column_tinkering.py

from pandas import DataFrame, concat
from numpy import nan

correct = DataFrame({'foo': ((1, 'a'), (2, 'b')),
                   'bar': ((nan, 123), (3, 7)),
                   'valid_1': (144, 169),
                   'valid_2': (12, 13)})

wrong = DataFrame({'foo': (),
                   'bar': (),
                   'valid_1': (),
                   'valid_2': ()})

def purge_dataframe(df):
    "Split column containing tuples in separate columns"

    keep = df[['valid_1', 'valid_2']]
    foo = DataFrame(df.foo.tolist(), columns=['numbers', 'letters'], index=df.index)
    bar = DataFrame(df.bar.tolist(), columns=['what', 'ever'], index=df.index)

    return concat((keep, foo, bar), axis=1)

  
print(purge_dataframe(correct))
print(purge_dataframe(wrong))