Let’s Celebrate National Chemistry Week 2024: Picture Perfect Chemistry

By AACT on October 1, 2024

National Chemistry Week (NCW) is a public awareness campaign from the American Chemical Society that promotes the value of chemistry in everyday life. This year we will celebrate the theme, Picture Perfect Chemistry, during the week of October 20 – 26th, 2024. Chemistry plays a crucial role in how photographs and images are created. The chemistry of photography is based on photosensitivity and reactions with light. The chemical processes that create a traditional photograph start inside the camera with the absorption of photons. However, photochemistry alone is not able to produce an image. Development is continued through chemical reactions. The structures of the chemicals involved are extremely important to the reactions that take place.

New Teaching Resources from AACT

In support of the NCW theme, AACT hosted a content writing opportunity for current teacher members and created new content related to the chemistry of photography and imaging.

Amy Roediger, from Mentor High School in Ohio, designed the lesson plan, Cyanotypes: Taking Pictures with the Sun, for high school students. During this lesson, students read about the chemistry behind two photographic methods, including cyanotypes, and then prepare their own sun-sensitive cyanotype paper from two different types of paper.

Adding to the National Historic Chemical Landmarks lesson plan collection, Scott Hawkins, from St. Ignatius High School in Ohio created the lesson plan, George Eastman, Kodak, and The Birth of Consumer Photography to honor this achievement in history. In the lesson, students learn about George Eastman’s contributions to modern day photography, as well as the history and chemistry of photosensitive chemicals through reading an article and engaging in related activities.

Jennifer Douglass, from Georgia also recently highlighted the great historical achievements of Edwin Land and the development of Polaroid Photography in another new Landmark lesson plan. In the lesson, students learn about redox reactions in film photography by reading an article and engaging in related activities.

AACT and the ChemClub Program collaborated to design a middle school activity to support the NCW theme. In Jello Lenses students explore and compare how different lenses made from Jello can magnify text. Student lab groups make Jello lenses using different sized measuring spoons, small bowls, and cookie dough scoops, then observe if the size of the lens changes magnification.

Finally, in the activity, Investigating Infrared Light, high school students use a phone camera to see the infrared light emitted by a television remote. They use the electromagnetic spectrum to compare the energy of infrared light to visible light and make conjectures related to other types of light.

Professional Development

In addition to these new and exciting lesson plans, be sure to mark your calendar for 7pm EST on October 3rd for the webinar, Picture Perfect Chemistry: The Intersection of Chemistry and Photography. Join veteran teacher, Sherri Rukes, as she shares ideas behind integrating photography into your chemistry class and learn more about how photography and imaging work. if you can’t attend the webinar in person, you’ll be able to find the recording in the archive very shortly after.

More NCW Teaching Resources

Elementary and middle school teachers can use this year’s edition of Celebrating Chemistry, from the American Chemical Society to engage young students in basic chemistry principles related to NCW. The digital version is free to download, and includes activities, articles, puzzles and experiments that connect to this year’s theme, Picture Perfect Chemistry!

If you are looking for even more NCW themed ideas for use in your classroom, check out the highlighted resources from the AACT library below!

High School:

Middle & High School:

Elementary School: