COMMITTEE
Chairman:
Prof A T Dronsfield
School of Education, Health and Sciences,
University of Derby, Derby, DE22 1GB
[e-mail A.Dronsfield@derby.ac.uk]
Secretary:
Prof W P Griffith
Department of Chemistry, Imperial College,
South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ
[e-mail
w.griffith@ic.ac.uk
]
Treasurer;
Dr J A Hudson
Membership
Graythwaite, Loweswater, Cockermouth,
Secretary:
Cumbria, CA13 0SU
[e-mail johnhudson25@hotmail.com]
Newsletter
Dr A Simmons
Editor
Epsom Lodge, La Grande Route de St Jean,
St John, Jersey, JE3 4F
[e-mail
a.simmons@ucl.ac.uk
]
Newsletter
Dr G P Moss
Production &
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences,
Distribution:
Queen Mary University of London,
Mile End Road, London E1 4NS
[e-mail g.p.moss@qmul.ac.uk]
Committee:
Prof J Betteridge (Twickenham, Middlesex)
Dr N G Coley (Open University)
Dr C J Cooksey (Watford, Hertfordshire)
Prof E Homburg (University of Maastricht)
Prof F James (Royal Institution)
Dr D Leaback (Biolink Technology)
Dr P J T Morris (Science Museum)
Prof. J. W. Nicholson (University of Greenwich)
Mr P N Reed (Steensbridge, Herefordshire)
Dr V Quirke (Oxford Brookes University)
Dr S Robinson (Ham, Surrey)
Prof. H. Rzepa (Imperial College)
Dr. A Sella (University College)
Dr. G. Taylor (University College)
http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/rschg/
http://www.rsc.org/membership/networking/interestgroups/historical/index.asp
© RSC Historical Group
RSC Charity Number 207890
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RSC Historical Group Newsletter
January 2011
Contents
From the Editor
3
Correction
4
Welcome to new RSC Historical Group Members - Bill Griffith
4
RSC News
4
Chemistry Connections – A New RSC Project - Sophie Boldon
4
Free On-line Access to the RSC’s Journal Archives (pre-1939)
6
Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Group
7
Meetings: 2010 and 2011 - Bill Griffith
7
N
EWS AND
U
PDATES
8
Thomas Graham Lectures
8
News from the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF)
8
Roy G. Neville Prize
8
Useful websites and addresses
10
S
HORT
E
SSAYS
12
The History of Patents in the UK. - Richard Toon
12
Ida Freund, the first woman chemistry lecturer Margaret Hill and
Alan Dronsfield
14
A History of World Science: In four objects from the Cuming Museum,
Southwark, London, and discussed, assessed and presented, by local
children 2000-2001 - David H. Leaback
21
RSC
N
ATIONAL
H
ISTORICAL
C
HEMICAL
L
ANDMARKS
24
Chemical Landmark Plaque for Pfizer - Alan Dronsfield
24
Inorganic Chemical Laboratory, Oxford/John Goodenough Landmark
Award - Alan Dronsfield
25
M
EETING AND
C
ONFERENCE
R
EPORTS
27
Celebrating the History of Chemical Information: Monday 29 November
2010 - Bill Griffith
27
SHAC Anniversary Meeting - Anna Simmons
31
F
ORTHCOMING
M
EETINGS
32
Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Group Meetings Bill Griffith
32
Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry Meetings
32
American Chemical Society - Division of the History of Chemistry
35
8th International Conference on History of Chemistry (ICHC)
38
7th Laboratory History Conference
40
Renewing the Heritage of Chemistry in the 21st Century: Conversations
on the Preservation, Presentation and Utilization of Sources, Sites and
Artefacts
41
British Society for the History of Science: Annual Conference, 2011
43
Joint meeting with Dyes in History and Archaeology, Derby
44
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From the Editor
I am delighted to introduce my first issue of the RSC Historical Group
Newsletter. As many of you will know 2011 is the UNESCO International
Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011) and this issue reflects some of the themes
behind this celebration. The aims of this United Nations-designated initiative
are fourfold:
1. To increase public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs
2. To encourage interest in chemistry among young people
3. To generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry
4. To celebrate the role of women in chemistry
In this issue you will find details of the many conferences inspired by IYC
2011 including the meeting organised by the Historical Group and the RSC
Radiochemistry Group on Marie Curie and the History of Radiochemistry.
There are also three essays: the first by Richard Toon on the history of
patents in the UK; the second by Alan Dronsfield and Margaret Hill on Ida
Freund, the first woman university chemistry lecturer in the UK; and the
third by David Leaback on his work stimulating interest in local science
amongst children in Southwark. There are reports of two RSC National
Historical Chemical Landmark Awards: the first for Pfizer to commemorate
more than half a century of discoveries at its European Research
Headquarters in Sandwich, Kent; and the second at the Inorganic Chemistry
Laboratory of the University of Oxford to commemorate the site where John
Goodenough and his team developed the cathode material that rendered
feasible the construction of the first lithium-ion rechargeable battery. A
report on the conference “Celebrating the History of Chemical Information”
organised by the RSC Chemical Information and Computer Applications
Group and the CSA Trust, in association with the Historical Group also
appears.
2011 also sees the introduction of changes to the RSC’s system of charging
for group membership so that members can join at no extra cost three
interest groups. At the time of writing we know that this has already
substantially increased our membership and I would like to take this
opportunity to welcome all new members and to invite them to contribute
items such as news, articles and book reviews to the newsletter. An official
welcome from the RSCHG’s Secretary and Committee appears on the next
page. I would also like to thank everyone who has sent material for this
newsletter, with particular thanks to the newsletter production team of Bill
Griffith and Gerry Moss, the Group’s Chairman, Alan Dronsfield, and the
newsletter’s former Editor, Viviane Quirke, for the additional help they have
given me in editing my first issue.
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The deadline for the next issue will be 19 June 2011. Please send your
contributions to (a.simmons@ucl.ac.uk) as an attachment in Word or rich
text format, or on CD-Rom (post to Epsom Lodge, La Grande Route de St
Jean, St John, Jersey, JE3 4FL).
Anna Simmons
University College London
Correction
The item on p. 8 of our August 2010 Newsletter (A Lucky Escape; news of
an accident at the Liebig Museum) was attributed to Bill Griffith; it should
of course have been to Bill Brock.
Welcome to new RSC Historical Group Members
Since our AGM in March 2010 (Newsletter, August 2010 pp. 3-6) our
membership has increased from 319 to 460 (as of 12 January 2011). Our
normal annual increase of RSC members is 5 to 10. This much larger
increase is undoubtedly due to the new RSC policy of allowing members to
join three interest groups a year without charge, as foreshadowed in the
AGM.
Under normal circumstances the Secretary would write a letter of welcome
to each new member but this is impracticable with this large increase. I, our
Chairman, Treasurer and Newsletter Editor join with our Committee in
welcoming all these new members. We normally have two meetings a year
(those for 2010 and 2011 are referred to elsewhere in this issue) and we issue
two Newsletters a year, normally in February and August.
It is worth noting that, as our membership roll increases, our capitation grant
from the RSC goes down substantially. Society officials have told us that
steps will be taken to ensure that members, old and new, should not suffer
from this per capita drop in income, and our programme of low-cost
conferences and twice-yearly Newsletters should continue. Your committee
will continue to monitor this situation.
We would like to reiterate that we value our new members and thank you for
your interest in, and we hope continued support of, the Historical Group.
Bill Griffith
RSC
N
EWS
Chemistry Connections – A New RSC Project
2011 will see the launch of Chemistry Connections, an exciting new project
at the RSC to establish a global genealogical database for chemistry. Using
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