Chemistry Week 2024

Prepare for another Chemistry Week with presentations, experiments and funding opportunities from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The annual event will take place during 4–10 November 2024. However, the RSC encourages you to celebrate throughout November, exploring the theme ‘chemistry is shaping the future’.

Download the Chemistry Week 2024 presentation to use in your classroom or assembly to celebrate. Teachers, technicians and RSC Members downloaded last year’s presentation more than 1400 times and we have even more support to help you inspire the next generation this Chemistry Week.

Exploring the theme

Chemistry is all around us and plays a crucial role in many areas of modern life, including reducing our carbon footprint, improving nutrition and creating sustainable materials. To positively shape the future, we all need chemistry. Introduce everyday examples and real people to show learners that the chemical sciences community is at the heart of making a difference around the world. Use these topics and our Outreach resources hub as a starting place to explore chemistry’s impact:

• Clean air/water
• Sustainability
• Clean energies
• Climate and environment
• Careers in chemistry, such as those on A Future in Chemistry

Resources to help you prepare

Joanna Buckley, education coordinator at the RSC, has created an alternative, non-laboratory and simple lab-based version of the Making plastic from potato starch practical experiment for you to use. Download the equipment list and method on the resource page to develop young people’s excitement about chemistry. Highlight how they can use science to shape the future, with an introduction to bioplastics and careers.

Watch Joanna’s TikTok to dig into the polymer chemistry and hear her top tips:

@royalsocietyofchemistry This plastic is cheap as chips to make, literally... We know the damage plastics can do to our environment, that's why many companies are looking for alternatives, like recycled food waste (renewable biomass materials). They've even looked at using spuds - yes, spuds! 🥔 - to turn into plastic. Try the experiment yourself and let us know how you got on - did you make a hash of it, or are you peeling good with your results? 😂 #chemistry #experiment #plastic #sustainability #learnonTikTok ♬ Vlog ・ Stylish city pop(1275391) - orino

Working with STEM Learning, Joanna delivered a session to STEM Ambassadors and RSC Members on 11 September to help them deliver the outreach, including how to link the experiment to curriculums across the nations. You will find these curriculum links on the resource page too.  

Ready to celebrate? Share your preparations and activities during November on social media with #chemistryweek and tag the Royal Society of Chemistry.