The collection of articles presented here spans a diverse range of chemical phenomena, historical explorations, and fascinating natural compounds. From uncovering the mystery behind Fredrick Accum’s failure to be recognized as a consumer protection pioneer, to understanding the complex sulfur chemistry behind skunk spray, these pieces delve into chemistry’s impact on everyday life and historical events.
Readers will find detailed analyses of topics like the chemistry behind absinthe’s reputation, the historical discovery of Prussian blue, and the role of hops in brewing beer. Whether it’s an exploration of the therapeutic properties of licorice, an inquiry into the dangers of strychnine, or a scientific look into asparagus pee, each article offers an engaging perspective that brings the science of chemistry to life in unexpected ways.
Focus: Death in a Pot: From England’s Famous Chemist to Exiled and Forgotten
Why did Fredrick Accum’s 1820 book about simple methods for detecting the adulteration of foods not make him a pioneer of consumer protection?
Focus: Who is Nature’s Biggest Stinker?
🦨 What’s in skunk spray? The striped skunk’s secretion is a highly complex natural substance and a masterpiece of sulfur chemistry
Focus: Absinthe: The Magic of the Green Fairy
When drinking modern absinthe, is there still a chance of getting a kiss from the Green Fairy like the Bohemian Parisians at the end of the 19th century?
Focus: The Amazing Chemical Survival Strategy of a Moth
The secret: the right diet from the start, rigorous sex, and a good helping of chemistry
Focus: Chemistry Takes on Paper Conservation
Looking into the chemistry of paper disintegration and the restoration of old paper
Focus: The Chemistry of Balloons (and Rubber)
The balloon is certainly not the most important product based on rubber, but it may be the prettiest
Focus: The Licorice Wheel
The root of the licorice plant is one of the oldest known remedies – we will take a deeper look at the chemistry of this healthy treat
Focus: Chlorates: Tragic Incidents and Life-Saving Applications
A tale of exploding trousers, herbicides, fireworks, and airplane oxygen masks
Focus: Prussian Blue: Discovery and Betrayal
03 May 2022 — Around 1700, Berlin was a colorful center of innovation – a scene that led to the discovery of the century: Prussian blue
Focus: Emil Fischer’s Unsolved Case: Cleared Up after 120 Years
01 March 2022 — We go back to 1896 and look over Emil Fischer’s shoulder as he determines the melting point of his capricious hydrazone
Focus: Deciphering the Genetic Code: The Most Beautiful False Theory in Biochemistry
03 August 2021 — Countless scientists contributed to its clarification with brilliance, ingenuity, intuition, and luck
Focus: Cheryl Dembe: A Woman Who Didn’t Give Up
06 April 2021 — An inspirational example of not letting obstacles discourage you, but using them as stepping stones instead
Focus: Sir Hans Adolf Krebs (1900 – 1981)
03 November 2020 — Discoverer of the citric acid and urea cycles forced to leave Nazi Germany in 1933
Focus: The Smell of Asparagus Urine
03 March 2020 — What substances cause the characteristic smell of asparagus pee?
Focus: Chemistry with Spit and Polish
07 January 2020 — For generations, conservators have been cleaning the surfaces of artworks with their saliva
Focus: Sir Henry’s Secret Pot of Gold
19 June 2019 — A true fairy tale for entrepreneurs—with a rocky start
Focus: Pyrethrum: History of a Bio-Insecticide
02 October 2018 — Chrysanthemum flowers as an insecticide
Focus: New Kids on the Table: Is Element 118 a Noble Gas?
03 April 2018 — The synthesis of heavy elements
Focus: Is Vanilla-Flavored Pudding a Mutagen?
05 September 2017 — A peculiar story about dealing with sources
News: 18 September 2015 — Klaus Roth writes why we should take pride in our chemistry and infect others with our enthusiasm
Focus: The Saccharin Saga
01 September 2015 — The invention of the first artificial sweetener and a lifetime battle for credit
04 August 2015 — Christine Beemelmanns and Hans-Ulrich Reissig explain why the synthesis of strychnine is challenging till today
Focus: Strychnine: From Isolation to Total Synthesis
05 May 2015 — Just how toxic is strychnine, and why?
Focus: Agatha Christie: The Chemistry of a (Nearly) Perfect Murder
07 April 2015 — A devilish plan – thwarted by general chemistry knowledge
News: 70th Birthday: Klaus Roth
30 January 2015 — Author and Professor Klaus Roth, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, celebrates his 70th birthday
Focus:The Chemistry of Tobacco
07 October 2014 — Looking at the history of tobacco consumption – from chewing and snuffing to smoking
Focus: The Biochemistry of Peppers
06 May 2014 — How is it that only plants from the genus Capsicum are able to synthesize compounds that sting one’s tongue so intensely?
Focus: Investigators in the Fight Against Scurvy
04 May 2014 — Achievements from the first attempts to cure vitamin C deficiency to the isolation, structure determination and synthesis of vitamin C
Focus: Vitamin C Deficiency
07 January 2014 — It took hundred of years and a long sequence of small advantages and missed opportunities to discover the importance of vitamin C
Focus: The Oktoberfest Rearrangement
03 September 2013 — A closer look at the chemical role hops play in the beer-brewing process shows how beer owes its marvelous flavor to a great deal of chemistry
Focus: From Pharmacy to the Pub — A Bark Conquers the World
07 May 2013 — The quinine-containing bark of the Cinchona tree is probably the most valuable drug the Americas gave the world
Focus: Our Daily Bread
05 February 2013 — Transformation of ripe ears of grain into a fragrant, aromatic bread borders on the miraculous and behind such a miracle lies chemistry
Focus: A Chemical Examination of the Isenheim Altar: Role Played in History by Horned Rye
06 November 2012 — The Isenheim Altar depicts the symptoms and treatment of “St. Anthony’s Fire”, the result of poisoning by ergot alkaloids
Focus: Chemical Production in Compliance with Torah and the Koran
04 September 2012 — Unusual interface between chemistry and religion, drawing upon examples from Islamic and Judaic law
Focus: Chemical Secrets of the Violin Virtuosi
05 June 2012 — What made Stradivari’s violins so special? Klaus Roth looks at the important role of chemistry in Stradivari’s workshop and instruments
Commentary: The Crisis of the Chemist — Chemists and Their Handicaps
01 April 2012 — Interview with Erwin Reicher, first ever Professor of Applied Popularity Research, University of Kleinzack, on how to make chemistry popular
Focus: Boiled Eggs: Soft and Hard
06 March 2012 — When we rap a knife on the shell of a freshly boiled egg we are seldom aware of what a technical marvel we are dealing with
Focus: Pesto — Mediterranean Biochemistry
03 January 2012 — Klaus Roth uncovers the nature of this culinary-chemical marvel, and thereby comes to enjoy it all the more
Focus: Chemistry of the Christmas Candle
02 November 2011 — When we light a candle, the chemistry we are pursuing is not only especially beautiful, but also especially complex
Video: Interview with ChemistryViews Author Klaus Roth
02 November 2011 — Interview with ChemistryViews Author Klaus Roth, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Focus: The Chemist’s Fear of the Fugu
01 August 2011 — The chemist’s fear of the fugu or pufferfish extends as far as the distinctive and intriguing poison it carries
Focus: Chemistry of a Hangover — Alcohol and its Consequences
03 May 2011 — How can a tiny molecule like ethanol be at the root of so much human misery?
Focus: Sparkling Wine, Champagne & Co
08 December 2010 — Looking a bit deeper into the glass we discover that there is a great deal of chemistry involved … only chemistry can be this tingling
Focus: Chocolate – The Noblest Polymorphism
29 July 2010 — Chocolate is a cultural asset of mankind. Klaus Roth proves, once again, only chemistry is able to produce such a celestial pleasure
Focus: Espresso – A Feast for the Senses
01 July 2010 — Klaus Roth concludes his look at espresso with a scrutinizing glance at the foamy, consolidated surface layer, the crema.
Focus: Espresso – A Three-Step Preparation
13 May 2010 — Klaus Roth proves that no culinary masterpiece can be achieved without a basic knowledge of chemistry.