Michael Laing
Encyclopedia
Michael Laing taught chemistry at the University of Natal
, Durban from 1964 until he retired as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in 1997. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles
in the field of x-ray crystallography
, specializing in the determination of molecular structure. He has published papers on bonding, coordination compounds, and molecular geometry; and many articles in US and UK about the periodic table
, and chemical education.
He has also been engaged in the application of x-ray powder diffraction to solving problems in such diverse fields as urinary calculi, road soils, platinum refining, fossils and breccia; and has taught specialist courses for architecture students on Materials and Failures. For 30 years his annual Christmas Chemical Magic Show has drawn audiences of hundreds.
University of Natal
The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university...
, Durban from 1964 until he retired as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in 1997. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the field of x-ray crystallography
X-ray crystallography
X-ray crystallography is a method of determining the arrangement of atoms within a crystal, in which a beam of X-rays strikes a crystal and causes the beam of light to spread into many specific directions. From the angles and intensities of these diffracted beams, a crystallographer can produce a...
, specializing in the determination of molecular structure. He has published papers on bonding, coordination compounds, and molecular geometry; and many articles in US and UK about the periodic table
Periodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
, and chemical education.
He has also been engaged in the application of x-ray powder diffraction to solving problems in such diverse fields as urinary calculi, road soils, platinum refining, fossils and breccia; and has taught specialist courses for architecture students on Materials and Failures. For 30 years his annual Christmas Chemical Magic Show has drawn audiences of hundreds.