Mural, by Brandywine School artist John W. McCoy II, from the book by Adrian Kinnane, "DuPont: From the Banks of the Brandywine to Miracles of Science," Wilmington, Del., E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., 2002. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library.

Aug. 9-Dec. 14: Chemistry exhibition

UD Library exhibition celebrates International Year of Chemistry 2011

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8:25 a.m., Aug. 2, 2011--The University of Delaware Library announces the exhibition, “The International Year of Chemistry 2011,” which will be on display in the first floor exhibition cases in the Information Room of the Morris Library from Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Wednesday, Dec. 14. 

The International Year of Chemistry is a year-long, world-wide celebration of the history and achievements in the field of chemistry that is sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

Events Stories

June 5: Blue Hen 5K

University of Delaware graduates planning to attend Alumni Weekend are encouraged to register for the annual Blue Hen 5K walk and run, which will be held Sunday morning, June 5.

June 6-9: Food and culture series

The 20th annual June Lecture Series at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UD in Wilmington will be held June 6-9. Titled 'June a la Carte,' this year's program focuses on great political documents, feminism, world politics and a Newark cuisine sampler.

The theme, “Chemistry -- Our Life, Our Future," seeks to promote the contributions chemistry has made to the well-being of humankind and demonstrate the impact of chemistry towards global problem-solving.

UD is renowned for its chemistry and biochemistry program, and the Morris Library offers a substantial chemistry collection that supports the University’s curriculum and research needs. 

The exhibition will display materials from the main collection, which highlight the history of chemistry, significant achievements and notable discoveries by chemists. 

To celebrate the history of chemistry, the exhibition will display materials related to ancient and alchemical history, noteworthy discoveries by chemists, Nobel Prize winners and chemistry in Delaware.

Contributions to the study of chemistry can be traced back to ancient times through the classical writings of Democritus who proposed that all matter was composed of atoms and Hermes Trismegistus who founded alchemy, the precursor to chemistry. On display will be works about Democritus, Hermes Trimegistus and other alchemists. 

Also on exhibit will be works by and about notable chemists such as Dmitri Mendeleev, who developed the periodic table and Antoine Lavoisier, who is regarded as the "father of modern chemistry.” 

Additionally, materials featured in the exhibition will include works by Nobel Prize winners such as Linus Carl Pauling, who studied the nature of the chemical bond, and Richard F. Heck, the Willis F. Harrington Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware who discovered and developed palladium-catalyzed couplings reactions in organic synthesis and who, for his work, received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The exhibition “The International Year of Chemistry 2011” was curated, designed and installed by Laurie Rizzo, assistant librarian of the Special Collections Department. 

An online version of the exhibition is available.

 

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