Despite the Europeans' propensity for "constantly blaring all the worst rock and roll records at all hours of the night." DiAntonio developed a tremendous comaradarie with his fellow chemfolk.

He said that the Italians taught him several new swear words, and that he spent the ten days "paying undue attention to a cute, redheaded Norwegian girl," attention that was very much reciprocated.

But even though the Czechoslovakians and other Eastern Europeans openly caroused with the Americans, the Russian chemkids would not talk with DiAntonio and his teammates.

"They had probably been told not to interact with Americans," he said adding that the Russians wouldn't even stand near the Americans in lines.

DiAntonio's only other chilling experience was receiving his scores the last day.

Though he scored 39 percent on the written exam and slightly better in the lab, he had "more confidence on the theoretical part because I burned myself in lab."

DiAntonio finished his theory test before the final buzzer: "I just didn't know some of the questions--that saves lots of time."

In lab, he titrated Pepsi to find its acidity, and "made some big ugly organic molecule. I got yellow slime--it was somewhere between slime and sludge."

But his bronze medal brightened things a little, as did a strange experience he had in the airport right before leaving.

One of the Russian students, who hadn't talked to him for ten days, suddenly said while leaving. "It's been great knowing you, I will write you!"

DiAntonio guessed that the Russian hadn't really wanted to remain segregated and was making a belated show of friendship.

The sophomore standing biochem concentrator, currently trudging through Harvard's infamous introductory organic chemistry course, may end up in Med or Grad School.

For his career, "I don't want to be secluded away in a lab," said DiAntonio, contrasting himself with the West German who won first place worldwide, whose "big goal in life is to separate the elements of the lanthanide series."