Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

1 8 Kerry Greenwood
Even through the mask Phryne could scent something reminiscent
of old garbage, mixed with a strong overtone of sewers.
Dr. Treasure seemed immune to the stench. He mixed several
other fluids and poured them into a large glass vessel over a very
weak flame. He took up a stirrer.
‘This is exciting, isn’t it?’ he remarked in his lilting Cambridge
voice.
‘What is it?’
‘Don’t know, quite. But don’t worry about secrecy, Miss
Fisher. I work for the police often, I give evidence in court. My
integrity is exceptionally important to me. Hmm. I think we’ll
give this a bit more of a stir.’
‘Dr. Treasure, what is this compound? All I can see is a clear
fluid and a bit of paper with letters and numbers.’
‘Ah, yes, well, how am I to explain this? Are you familiar with
the term polymerization?’
‘Never heard of it,’ said Phryne firmly.
Dr. Treasure did not seem cast down by the lamentable
ignorance of his visitor. In fact, he seemed pleased to have an
auditor who really wanted to know the answer. Phryne reflected
that his wife must be far too busy with the baby to pay proper
attention to chemistry lectures and he was probably suffering
from audience starvation. And, judging by the way he was now
drinking in the sight of Phryne in her close-fitting blue dress,
other sorts of deprivation as well.
‘Well, let’s start from the beginning. In nature, the polymer
process is a biogenesis and we are not too clear about how it
works. It’s very complex, but it does not seem to induce polymerization
by the manufacture of an isoprene monomer as such.
Which is what this formula is endeavouring to do, I believe.’
‘It is?’ asked Phryne.
Dr. Treasure pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.
‘Yes, you see, here—it says -CH2-C(CI)=CH-CH2—times n,
and there’s an additional CI, that makes it poly-chloroprene.
Which is CR. Derived, as you know, from oil, though mine
is made out of butyl alcohol, made of fermented grain. Much