Category Archives: RSC Press Release

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre                    

The work of Charles Suckling and his team was honoured at a Chemical Landmark ceremony at Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes, on Saturday 22 October 2011. 
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As part of the 125 year celebrations of chemistry at Bangor University and following the prestigious lecture by Sir John Meurig Thomas, Vice Chancellor, Professor Merfyn Jones, received a RSC chemical landmark plaque on behalf of the School of Chemistry from Professor David Phillips, RSC President-Elect. The award is in recognition of the major contribution to the development of kinetics and mechanisms in organic chemistry by Prof Edward (Ted) D Hughes and the continuous 125 years of chemistry at Bangor, now one of the oldest schools of chemistry in the UK. Dr Malcolm Jones, Bangor Council member, gave a talk about the achievements of Ted Hughes to a packed audience of invited guests, staff and students past and present.
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RSC Press Release
AstraZeneca, Alderley Park                                                 

Alderley Park, the Cheshire research and development centre of AstraZeneca, was awarded Chemical Landmark status by the RSC during an inaugural meeting for 200 cancer specialists in AstraZeneca’s new conference facilities on Monday, 22 September 2008.

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Hexagon House, Blackeley

Dr Ilesh Bidd and Dr Richard Pike look on as Brian Lorenzini unveils the Hexagon Site Landmark Plaque
On 31 July 2006, Chief Executive Richard Pike presided over his first Chemical Landmark ceremony when the RSC awarded Hexagon Site (formerly Avecia) landmark status to commemorate over two hundred years of dyestuffs production and development at the Blackley Site, in north Manchester.
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 Winnington Hall, Northwich, Cheshire

ICI scientists, Reginald Gibson and Eric Fawcett, set up an experiment on Friday, 24 March1933 in which a mixture of ethylene and benzaldehyde was heated to 170 degrees centigrade using apparatus devised by Dutch physicist, Anton Michels, which could submit materials to a pressure of 1,700 atm. A waxy solid was found in the reaction tube on the following Monday, 27 March which was later identified as a polymer of ethylene. Due to the unpredictability of the reaction, this experiment was not successfully repeated until 1937 when Michael Perrin used improved equipment to carry out reproducible polymerisation. In 1937 a 10 ton/year pilot plant was opened followed by a 100ton/year which started on the first day of WW2. Its first use was as lightweight compact insulators in air and ship borne radar that enabled Britain to win the Battle of the Atlantic. Today its main use is disposable packaging and in a multitude of plastic goods.
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