COMMITTEE RSC Historical Group Newsletter No. 60 August 2011 Chairman: Prof A T Dronsfield School of Education, Health and Sciences, Contents University of Derby, Derby, DE22 1GB From the Editor 3 [e-mail [email protected]] Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Group News 4 Secretary: Prof W P Griffith Electronic Version of the Newsletter 4 Depositing the RSC Historical Group Newsletter at the British Library 5 Department of Chemistry, Imperial College, Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Group AGM 5 South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ Minutes of AGM - 19 March 2010 6 [e-mail [email protected]] January 2011 Newsletter – Feedback Marelene Rayner-Canham and Geoff Treasurer; Dr J A Hudson Rayner-Canham 8 Membership Graythwaite, Loweswater, Cockermouth, Members’ Publications 10 Secretary: Cumbria, CA13 0SU Recent publications by Historical Group Committee Members 11 NEWS AND UPDATES 13 [e-mail [email protected]] Partington Prize 13 Newsletter Dr A Simmons Royal Society Exhibition - Visualising Matter: The Graphic Teaching Tools of Editor Epsom Lodge, La Grande Route de St Jean, Chemistry in the Age of Revolution 14 St John, Jersey, JE3 4FL Syracuse University Plastics Collection Goes Online 14 [e-mail [email protected]] USEFUL WEBSITES AND ADDRESSES 15 Newsletter Dr G P Moss Centenary of Marie Curie’s Nobel Prize for Chemistry - Bill Griffith 17 Production & School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Some Thoughts on Marie Curie, Double Nobel Laureate - Marelene Rayner-Canham Distribution: Queen Mary University of London, and Geoff Rayner-Canham 23 BOOK REVIEW 27 Mile End Road, London E1 4NS Joséf Hurwic, Maria Sklodowska-Curie and Radioactivity- Bill Griffith 27 [e-mail [email protected]] SHORT ESSAYS 28 Committee: Prof J Betteridge (Twickenham, Middlesex) George Kakabadse (1917-2002): Analytical Chemist with a Remarkable History - Dr N G Coley (Open University) Derry W. Jones 28 Dr C J Cooksey (Watford, Hertfordshire) The Moissan-Stock-Emeléus connection - Eric Banks 31 Prof E Homburg (University of Maastricht) RSC NATIONAL HISTORICAL CHEMICAL LANDMARKS 35 Chemical Landmark plaque for Unilever - Bill Griffith 35 Prof F James (Royal Institution) ENGLISH HERITAGE PLAQUES 36 Dr D Leaback (Biolink Technology) English Heritage plaque to Sir William Ramsay Bill Griffith 36 Dr P J T Morris (Science Museum) MEETING AND CONFERENCE REPORTS 38 Prof. J. W. Nicholson (University of Greenwich) Marie Curie and aspects of the History of Radiochemistry - Alan Dronsfield and Mr P N Reed (Steensbridge, Herefordshire) Bill Griffith 38 Dr V Quirke (Oxford Brookes University) FORTHCOMING MEETINGS 43 Dr S Robinson (Ham, Surrey) Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Group Meetings 43 Prof. H. Rzepa (Imperial College) Dyes in History and Archaeology 30 43 Environmental Chemistry: A Historical Perspective 44 Dr. A Sella (University College) Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry Meetings 44 Dr. G. Taylor (University College) News from the American Chemical Society, Division of the History of Chemistry 45 http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/rschg/ Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change (1800-2000) 47 http://www.rsc.org/membership/networking/interestgroups/historical/index.asp 8th International Conference on History of Chemistry (ICHC) 48 -1- -2- From the Editor Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Group News Welcome to the summer 2011 RSCHG Newsletter, which marks thirty years Electronic Version of the Newsletter since the first one was published in June 1981. Continuing one of the themes of the International Year of Chemistry and commemorating the hundred As a result of the new RSC interest group membership arrangements which came into force in January this year, we now have 494 members as against years since she won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, much of this issue is the 319 which we had a year ago. This increase is of course very exciting for devoted to Marie Curie. Bill Griffith has written about her discoveries, while us, but the new financial arrangements introduced as a result of the changes Geoff and Marelene Rayner-Canham explore her image and its effect on our mean that the income to us per member is significantly reduced. The cost of perceptions of her life and work. Geoff and Marelene have also contributed printing and posting two Newsletters per year is considerable, and is certain some further insights into Ida Freund, who appeared in the last newsletter, focussing on her fervent opposition to the teaching of domestic science to to rise. It is clear that we will be unable to continue to produce and post hard-copy Newsletters to all members. girls in the place of academic science. Bill Griffith has written a short review of book published by the Marie Curie Museum in Warsaw and additionally At our committee meeting on March 8 we spent much time debating this there is a report on the meeting organised by the Historical Group and the problem. It was unanimously agreed that we will switch to online RSC Radiochemistry Group on Marie Curie and the History of publication of the Newsletter. It may well be possible in future to, for Radiochemistry. example, carry colour material in an online version, something that we cannot do at present with hard copy because of the extra printing expenses This issue also includes two other short essays: the first by Derry W. Jones for coloured material on the remarkable life of the analytical chemist George Kakabadse and the second by Eric Banks on The Moissan-Stock-Emeléus connection. There are We propose that the January 2012 Newsletter will be the last that will be reports on the RSC National Historical Chemical Landmark Award at produced in hard-copy format and posted to all members. Members who Unilever Port Sunlight Research and Development Laboratory and on the would prefer to receive the hard copy version will still be able to do so English Heritage Plaque to Sir William Ramsay. I would also like to draw BUT you will be asked, in the January issue, to OPT-IN to such an readers’ attention to the inclusion of a section on Members’ Publications. If arrangement. you have published an article or book that you think would be of interest to Online publication, which would of course be free of charge to members, other Historical Group Members please let me know and I can include it in would not be via e-mail attachment but by web access, probably at this section. As you can see from this issue, anything from the title details to a fuller summary is most welcome. http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/rschg/ and www.rsc.org/membership/networking/interestgroups/historical/index.asp. As mentioned in the last newsletter, 2011 saw the introduction of changes to the RSC’s system of charging for group membership, something which has The present issue can be viewed online at the former URL: we’d like your substantially increased our group’s size. This will lead to changes in the way comments on this. Some 80% of our membership is online at present, and the newsletter is distributed and this is discussed further on the following those who are not will be able to access online versions at their local pages. Finally I would like to thank everyone who has sent material for this libraries. We will indicate by means of a mass emailing to Group members newsletter, with particular thanks to the newsletter production team of Bill every time that a new edition of the Newsletter is available for downloading Griffith and Gerry Moss. If you would like to contribute items such as news, from these sites. It will thus be a matter of self-interest that Group members articles and book reviews to the newsletter please do contact me. The who have not yet registered a current email address with the RSC should do deadline for the next issue will be 15 December 2011. Please send your so as soon as possible: see contributions to ([email protected]) as an attachment in Word or rich https://members.rsc.org/Login.asp?GoNext=Subscription for details. text format, or on CD-Rom (post to Epsom Lodge, La Grande Route de St Jean, St John, Jersey, JE3 4FL). At a straw vote at our AGM of 19 March 2010 (see Newsletter August 2010, pp. 3-6) most of those present indicated that they would prefer to receive Anna Simmons online copies. University College London -4- -3- This matter is urgent and will be discussed at our AGM this year (on 2. Minutes of AGM at Burlington House, Friday 19 March 2010. Wednesday 26 October at the Environmental Chemistry: A Historical 3. Matters arising from the Minutes. Perspective meeting - see enclosed flyer). 4. Reports: In summary: we will continue to publish two Newsletters each year, one in the winter and another in the summer. These will be available by electronic Chairman’s Report. (internet) access. Members who wish to continue receiving the paper copy Secretary’s Report. version MUST register their wishes with the Secretary by 20 March 2012 at the latest. In the absence of such notification, the presumption is that Treasurer’s Report. members will be happy to access the Newsletters electronically and they will 5. Future Meetings. cease to receive hard-copy issues after January 2012. 6. Election of Officers and other Members of the Committee. Depositing the RSC Historical Group Newsletter at the British Library 7. Any Other Business. The British Library has gratefully accepted a complete run of the RSC Historical Group Newsletter and of the six RSC Historical Group 8. Date, time and place of next meeting. Occasional Papers. This follows a suggestion made to me by one of our new members, Dr Michael Jewess, that we approach the British Library Minutes of AGM - 19 March 2010 suggesting such deposition of the Newsletter.