Molecular Exhibition in the Chemistry Building

Alice O’Rourke (University of Birmingham), the 2018 International Museums & Collections Award winner, has just completed a new themed exhibition on the ground floor of the Chemistry Building.

The exhibition features various molecular models which assist chemistry students and academics to visualise how molecules and atoms occupy space and link together.

Models, made for Professor Richard Robson by the former School of Chemistry Workshop, were an important first step in revealing the possibility of ‘infinite polymeric frameworks’. This new idea was the subject of a scientific paper in 1989 and inspired other chemists around the globe to explore the possibilities of constructing deliberately designed molecular frameworks or coordination polymers, of which metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a subclass.

A special thank you goes to Associate Professor Brendan Abrahams for collaborating with Alice. Not only has Brendan contributed to the information in this exhibition but has also to the upcoming ‘Perfection’ exhibition opening in the Dulux Gallery on Wed 12 September 2018. Brendan was a PhD student with Professor Richard Robson and a research leader in coordination polymers.