A celebration of chemistry in South Kensington

To celebrate 150 years of the Periodic Table of the Elements in 2019, there is to be a celebration of chemistry starting next month.

The Science Museum, V&A, Imperial College London, Royal College of Art, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and Royal Society of Chemistry are all joining in to create a range of events for the rest of this year.

The festival will include family activities at the Science Museum and Imperial College London and two one-day academic conferences exploring the history of chemistry and its future.

Dmitri Mendeleev’s first published periodic table will go on display in the Science Museum alongside a collection of over 50 elements once owned by Napoleon’s nephew, Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte. This free new display celebrating the Periodic Table of Elements will open on 6th March, the date Mendeleev’s periodic table was announced in 1869.

The Science Museum will host a chemistry-themed Lates in partnership with Imperial College London and the Royal Society of Chemistry, giving adults the opportunity to explore chemistry and the museum afterhours on 24th April.

Families will be able to take part in free chemistry-themed activities – from a new science show to hands-on workshops and family storytelling – every weekend at the Science Museum until 28th April and daily during February half term and the Easter holidays.

A chemistry-themed family day will take place on 23rd March, enabling families to take part in activities with chemistry professionals and to rehearse and perform a song inspired by the periodic table.

At Imperial College London, school children can be ‘real chemists’ for the day, taking in part in activities in the Department of Chemistry as part of the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry. Dr Peter Wothers, the 2012 Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer, will also be giving demonstrations of the chemistry of the elements to the public at Imperial College London.

The Royal College of Art will host tours of the Colour Reference Library on Wed 10th April, giving visitors the opportunity to see one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of colour-related publications in the world.

For the colour tour, book here (just 7 places left at time of writing).

A one-day academic conference, Chemistry in Albertopolis, will explore the 150-year history of chemistry in South Kensington and examine the people and institutions who made chemistry part of intellectual and public life in the area. The conference will be jointly hosted by the Science Museum and Imperial College London on 11 April. The following day, the Chemistry Futures 2040 event will explore cutting-edge science in chemistry, presenting provocative visions, technological breakthroughs and the potential discipline evolution.

More details are here.