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 future exhibits in CHF's museum. Exhibits in the museum 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. We invite you to participate.

View the list of candidates
Share your comments with us

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.
  

Questions?
Please contact:
Rosanne DiVernieri, Collections Coordinator
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel. 215-873-8215
Fax 215-925-1954
50instruments@chemheritage.org