yesterday at NUI Galway’s annual science fair.

Not surprisingly, it got a lot of attention — especially as they had jars of very authentic looking blue rock candy — as Breaking Bad’s preferred variety of crystal meth is called — on offer to students who dropped by. It’s all part of the university’s outreach strategy that brings its science staff into primary and secondary schools to try to spark children’s interest in the sciences at an early age.

“Chemistry can be perceived as a very difficult subject but we have an initiative called Kitchen Chemistry where we show children simple experiments using basic things they’d have at home.”

Blue rock candy — the legal kind — could be one such experiment. “You take sugar and water, heat it to 143 degrees, let it cool, and add food colouring,” said Dr Doohan. “There’s absolutely no stimulus.”

Apart from the sugar high.