NCW 2002 - Chemistry's Role in Cleaning

Chairperson:
Dr. Sarah Iacobucci, Tufts University,
sarah.iacobucci@tufts.edu

Co-organizers:
Dr. Doris Lewis, Suffolk University
Dr. Christine Jaworek, Emmanuel College
Ms. Caroline Angel, Boston Museum of Science

On Sunday, October 20th, the Northeastern section of the American Chemical Society and the Boston Museum of Science sponsored and hosted the 2002 National Chemistry Week celebration.Since the Museum of Science was preparing for an upcoming Ancient Egypt exhibit and the national theme for the week was Chemistry and Cleaning, the Northeastern section of the ACS combined the two themes and celebrated Chemistry and Ancient Egypt.

For weeks before the celebration, volunteers from Emmanuel College and Tufts University worked out the details of numerous demonstrations depicting personal hygiene and cosmetics in Ancient Egypt. Hands-on activities such as: Simulating Ancient Egyptian toothpaste and a comparison with modern toothpastes; the extraction of oils from natural products and their use in perfumes; the chemistry of mummification and a demonstration with the mummification of an apple; a demonstration with cosmetics in which ancient Egyptian lip and face paints were prepared and then applied to plastic models; a demonstration on the preparation of soap and cleansers which were then used to wash the cosmetics from the face of the plastic models.

Throughout the day, volunteers from local schools and industries assisted hundreds of visitors as a commencement for the weeklong celebration to appreciate chemistry in the world around us.