JOURNAL O f CHEMICAL EDUCATION
HERMANN MOHLER RALPH E. OESPER University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
HFRMANN MOHLER,who is now serving as the tem- lecture dealt with the problem of the relation of chemporary head of the College of Arts and Sciences at the istry to t.he new physics. His lectures have always been well attended. They University of Bagdad, where he lectures in English on physical, industrial, and biochemistry, is in a sense covered a wide variety of topics, e. g., chemical warfare; returning the great service rendered t o Europe by the explosives; the relation of light absorption to chemical Moors nho hrought Islamic science into Spain many constitution; dipole moments; semage; potable wat,ers. centuries ago. Dr. Mohler, vho is distinguished by More than 90 papers testify to the comprehensiveness his humanitarian outlook, is working in Iraq under the of his chemical activity. In the field of pure chemistry, he has specialized on spectroscopy and electron theory. auspices of UNESCO.' Rorn on March 2, 1900, a t Liestal, Switzerland, he He is especially interested in the relations between was graduated magna cum l a d e from the University physical properties and chemical constitution. In of Basel where he took his doctorate (1925) with a 1947 he was appointed extraordinary professor of physimajor in physical chemistry and minors in botany and cal chemistry a t Basel. He has acted as consultant to the military authorities general chemistry. He early showed a strong interest in scientific prohlems and his two-year activity as assist- on such matters as the analysis of toxic smoke screens, ant in the physical chemistry laboratory of his alma the detoxification of areas exposed to war gases such muter revealed that he had a great ability for teach- as Yperite, and protection against gas attacks in general. ing. He has the following books to his credit: "LosungsA year after the doctorate examination he was spektren" (1937); "Besiehungen der Chemie sum appointed provincial Food Inspector, and in 1930 he Weltbild der Physik" (1939); "Das Ahsorptionspekpassed the federal examination for food chemist. trum der chemischen Bindung" (1943), which vas out Shortly thereafter, he went to Zurich as adjunct to the of print within eight months and was reprinted in the cantonal chemist, and two years later was named city U. S. A. in 1946; "Optische Methoden des Chemikers" chemist of Zurich. Here he had an opportunity to (1945); "Elektronentheorie der Chemie" (1946); develop hi outstanding organizing abilities and also "Chemische Optik" (1950). his scientific activities. The Werder Foundation awarded him its Werder In January, 1937, he habilitated as Privatdozent at Medal in 1944 in recognition of his outstanding achieveBasel, receiving the venia legedi in physical chemistry. ments in food chemistry and his method of analyzing The habilitation essay bore the title: "Diacetyl as spirituous liquors. Since 1946 he has served as presibutter aroma and its spectroscopy." The habilitation dent of the Schweizischer Chemiker-Verhand and since 1947 he has been head of the edit,orial board of Chimia, MOHLER, H., "Die Wissenschaft in Auibauwerk der Uneseo," which he founded. Chimia, 6 , 153 (1952).
