Roald Hoffmann: An Appreciation

Roald Hoffmann’s unsurpassed accomplishments on both sides of the humanities/sciences border (which much of his career has been aimed at demolishing) have been recognized by, inter alia, the 2022 SLSA Lifetime Achievement Award and the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work spans a wide range of SLSA-related topics: the creative nature of science in general and chemistry in particular, the central role of narrative in scientific investigation and reporting, the nature of the scientific article, the importance of artistic representation for chemistry, and others. He has also written several science-themed plays and an extensive body of poetry, and worked to make chemistry accessible to the nonspecialist. This essay highlights some of his most significant contributions to SLSA’s mission and goals.