chemistry

Olivier Kahn

Olivier Kahn is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Olivier Kahn rather than just read about it. In short: Olivier Kahn (13 September 1942 – 8 December 1999) was a French chemist. He was the brother of the geneticist Axel Kahn and the journalist Jean-François Kahn.

Key takeaways

Olivier Kahn belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Olivier Kahn to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Olivier Kahn from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Olivier Kahn (13 September 1942 – 8 December 1999) was a French chemist. He was the brother of the geneticist Axel Kahn and the journalist Jean-François Kahn. Kahn studied at Chimie ParisTech in Paris and received his PhD for work on metal-organic compounds with Michaël Bigorgne in 1969. After a postdoctoral position at the University of East Anglia with Sydney Kettle he became professor at the University of Paris-Sud in 1976. He stayed there until he changed position and became professor at the University of Bordeaux in 1995. He held that position until his death in 1999.

References Verdaguer, Michel (2001). "Professor Olivier Kahn, 1942–1999" (PDF). Polyhedron. 20 (11–14): xxix–xxxi. doi:10.1016/S0277-5387(01)00678-7. "Olivier Kahn an enthusiastic pioneer in Molecular Magnetism". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) Girerd, Jean-Jacques; Verdaguer, Michel (2000). "Olivier Kahn, hommage". 228: 45. Archived from the original on 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2012-05-01. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) Kahn, Olivier (2000). "Chemistry and Physics of Supramolecular Magnetic Materials". Accounts of Chemical Research. 33 (10): 647–657. doi:10.1021/ar9703138. PMID 11041828.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Olivier Kahn

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Olivier Kahn claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Olivier Kahn before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Olivier Kahn ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Olivier Kahn

In research: Olivier Kahn appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Olivier Kahn in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Olivier Kahn is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1942 births, 1999 deaths, 20th-century French chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Olivier Kahn outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Olivier Kahn in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Olivier Kahn means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Olivier Kahn out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Olivier Kahn in simple terms?

Olivier Kahn (13 September 1942 – 8 December 1999) was a French chemist. He was the brother of the geneticist Axel Kahn and the journalist Jean-François Kahn.

Why does Olivier Kahn matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Olivier Kahn?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Olivier Kahn.