The year 2019 marks the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, declared by the United Nations to raise awareness of its beauty and significance. The periodic table is known around the world to scientists and nonscientists. But how did we get here?

In this free UC Connect public lecture, University of Canterbury Chemistry academic Associate Professor Sarah Masters will introduce the periodic table, explore its evolution to become what we currently know and accept, and ponder what might have happened had Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev and German chemist Julius Lothar Meyer not organised the elements into some form of repetitive table.

The lecture will also look at some of the greatest achievements that have arisen from our understanding of the periodic table, from medicine to materials to our understanding of space.

Venue: C1, Central Lecture Theatres, University of Canterbury, Ilam Campus, Canterbury

For more information and to register: www.canterbury.ac.nz/events/active/uc-events/uc-connect-essential-elements---where-would-we-be-without-the-periodic-table.html

Related content​​​​​​

The Science Learning Hub is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table with a new article each month featuring an element, so far we have:

These articles provide background information about elements and how they are grouped:

Activity ideas

Explore the periodic table of elements with these activities:

Collection

The Science Learning Hub team has curated a collection of resources related to the periodic table of elements. Log in to make this collection part of your private collection, just click on the copy icon. You can then add additional content and notes and make other changes. Registering an account for the Science Learning Hub is easy and free – sign up with your email address or Google account. Look for the Sign in button at the top of each page.

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