Chemical Attractions

by David Brickman, November 30, 2007

Which do you suppose is more daunting to the average American—art or science? The fact that both are a challenge has mobilized many a museum to combine the two in an almost counterintuitive effort to make one or the other seem more user-friendly, or more meaningful—or both—and thus reach a wider audience.

The latest regional example of this trend offers strong doses of both art and science, and leavens them with a healthy shot of popular culture, making for a show that is educational and entertaining. “Molecules That Matter,” at Skidmore College’s Tang Teaching Museum, was curated by Skidmore chemistry professor Raymond Giguere and Tang director John Weber, in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Chemical Heritage Foundation, the source of many of the objects on display. CHF is a nonprofit consortium of educational and corporate entities dedicated to historical preservation and contemporary education about chemical and molecular science.

The premise of the show is that certain carbon-based (that is, organic) molecules have greatly affected our everyday lives, whether we know it or not. With help from a team of leading scientists, the curators chose 10 molecules to build the show around—one discovered or synthesized in each decade of the 20th century—and then structured a display for each that incorporates visual art, historical artifacts, and extremely large three-dimensional models of the molecules.

Some of these chemicals—aspirin, for instance—are totally familiar. Others, such as buckminsterfullerene, we probably wouldn’t recognize. The rest run the gamut in between: They are isooctane, penicillin, polyethylene, nylon, DNA, progestin, DDT, and Prozac. Doubtless, some of the candidates that were ruled out were also strong, but all of these are amply and clearly shown to be worthy of inclusion, based on the far-reaching impacts they have had on our lives and the life of the planet.