Marie Curie is France’s most famous scientist and probably the most well-known female scientist in the world. Except she wasn’t French and Marie was not the name she given at her birth in 1867. She was born Maria Sklodowska in Warsaw, now the capital of Poland, but Poland didn’t exist… Read More

In 1912, Dr Margaret Todd suggested the word isotopes for atoms of the same element that had different atomic masses. Dr Todd was not a chemist or physicist, so why did she come to suggest this important scientific term? The answer involves Frederick Soddy and Ernest Rutherford, who played an… Read More

Take your students back in time with this lesson plan based on the history of the atomic number Read More

In the final piece of the series, Peter Ellis sums up the defining discoveries of 1913, which changed the face of Chemistry and are the foundations of much of GCSE study today. Stay tuned for more great Chemistry posts in 2014! Read More

Science is usually taught in school as three separate subjects, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. It may seem that they are three distinct areas of study. In the real world of scientific research, the boundaries are often blurred as shown in the two discoveries celebrated here. Chemicals of Life Until the… Read More

In 1912, Max von Laue had an idea for an experiment that would answer a question in physics. The results inspired scientists to make discoveries that have influenced chemistry and biology and provide evidence for many of the principles taught at GCSE and A level. X rays were discovered… Read More

In 1913 scientists made some important discoveries and announced theories that are still important to the chemistry that we learn today. In part 1 we found out how Henry Moseley discovered that the atomic number of an element decided where it came in the Periodic Table. 1913 was also the… Read More

Engage your secondary science students with this lesson plan based on the history of aspirin Read More

The atomic nucleus with its orbiting electrons is one of the iconic images of the twentieth century. To some it promised unlimited energy, to others it signified the horrors of nuclear war and to many it means the dangers of radiation.  The concept of a tiny nucleus surrounded by electrons… Read More

Happy Centenary Glenn Seaborg! Feted during his lifetime, reviled by some, forgotten by many – why should we remember Glenn Seaborg in this centenary year of his birth? His work has little relevance to GCSE or even A level Chemistry but in fact he was one of the most influential… Read More