Initiator Memes

The chemistry lab version of "out of sight, out of mind" strikes again! Left your polymerization reaction unattended? No initiator? No problem! The polymer chains aren't going to form themselves, but hey—your weekend plans certainly will. Nothing says "confident chemist" like casually forgetting the catalyst that kickstarts the entire reaction and then pretending it was intentional. Pro tip: next time just tell your professor you were testing the spontaneous polymerization hypothesis. Works 0% of the time, guaranteed!