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Science Education & Other Interests

Professor Roesky spends a considerable amount of his time in popularizing science and modernizing chemistry education. He is presently involved in two major projects.

  1. Chemische Kabinettstücke (German) or Chemical Curiosities: He tours around globally performing spectacular chemistry experiments, which are described in his recent book, Chemical Curiosities which has been (is being) translated into many languages.

  2. Chemie en Miniature (German): This is a set of experiments aimed to revolutionalize the process of chemistry teachery from high-school level onwards.

Chemical Curiosities

Could it be magic...? Chemical experiments are not only essential for teaching chemistry, they also fascinate the audience. This book is an excellent source of inspiration for every 'magic show' and classroom demonstration. In a very playful manner, the experiments described here open up the manifold, colourful, and sometimes ear-splitting world of chemistry. Ranging from unusual (but useful) properties of matter to the illustration of the greenhouse effect, this masterful chemist's 'cookbook' is highly suitable for preparing demonstrations in front of larger audiences. Building a bridge between science and the arts, every experiment is introduced by inspiring citations from prose and poetry, which makes reading and experimenting equally enjoyable.

Roald Hoffmann on Chemical Curiosities:

'The remarkable achievement of Herbert Roesky's and Klaus Möckel's book is the linkage it achieves between the world of the human spirit, expressed in literature and historical continuity, and the art of chemical demonstration. One expects Goethe to move freely in the pages of 'Chemical Curiosities', but Whitman, Nietzsche, Thomas Mann, Salvador Dali, Montaigne and the Prophet Jeremiah! ... The chemical and literary strands of this book are so ably intertwined.'


Based on a page by Mrinalini G. Walawalkar






Questions? jprust@shelx.uni-ac.gwdg.de