Eugene G. Rochow – författare

An Overview for the General Reader The fact that silicone rubber boots made those footprints on the moon, and that other silicone polymers made possible the construc­ tion and functioning of space suits and space vehicles, has led to the general belief that silicones are very modem materials conjured up to meet the needs of space travel. Actually, though, silicone chemis­ try has deep roots in human history, dating from the dawn of the race and extending through all of geology, mineralogy, and the ancient ceramic arts. This little book seeks to put the development of silicone materials in perspective as part of the fascinating involvement of the element silicon in our daily lives, from the stuff the earth and the moon are made of to the modem use of ultra­ pure silicon in transistors and computers, and the use of ordi­ nary elementary silicon to make silicone rubber, silicone oil, sili­ cone resins, and silicon or silicone-containing polishes, drugs, and fragrances. Of course these are not our only connections with silicon. The natural compounds of silicon and oxygen (the silicates) are the starting materials for making bricks, tile, cement, glass, and a host of modem ceramic products. The widespread usefulness of silicon and its compounds comes about for two reasons: first, there is so much of it, and second, it is so versatile.

It is said that behind every successful man there stands a devoted and capable woman. The three famous chemists Perkin, Kipping and their collaborator Lapworth married three sisters: Mina, Lily, and Kathleen Holland. The three Holland sisters kept their husbands in close and very productive collaboration throughout their lives, thereby greatly increasing their scientific output. They functioned as a productive scientific family. However, the life and work of the men is thoroughly documented, but little is known about their wives. Professor Eugene G. Rochow, a world-renowned scientist, wrote this biographical historical novel with the help of a grandson, Dr. Brian Kipping. Professor Rochow did not intend to write a bare-bones biography. He took care to make the book factually accurate. Wherever there are no facts, he has not hesitated to flesh out the account with imagination and actual experience of others in order to make the text more readable.

Eugene G. Rochow, Prof. emerit. der Harvard Universität, führte am 10. Mai 1940 ein Laborexperiment durch, das für die industrielle Produktion von Siliconen von grundlegender Bedeutung war: die Rochow-Synthese. Durch diese Synthese wurden die "Wundermaterialien" zugänglich für viele Anwendungen zur Verbesserung von Gebrauchsgegenständen, zur Miniaturisierung von elektronischen Bauelementen und zur Herstellung von Raumanzügen für Astronauten, die die extreme Hitze und Kälte auf dem Mond aushielten.