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466:, who invited him to become the third member of the chemistry department, with Strong and Wilmer Stratton. Benfey and Strong began to develop a new curriculum based on concepts. In 1958, their new curriculum was published in the report of the Advisory Council on College Chemistry. After graduating three
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Fellowship awardees in its first group of students, the
American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training (CPT) approved the Earlham curriculum, and accepted it as a model for "curricular innovation". The work at Earlham also led to development of a United States high school curriculum
410:
During his time at
Haverford, several people influenced Benfey and shaped his career as a historian of science. One was William Buell Meldrum, the department head at Haverford when Benfey joined the faculty. Like Christopher Kelk Ingold, Meldrum approached the teaching of chemistry from a historical
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magazine, for high school students. From
January 1964 to 1978, Benfey edited a highly respected magazine. He increased its publication five-fold, reaching as many as 30,000 students and teachers. The magazine acted as a model for similar publications internationally.
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Benfey was active in the
Division of History of Chemistry (HIST) of the American Chemical Society, serving as chair of the division in 1966. Benfey continued to publish articles and books on the history of chemistry, writing about scientists such as
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During his Ph.D. work, Benfey studied the effects of salts on alkyl halide hydrolysis reaction rates. He showed that "two salts could have inverse effects depending on the leaving group of the alkyl halide," the opposite of a prediction made by
514:. The elements form a two-dimensional spiral, starting from hydrogen, and folding their way around two peninsulars, the transition metals, and lanthanides and actinides. A superactinide island is already slotted in.
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399:, a Quaker institution, and invited to join the chemistry faculty. He accepted, becoming one of four members of the department in January 1948. Soon after, he met Rachel Thomas, a teacher at
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and an artist. Rachel's fiancé, Sergei Thomas, had died in an accident a few months earlier. She and Ted Benfey were married in 1949. Also in 1949, Benfey attended the first meeting of the
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in 1938, Benfey's younger brother and older sister joined him briefly in
England. Eduard and Lotte Benfey were eventually successful in getting American visas, because Lotte's sister
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in North
Carolina in 1973. Benfey recruited David MacInnes and they began teaching continuing education courses on basic chemistry in the evening, targeting nearby
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Benfey, 0. T. (1948). "Electrophilic Attack on
Halogen in a Homogeneous Medium: Reaction of Mercuric Nitrate with Some Primary and Secondary Alkyl Bromides".
366:. As a Quaker, he could not agree to work on anything relating to weapons development. Ingold assigned him to work on aliphatic substitution and evidence for
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1125:. The Series of Autobiographies Profiles, Pathways and Dreams. Translated by Benfey, Otto Theodor. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society.
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O. Theodor Benfey, Transcript of an
Interview Conducted by James J. Bohning at the Chemical Heritage Foundation on 24 May 1991 and 5 June 1991
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O. Theodor Benfey, Transcript of an
Interview Conducted by James J. Bohning at the Chemical Heritage Foundation on 24 May 1991 and 5 June 1991
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employees. Benfey also taught history of science courses that met the science requirement for non-science majors. His students included
378:. On the basis of this work, Benfey obtained a London University postdoctoral traveling fellowship, enabling him to work with Hammett at
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1198:"American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of the History of Chemistry ( HIST ) Newsletter Program and Abstracts August 21-25, 2016"
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2016, “A Salute to Ted Benfey at 90: Science, History, Culture & a
Commitment to Humanism,” symposium in Benfey’s honor,
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Benfey formally retired from Guilford College in 1988, as the Dana Professor of Chemistry and History of Science, Emeritus.
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Otto Theodor Benfey was born on 31 October 1925, to Eduard Benfey and his second wife, Lotte Maria (Fleischmann) Benfey, in
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165:(31 October 1925 – 24 January 2024) was a German-born American chemist and historian of science. Sent to England to escape
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1094:"From Stereochemistry to Social Responsibility. The Eclectic Life of Otto Theodor Benfey. Part 2: 1990 to the Present"
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542:, the first in the Interface series of books by the NSF's Advisory Council on College Chemistry (McGraw-Hill, 1970).
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After moving to Philadelphia in 1989, Benfey became an adjunct professor in History and Sociology of Science at the
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Benfey chose to resign from Haverford as his sabbatical year approached. He spent his sabbatical year working with
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Rachel Benfey survived a stroke in 2005, and died on 22 September 2013. Otto Theodor Benfey died at a care home in
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506:, sometimes referred to as the periodic snail. First published in 1964, it explicitly showed the location of
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In 1996, the Benfeys moved to the Friends Homes at Guilford, a Quaker retirement community. Benfey published
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After their return, the Benfeys were approached by Grirnsley Hobbs, who eventually convinced them to move to
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Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay: Reflections on Art, Family and Survival by Chrisopher Benfey, 2012
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419:. Benfey attended a summer school in which Conant focused on case histories in experimental science.
276:. In 1936, Ted Benfey was sent to live in England with family friends, the Mendls. He attended the
1047:"The Biography of a Periodic Spiral: from Chemistry magazine, via Industry , to a Foucault Pendulum"
1016:"This scientist helped shape chemical education in the U.S. But you've probably never heard of him"
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407:(SSRS) at Haverford, organized by Victor Paschkis. Benfey became its second president in 1951.
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Soon after, University College London moved back to London. London was still under attack from
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Cohen, Irwin (March 1965). "Chem Ed Book Reviews: From Vitol Force to Structurul Formulas".
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techniques. He also worked on translating an account of the history of Chinese science by
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My 132 semesters of chemistry studies : studium chymiae nec nisi cum morte finitur
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804:"From Biochemistry to Social Responsibility – The Eclectic Life of Otto Theodor Benfey"
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Red brick, Black Mountain, white clay : reflections on art, family, and survival
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with co-editor Peter Morris in 2001. He continued to serve as editor at large of the
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Division of the History of Chemistry ( HIST ) of the American Chemical Society (ACS)
370:. Benfey received his Doctor of Philosophy from University College, London in 1947.
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and philosophical viewpoint, a model which Benfey followed. Another influence was
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with their son, Wolf Mendl. Ted Benfey and Wolf Mendl were both confirmed in the
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663:(German to English). Benfey wrote about a number of scientists, particularly
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Although he had fully intended to return to England, Benfey was approached by
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Benfey continued to write, translate and publish. His translations include
618:(1988-1995) of the Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry (later the
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led him to apply to study chemistry at university, and he was accepted at
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319:, the Mendls invited Ted to remain with them and complete his education.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Chemical Sciences
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Robert Burns Woodward. Architect and Artist in the World of Molecules
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enabling him to deepen his interest in the history of science in the
362:. Benfey was invited to continue his studies and do Ph.D. work with
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Robert Burns Woodward. Architect and Artist in the World of Molecules
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The Experience of War: Residents of Friends Homes Tell Their Stories
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by Masao Watanabe (from German to English, originally in Japanese),
597:. He taught interdisciplinary classes with a variety of colleagues.
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HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry
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16:
German-born American chemist and historian of science (1925–2024)
450:(1964). It became the first book in the Houghton Mifflin series
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into English. It became the first of many Benfey translations.
315:. While the rest of the family were reunited as immigrants in
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In the fall of 1955, Benfey was approached by Larry Strong at
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until 2014. He gathered and published four volumes of
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Determinismus und Indeterminismus in der modernen Physik
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at age 10, he completed his education as a chemist at
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in Japan, relating geometry, chemical structure, and
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649:The History of the International Chemical Industry
218:The History of the International Chemical Industry
720:national meeting in Philadelphia, 22 August 2016
990:. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society.
550:In 1970, Benfey and his family spent a year at
122:Chemical education and the history of chemistry
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212:for fifteen years. His translations include
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405:Society for Social Responsibility in Science
343:, the chemistry department was relocated to
903:: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
540:Introduction to Organic Reaction Mechanisms
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234:Introduction to Organic Reaction Mechanisms
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536:Names and Structures of Organic Molecules
1121:Prelog, V. (1991). Seeman, J. I. (ed.).
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879:Journal of the American Chemical Society
833:"Compelling Stories: Jewish Lives Lived"
710:, Division of the History of Chemistry,
697:, on 24 January 2024, at the age of 98.
626:). He served on advisory boards for
264:. Although his parents had converted to
988:From vital force to structural formulas
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452:Classic Researches in Organic Chemistry
448:From vital force to structural formulas
230:From vital force to structural formulas
228:by Vladimir Prelog. His books include
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446:. He also prepared the manuscript for
173:before moving to the United States. A
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811:Bulletin for the History of Chemistry
661:My 132 Semesters of Chemistry Studies
615:Bulletin for the History of Chemistry
226:My 132 Semesters of Chemistry Studies
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612:. He also became the editor of the
562:. Benfey studied the use of regular
498:One of the Benfey's publications in
1281:Alumni of University College London
926:. New York: Penguin Press. p.
494:Final shape of the periodic 'snail'
478:In 1963, Benfey was invited by the
268:, the family was still regarded as
256:. Eduard Benfey, a graduate of the
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1243:Bohning, James J. (5 June 1991).
1014:Borman, Stu (19 September 2016).
853:Bohning, James J. (5 June 1991).
754:"Ted Benfey receives HIST Award"
645:The Japanese and Western Science
632:The Chemical Sciences in Society
427:, recruited Benfey to translate
214:The Japanese and Western Science
208:-sponsored high school magazine
196:Benfey is known for his work on
1020:Chemical & Engineering News
802:Bohning, James J. (1992–1993).
758:Chemical & Engineering News
1326:American historians of science
655:(from French to English), and
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953:Journal of Chemical Education
272:by the increasingly powerful
1316:German historians of science
1254:Chemical Heritage Foundation
918:Benfey, Christopher (2013).
864:Chemical Heritage Foundation
624:Chemical Heritage Foundation
532:Alexander William Williamson
528:Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff
423:, a visiting professor from
1286:British Christian pacifists
986:Benfey, O. Theodor (1975).
752:Wang, Linda (7 June 2019).
731:Alternative periodic tables
468:National Science Foundation
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695:Greensboro, North Carolina
690:(2009, 2010, 2012, 2014).
684:Chemical Heritage Magazine
669:August Wilhelm von Hofmann
620:Chemical Heritage Magazine
610:University of Pennsylvania
473:The Chemical Bond Approach
64:Greensboro, North Carolina
1311:Haverford College faculty
1235:Science History Institute
1228:Center for Oral History.
718:American Chemical Society
712:American Chemical Society
552:Kwansei Gakuin University
480:American Chemical Society
337:University College London
171:University College London
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76:University College London
1306:Guilford College faculty
1045:Benfey, Theodor (2009).
637:Foundations of Chemistry
482:to become the editor of
401:Haverford Friends School
1291:Earlham College faculty
504:extended periodic table
364:Christopher Kelk Ingold
349:Stephen Oluwole Awokoya
258:University of Göttingen
151:Christopher Kelk Ingold
1321:Scientists from Berlin
630:magazine (1986-1996),
520:Archibald Scott Couper
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327:Benfey's interests in
309:Black Mountain College
278:Watford Grammar School
85:Rachel (Thomas) Benfey
1173:"Otto Theodor Benfey"
673:Robert Burns Woodward
589:, David Rhees of the
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307:artists, teaching at
1252:. Philadelphia, PA:
862:. Philadelphia, PA:
323:University education
1230:"O. Theodor Benfey"
1153:. 25 September 2013
1092:Seeman, Jeffrey I.
973:10.1021/ed042p177.2
965:1965JChEd..42..177C
891:10.1021/ja01186a050
587:Frances Moore Lappé
380:Columbia University
376:Louis Plack Hammett
216:by Masao Watanabe,
181:, Benfey taught at
163:Otto Theodor Benfey
25:Otto Theodor Benfey
556:Nishinomiya, Japan
538:(Wiley, 1966) and
502:was a model of an
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444:Harvard University
417:Harvard University
345:Aberystwyth, Wales
286:Society of Friends
202:history of science
198:chemical education
94:Christopher Benfey
1151:News & Record
701:Awards and honors
659:'s autobiography
595:William R. Newman
397:Haverford College
391:Haverford College
329:organic chemistry
282:Church of England
183:Haverford College
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113:Scientific career
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353:
341:World War II
326:
301:Josef Albers
290:
247:
237:
236:(1970), and
233:
229:
225:
217:
213:
209:
195:
167:Nazi Germany
162:
161:
127:Institutions
112:
58:(2024-01-24)
18:
1276:2024 deaths
1271:1925 births
1026:(37): 20–21
534:. He wrote
508:lanthanides
368:carbocation
360:V-2 rockets
297:Anni Albers
266:Lutheranism
107:, ACS, 2019
1265:Categories
1210:20 January
1157:20 January
1106:20 January
1064:20 January
1030:20 January
817:19 January
737:References
640:(1998- ).
604:Retirement
583:Ciba-Geigy
291:Following
274:Nazi Party
105:HIST Award
37:1925-10-31
512:actinides
500:Chemistry
484:Chemistry
339:. During
244:Childhood
210:Chemistry
47:, Germany
1182:13 April
725:See also
560:Far East
333:geometry
317:New York
240:(2001).
232:(1964),
200:and the
179:pacifist
90:Children
961:Bibcode
671:, and
622:of the
568:origami
305:Bauhaus
254:Germany
1177:Legacy
1129:
994:
934:
706:2019,
593:, and
530:, and
386:Career
270:Jewish
250:Berlin
224:, and
189:, and
177:and a
175:Quaker
119:Fields
101:Awards
82:Spouse
66:, U.S.
45:Berlin
1250:(PDF)
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1097:(PDF)
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860:(PDF)
807:(PDF)
764:(23).
303:were
1212:2018
1184:2024
1159:2018
1127:ISBN
1108:2018
1066:2018
1032:2018
992:ISBN
932:ISBN
905:link
819:2018
510:and
358:and
331:and
53:Died
31:Born
969:doi
887:doi
651:by
554:in
442:of
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356:V-1
311:in
220:by
206:ACS
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