Lazlo Zechmeister was one of the pioneers in chromatology. He recognized the potential of the chromatographic method and made extensive use of it for his research about natural products. In 1938 he founded the book series "Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products" which includes review articles on contemporary research by masters in their fields of expertise. This text casts light on his life and his pioneering role in chromatography and provides more detailed insight on the book series."

In this brief, renowned inorganic chemist Jay Labinger tracks the development of his field from a forgotten specialism to the establishment of an independent, intellectually viable discipline. Inorganic chemistry, with a negation in its very name, was long regarded as that which was left behind when organic and physical chemistry emerged as specialist fields in the 19th century. Only by the middle of the 20th century had it begun to gain its current stature of equality to that of the other main branches of chemistry. The author discusses the evidence for this transition, both quantitative and...

Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is one of the most ubiquitous chemical compounds in the history of the chemical sciences. The generation of alcohol via fermentation is also one of the oldest forms of chemical technology, with the production of fermented beverages such as mead, beer and wine predating the smelting of metals. By the 12th century, the ability to isolate alcohol from wine had moved this chemical species from a simple component of alcoholic beverages to both a new medicine and a powerful new solvent. Of course, this also began the long tradition of production of liqueurs and strong...

This sequel to A Prehistory of Polymer Science begins with the Faraday Discussion of 1935 on Polymerization. Patterson then examines the remarkable rise and establishment of polymer science after 1935 from the perspective of the emergence of strong intellectual leaders. While enough biographical detail is presented to gain an appreciation for the role played by each leader, the emphasis of this volume is on the key concepts associated with each individual and how the community embraced these leaders.

More than 80 personalities, in or from Germany, that over the centuries have shaped the development of analytical chemistry are introduced by brief biographies. These accounts go beyond summarising key biographical information and outline the individual's contributions to analytical chemistry. This richly illustrated Brief offers a unique resource of information that is not available elsewhere.