Home Staff Research Colloquia History Safety Teaching Local News Dr. Erich (Eric) Clar Erich Clar is considered by many to be the father of modern polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon chemistry. He was born in Czech-Sudetenland, and moved to Glasgow (Scotland) in 1946. He was a member of staff in the Chemistry Department from 1953 to 1972, and died in 1987. He was (posthumously) awarded the first "Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Research Award" at the 11th International Symposium on Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons, 24 September, 1987. (link). Some images kindly contributed by Dr. Winfried Willicks. Additional contributions welcome - please contact Alan Cooper. Henderson Research lab 1954 "looking for polycyclics" Fred Willicks "synthesising polycyclics"

A photograph taken 1986 or 1987 in his house in San Luis de Sabinillas, Spain.
A portrait (charcoal drawing?) of Erich CLAR from a short biography in Nachrichten aus Chemie und Technik, Nr. 10/1962, page 264.

Title page of "Aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe. Polycyclische Systeme"
"Erich Clar seems to have been quite obstinate and did neither like to follow the official nazi wording regula (he signed the preface "Herrnskretschen, Sudetenland, im Juni 1941" instead of the since 1938 official wording "Sudetengau") nor the practice to include hymns of praises of the nazi system. Moreover, he used lots of references to publications and scientists from the UK and the Royal Cancer Hospital, London, whereas London was bombed since September, 1940, and in November, 1940 Coventry was "erased" like Goering used to called it!" (Guenther Boehm, 2003)