THE MAGIC OF CHEMISTRY BY DR. ANDREW SZYDLO.

Andrew’s enthusiasm for chemistry peaked when he witnessed a man selling medicine in a market. To prove his point about how acids can burn, he was making fire by mixing aspirins with cough syrup and unfamiliar purple crystals. Andrew was so entranced by the experiment that he decided to try to repeat it himself. He discovered that the unknown ingredient might be potassium permanganate, by using a library book, Chemistry Magic. He promptly purchased some, along with the other reactants and set to work trying to repeat the experiment.

Dr. Andrew Szydlo was born in England to Polish parents, who introduced him to chemistry at an early age. Aged nine, they bought him a ‘Kay’s Chemistry Set’, which provided him with his first opportunity to indulge in what was to become a lifelong passion – chemical experiments