Focus: Sir Hans Adolf Krebs (1900 – 1981)
Author: Klaus Roth
03 November 2020 — Discoverer of the citric acid and urea cycles forced to leave Nazi Germany in 1933
Focus: The Smell of Asparagus Urine
Author: Sabine Streller, Klaus Roth
03 March 2020 — What substances cause the characteristic smell of asparagus pee?
Focus: Chemistry with Spit and Polish
Author: Klaus Roth
07 January 2020 — For generations, conservators have been cleaning the surfaces of artworks with their saliva
Focus: Sir Henry's Secret Pot of Gold
Author: Klaus Roth
19 June 2019 — A true fairy tale for entrepreneurs—with a rocky start
Focus: Is Pyrethrum: History of a Bio-Insecticide
Author: Klaus Roth, Elisabeth Vaupel
02 October 2018 — Chrysanthemum flowers as an insecticide
Focus: New Kids on the Table: Is Element 118 a Noble Gas?
Author: Klaus Roth
03 April 2018 — The synthesis of heavy elements
Focus: Is Vanilla-Flavored Pudding a Mutagen?
Author: Klaus Roth
05 September 2017 — A peculiar story about dealing with sources
Author: Klaus Roth
01 August 2017 — How can water cross cell membranes? Fascinating chemistry that affects each one of us
Author: Klaus Roth
04 July 2017 — Is such a thing as "water poisoning" possible?
Author: Klaus Roth
04 April 2017 — Tattoo removal, permanent make-up, and henna
Author: Klaus Roth
07 February 2017 — The process of tattooing
Author: Klaus Roth
03 January 2017 — Coloring materials employed in tattooing
Author: Klaus Roth
06 December 2016 — Tattooing from a chemical point of view
Author: Klaus Roth and Erich Lück
05 January 2016 — A glance back to ancient Rome, and the most hair-raising of all sweeteners
Author: Klaus Roth and Erich Lück
01 December 2015 — The health concerns associated with artificial sweeteners
Author: Klaus Roth and Erich Lück
06 October 2015 — The early industrial production and organized smuggling of saccharin
Klaus Roth writes why we should take pride in our chemistry and infect others with our enthusiasm
Author: Klaus Roth and Erich Lück
01 September 2015 — The invention of the first artificial sweetener and a lifetime battle for credit
Author: Klaus Roth
04 August 2015 — Christine Beemelmanns and Hans-Ulrich Reissig explain why the synthesis of strychnine is challenging till today
Author: Klaus Roth
07 July 2015 — What can we learn from the total synthesis of strychnine?
Author: Klaus Roth
02 June 2015 — Why did it take 130 years to determine the structure of strychnine?
Author: Klaus Roth
05 May 2015 — Just how toxic is strychnine, and why?
Author: Klaus Roth
07 April 2015 — A devilish plan – thwarted by general chemistry knowledge
Author: Sabine Streller and Klaus Roth
03 March 2015 — What happens when a smoker tries to quit?
Author and Professor Klaus Roth, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, celebrates his 70th birthday
Author: Sabine Streller and Klaus Roth
06 January 2015 — What does cigarette smoke contain and what does nicotine do to the smoker?
Author: Sabine Streller and Klaus Roth
02 December 2014 — How Does a Tobacco Plant Synthesize Nicotine?
Author: Sabine Streller and Klaus Roth
04 November 2014 — What does tobacco contain and which chemical changes happen between the harvest and a finished cigarette?
Author: Sabine Streller and Klaus Roth
07 October 2014 — Looking at the history of tobacco consumption – from chewing and snuffing to smoking
Author: Klaus Roth
03 June 2014 — We are only able to taste sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami – how do we taste hotness?
Author: Klaus Roth
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?
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
04 May 2014 — Achievements from the first attempts to cure vitamin C deficiency to the isolation, structure determination and synthesis of vitamin C
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
01 April 2014 — How much vitamin C do we need in our modern food?
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
04 March 2014 — Looking at the chemical and physiological properties of vitamin C and at how it intervenes in many biochemical processes
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
04 February 2014 — When scurvy was identified as a form of malnutrition, an exciting race for the isolation, structure determination, and synthesis of vitamin C started
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
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
Author: Klaus Roth
10 October 2013 — The chemistry involved in the production of beer foam or "head" is explained and a short history of the highights of the Oktoberfest
Author: Klaus Roth
01 October 2013 — As hops themselves actually are not bitter, and the wort tastes quite sweet, where does beer get its bitter taste from?
Author: Klaus Roth
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
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
06 August 2013 — What does quinine do to counteract malaria?
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
02 July 2013 — The long road from the structure determination to the total synthesis of quinine is an exciting detective story
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
07 May 2013 — The quinine-containing bark of the Cinchona tree is probably the most valuable drug the Americas gave the world
Author: Klaus Roth
02 April 2013 — Exploring the chemical reactions during the baking of the bread and the skills trained and experienced bakers need
Author: Klaus Roth
05 March 2013 — Fragrant, aromatic bread, whether its wheat- or rye-based, undergoes a host of chemical reactions during the kneading of the dough
Author: Klaus Roth
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
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
08 January 2013 — The isolation and structural determination of the potent ergot alkaloids guarantees we can enjoy our daily bread without harm
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
04 December 2012 — What is an ergot-infested grain kernel? Part 2 looks at the life-cycle of the fungus, how it contributed to the Salem witch trials, and a self test
Author: Klaus Roth and Sabine Streller
06 November 2012 — The Isenheim Altar depicts the symptoms and treatment of “St. Anthony’s Fire”, the result of poisoning by ergot alkaloids
Author: Klaus Roth
02 October 2012 — We examine the effects of these restrictions on the preparation processes involved in the making of halal and kosher products
Author: Klaus Roth
04 September 2012 — Unusual interface between chemistry and religion, drawing upon examples from Islamic and Judaic law
Author: Klaus Roth
07 August 2012 — In this final part, Klaus Roth asks: Do Stradivarius violins really sound better than all the rest?
Author: Klaus Roth
03 July 2012 — What made Stradivari's violins so special? Klaus Roth looks at the important role of chemistry in Stradivari's workshop and instruments
Author: Klaus Roth
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
Author: Klaus Roth
02 May 2012 — Finally, we reach the practical part as we discover the ideal egg, from a culinary perspective
Author: Klaus Roth
19 April 2012 — We look at the chemical changes that occur when an egg is boiled and discover how to unboil the egg afterwards
Author: Klaus Roth
03 April 2012 — We examine an egg on its journey from hen to table, including the first in situ monitoring methods, to ensure the perfect breakfast egg
Interview with Erwin Reicher, first ever Professor of Applied Popularity Research, University of Kleinzack, on how to make chemistry popular
Author: Klaus Roth
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
Author: Klaus Roth
19 January 2012 — In this last part we take a look at the synthesis of the perfect pesto
Author: Klaus Roth
03 January 2012 — Klaus Roth uncovers the nature of this culinary-chemical marvel, and thereby comes to enjoy it all the more
Author: Klaus Roth
24 December 2011 — In this last part we consider a candle burning in the absence of gravity
Author: Klaus Roth
06 December 2011 — We pursue the fate of a single wax molecule in a burning candle
Author: Klaus Roth
02 November 2011 — When we light a candle, the chemistry we are pursuing is not only especially beautiful, but also especially complex
Interview with ChemistryViews Author Klaus Roth, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Author: Klaus Roth
03 October 2011 — Klaus Roth considers the poison tetrodotoxin from the fugu's perspective
Author: Klaus Roth
06 September 2011 — What to do if one’s fugu banquet seems not to sit well?
Author: Klaus Roth
01 August 2011 — The chemist’s fear of the fugu or pufferfish extends as far as the distinctive and intriguing poison it carries
Author: Klaus Roth
06 July 2011 — How can a tiny molecule like ethanol be at the root of so much human misery?
Author: Klaus Roth
07 June 2011 — How can a tiny molecule like ethanol be at the root of so much human misery? Klaus Roth looks at how ethanol is metabolized
Author: Klaus Roth
03 May 2011 — How can a tiny molecule like ethanol be at the root of so much human misery?
Author: Klaus Roth
22 December 2010 — The scientific basis for the fascinating bubble dance and how to ensure it lasts as long as possible
Author: Klaus Roth
17 December 2010 — Opening the bottle and choosing the glass – Who would have guessed that both would give us insights into thermodynamics?
Author: Klaus Roth
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
Author: Klaus Roth
04 October 2010 — Klaus Roth takes the final look at chocolate, health, sex, and drugs as he asks - Chocolate, a healthy food?
Author: Klaus Roth
13 September 2010 — Cocoa butter can crystallize into six forms, but only one has the noble surface sheen, the crisp hardness, and melts pleasantly in the mouth
Author: Klaus Roth
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
Author: Klaus Roth, translated by E. Russey
01 July 2010 — Klaus Roth concludes his look at espresso with a scrutinizing glance at the foamy, consolidated surface layer, the crema.
Author: Klaus Roth
13 May 2010 — Klaus Roth proves that no culinary masterpiece can be achieved without a basic knowledge of chemistry.
Only capsicum can synthesize chemical compounds irritating our tongue to produce a pleasant spicy feeling!