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.