Labor oder Arelier

Chemists have a very special relationship to colours. They determined the structure of natural dyes, developed total syntheses, e.g., indigo, invented new dyes like Prussian blue or phthalocyanines, which do not occur in nature, and worked out dyeing processes. In analytics they created colour indicators. Many important natural scientists, such as Democritos and Leonardo da Vinci, researched the theoretical basis for recording, processing, classifying and assigning color phenomena and colour principles, as well as their application in various fields of activity, and created colour theories. The colour theories of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Wilhelm Ostwald were of particular importance.The crowning glory of the love of colours is probably, when the chemist leaves her or his laboratory temporarily or for good, in order to paint in a studio or in nature, be it as a freelance artist or as a hobby painter, Part 1: Chemists and painters. Many chemists have also distinguished themselves as art collectors and have amassed significant collections, Part 2: Chemists and art collectors.