The Same and Not The Same, Dr. Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University

Chemistry, poised between the physical and biological universes, doesn’t deal with the infinitely small or large. It is very much on the human scale, and from that derives its great interest and its problems.
In this generously illustrated lecture several views of chemistry will be presented: First of all, chemistry is, as it has always been, the art, craft, business of substances and their transformations. It is now also the science of molecules, both simple and complex — chemists always think simultaneously of macroscopic substances and microscopic molecules changing.
One must also look at people’s perception of chemistry, in terms of its benefits, yes, but also in terms of its risks. Indeed, there is no way that a human activity so closely tied to change can be viewed without passion by people. This deeply democratizing science is full of tensions, which will be explored in this lecture, as will the strong element of creation or synthesis in chemistry, which brings chemistry close to the arts.
January 16th, 2004 at Oregon State University
http://www.isepp.org/Pages/03-04%20Pages/Hoffmann.html

Видео The Same and Not The Same, Dr. Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University канала Linus Pauling Memorial Lecture Series