Kelly Webster, chief of staff at the UM President's Office, helped Bridges order bulk quantities of the raw materials. The neurosciences lab in the Skaggs Building is currently empty, so he set up a space for mixing the alcohol and glycerol.

"I'm using 70% isopropyl," he explained. "The CDC recommends 70% for isopropyl and at least 60% for alcohol."

He made about 25 gallons of the viscous stuff earlier this week and distributed bulk jugs to firefighters, but he knows there's a need for smaller, individual-sized bottles. So he ordered a bulk quantity and hopes to funnel about 1,000 on Friday.

"It's not real high-tech here," he said, grinning and explaining how he's mostly improvising on everything except the proportion of the ingredients.

Other labs on campus donated equipment, he added, so it's a group effort. He's run into problems with the supply chain of course.

"Freaky things happen. One of the main suppliers of glycerol in Salt Lake City couldn't deliver because of the earthquake, so this came in from Texas," he said. "And one bottle company had bottles without caps, and another company had only caps but they were out of bottles."

Scott Whittenburg, UM's vice president for research and creative scholarship, said he's putting the material costs on a credit card right now and worrying about paying for it later. He said the UM community is working hard during the crisis.

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UM biochemistry professor making hand sanitizer - Missoulian