UCL Chemistry: 200 years of Innovation and Discovery

Turn back the clock and encounter 200 years of chemistry at UCL, live at the Bloomsbury Theatre.

As well as talks and short films, moments from key Victorian-era experiments will be re-created using original apparatus as well as modern tools.

University College London was founded in 1826 with chemistry being chosen as one of the first subjects to be offered at England’s first new university for more than 500 years. UCL Chemistry opened its doors for teaching and research in 1828 and has been the home of an astonishing array of scientific discoveries, minds, collaborations, and community.

Key moments narrated in the event include:

• The discovery of the noble gases – a whole new section of the periodic table. For this achievement Sir William Ramsay, UCL professor of chemistry, was awarded the Nobel prize
• The work of Dame Kathleen Lonsdale. UCL’s first female professor lay the foundations of the field of crystallography – the study of the atomic structure of crystals.
• Students known as the “Chōshū Five”. These five young men had left Japan in secret to learn about the customs and technology of the west. They studied analytical chemistry under Professor Alexander Williamson, who also served as their guardian. After returning home they played a role in Japan’s modernisation.

We’ll be travelling from Victorian London to World War 2, to the 1970s to present day, commemorating four truly remarkable periods across centuries of scientific discovery and innovation.

This event celebrates those achievements and highlights the values and ideas that grew across the UCL Chemistry’s rich and dynamic history to shape the department that is celebrated today.

All profit from ticket sales will go towards UCL Chemistry’s Student Hardship Fund.