Richard Ernst may refer to: (wikipedia)
Solving Problems with NMR Spectroscopy is a very welcome addition to the existing literature. It fulfills a real need for an up-to-date and authoritatively written introduction for students and practitioners of NMR.
However, I survived and started to read all chemistry books that I could get a hand on, first some 19th century books from our home library that did not provide much reliable information, and then I emptied the rather extensive city library.
Thus, after finishing high school, I started with high expectations and enthusiasm to study chemistry at the famous Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
I wanted to understand the secrets behind my chemical experiments and behind the processes in nature.
I became almost immediately fascinated by the possibilities of trying out all conceivable reactions with them, some leading to explosions, others to unbearable poisoning of the air in our house, frightening my parents.
In recent years, more and more of my time has become absorbed by administrative work for the research council of ETH-Z of which I am presently the president.
My father, Robert Ernst, was teaching as an architect at the technical high school of our city.
In parallel, we developed the theoretical background for the experiments we had in mind as well as for the optimum performance of the instruments.
Soon, I knew that I would become a chemist, rather than a composer.
At the same time, it occurred to me that the 2D spectroscopy principle could also be applied to NMR imaging, previously proposed by Paul Lauterbur.
