Book 8: Harry Potter and the Magic of Science

#SciPopTalks
#SciPopTalks

J. K. Rowling’s series of Harry Potter books has captured the imaginations of millions of readers of all ages, including many engineers and scientists. Although J.K. Rowling did not major in chemistry in college, she has substantial knowledge of alchemy and has incorporated many chemistry concepts into her books, in particular, the first book titled “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. This lecture aims at introducing both Harry Potter fans and avid chemists to the magic of Hogwarts that exist in our own world (aka chemistry). Specifically, I will address the alchemical concepts used in the books, as well as their relation to modern chemistry. The main topics to be covered in the presentation include the chemistry of gold, the sorcerer’s stone and the elixir of life. Other topics such as invisible ink and food chemistry will also be discussed.

Prof. Rebecca Y Lai, UNL, will present on April 9, at 7:00 pm, in Love Library, Mezzanine Study Room (201 LS).

Free & Open to the public. Part of the “Sci Pop Talks! Where Science Intersects Pop Culture” talk series sponsored by University Libraries, Chemistry Department and Doane College.

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/yduf