On Monday 17 July 2017, the Bad Soden-based family-owned company Messer enabled some 70 children aged from ten to 13 to explore the exciting world of gases as part of the Holiday Games, a programme of organised holiday activities.

Messer, the largest privately managed industrial gases specialist, took small groups of young visitors on a guided tour through the company’s permanent exhibition, which offers many opportunities for discovery and fascinating experiences. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a 60-year-old restored air separation unit whose inside can be viewed so that the process of separating air into its principal components – nitrogen and oxygen – can be understood better. Ground-up rubber and a doll’s refrigerator illustrate even more clearly for children how industrial gases are needed for environmental protection, for instance in the recycling of reusable materials. Xenon lamps, helium balloons and a welded bicycle frame then make it clear that while the world of gases may be invisible, it is no less exciting. The lively kids from Bad Soden, who were all given Messer caps, then had to demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge in a short quiz before they could relax and enjoy some pizza.