The Chemical Heritage Foundation is seeking to identify 50 commercial chemical laboratory instruments that changed the world in the 20th century. The final list will serve as a guide for collecting and displaying instruments in CHF's future gallery of instrumentation in the Roy Eddleman Research Museum. Exhibits in the gallery will serve to illustrate the development of the chemical sciences and demonstrate their impact on society. This is a project in process and needs input from all interested parties in chemical-related fields.
The candidates were selected based on the following criteria:
The instrument was historically
significant; for example, it was the first of its kind or it marked a great
scientific discovery
The instrument was commercially or
socially significant
The instrument dramatically changed
chemical laboratory practice
The instrument was innovative or
disruptive, requiring scientists to rethink or learn new or expanded principles
of analysis
The instrument is representative of a
class or was the first of a class
The design of the instrument was based
on a significant component, such as DNA on a microchip
The instrument is interesting to view
and will enable CHF to tell a good story of the chemical sciences with
contemporary appeal
The instrument's size and cost are
manageable by CHF for display purposes
A provisional list can be viewed at the Foundation’s Web site: http://www.chemheritage.org/exhibits/50list.htm. There is a link on that page for sending
comments and suggestions on the list.
Another link on the page connects to a list of the 10 most-wanted
instruments to fill gaps in the Foundation’s large collection. Information is wanted on the whereabouts of
these instruments.
The provisional lists were prepared with the advice of the Foundation’s Instruments and Artifacts Committee. Two long-term members of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy serve on the Committee: John R. Ferraro (Honorary Member; President 1965, Journal Editor 1968-1974) and Marvin Margoshes (Distinguished Service Award, President 1974, Treasurer 1996-1998, Newsletter Editor 1999-present).