The author replies to Silverstein.

I was pleased to see the response by T. P. Silverstein to my letter (1). I support his conclusions completely, especially that a “well drawn analogy between two surprisingly dissimilar concepts cannot only be helpful in the classroom, it can be pleasing and instructive on its own merits, as long as one is cognizant of its limitations”. We can assume that Rossini may have used this analogy in his teaching, as I did for over 30 years, as well as in his Priestley Medal Address.

Literature Cited

1. Leonard, H. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83, 39.