Akio Baba, Osaka University, Japan:

The most significant historic event of the past 100 years was the earthquake disaster in the Tohoku area in 2011.

Vladimir Gevorgyan, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA:

My favorite name reactions are the Chichibabin and Tishchenko reactions; 10 extra points are given to students for correct spelling, 15 more points for close-enough pronunciation.

Frank Würthner, University of Würzburg, Germany:

Chemistry is fun because as a scientist and especially as a professor you can enjoy much greater freedom than in other professions and you are always  surrounded by young and enthusiastic
co-workers.

Bert Weckhuysen, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and Netherlands Institute for Research in Catalysis:

The most exciting thing about my research is that it is of fundamental importance, but also has practical relevance, as knowledge of the function of catalytic materials may finally end up in industrial applications.