‘Fragrance Chemistry’ – A Lecture-Demonstration
'Fragrance (Perfume) Chemistry’ is a lecture-demonstration given by Tim Harrison of the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol.
The lecture covers
- The uses of fragrance chemistry and the difference between perfumes and other fragrance types
- The basic science of the senses of smell and taste, gases and mixtures
- How chemists have aided the fragrance industry
- The (skeleton) structure of some common fragrance molecules
- Purchasing and storage of fragrances
- For more senior students, the analysis of fragrance molecules by GCMS
The lecture also has some demonstrations of gas production using liquid nitrogen and dry ice, explores the difference between mixing and a chemical reaction, as well as showing the dangers of an alcohol explosion. Several volatile organic molecules are smelt by the audience during the talk.
The lecture demonstration is 50 to 60 minutes long depending on the age of the audience and has been presented to members of the wider community, including parents and visually impaired people, in addition to primary and secondary students.
During the last six years (from January 2011) lecture venues have included Trinity College Dublin, Wuhan University (Central China), Malta, France, Singapore, South Africa and Spain.
A Powerpint presentation is available here
Costs
There is a charge made for this lecture to cover the costs of transport, disposables, technician time and subsistence. The lecture may be given up to 4 times per day and different age variations are available.
For further information, please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk
Requirements
To deliver the lecture we normally need:
- a car parking space close to the lecture hall/room from which to offload equipment
- a data projector and screen
- about 3 m of table-top space
- access to a sink (for clearing up and as a source of water - does not need to be in the same room)
- waste bins, broom, dustpan and brush
- any flash detectors or smoke alarms to be disabled or switched to manual
The nearest person to the demonstration should not be closer than 3 m.
Notes on the Speakers
Tim Harrison is the first School Teacher Fellow at Bristol ChemLabS. He is also the Science Communicator in Residence and Director of Outreach.
Prior to this he has been a Head of Chemistry and Science College Director. Tim has taught chemistry for 25 years and his work is mainly in the promotion of chemistry. Tim won the Secondary Education Teaching Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2005 and the 2007 Engagement Award for the Faculty of Science at the University of Bristol. In March 2010 Tim was awarded an inaugural Hawksbee Award from the Royal Society.