Chemical Heritage Foundation
Specialty: History and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies and industries
The Chemical Heritage Foundation is a library, museum, and center for scholars. CHF maintains collections, including instruments and apparatus, rare books, fine art, and the personal papers of prominent scientists, all related to the chemical and molecular sciences. CHF also hosts conferences and lectures, supports research, offers fellowships, and produces educational materials. Our programs and publications provide insight on subjects ranging from the social impact of nanotechnology to alchemy’s influence on modern science.
Collections
The Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Library and Special Collections of Chemical History house more than 150,000 volumes that form an unrivaled resource for the history of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies and industries. The collection contains primary sources from the 15th through the 20th century. The library houses approximately 2,500 journal titles, totaling 59,000 volumes. Several titles span nearly 200 years. Collections also include: paintings and works on paper from the 17th through the 19th century; hundreds of 20th-century chemical instruments; artifacts ranging from some of the first pre-production nylon stockings to early batteries, glassware, and apparatus; 28,000 historical photographs; and 3,500 linear feet of personal papers and organizations’ records (e.g., the papers of Paul Flory, Carl Marvel, Alan MacDiarmid, and Richard Smalley, as well as the unpublished records of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Chemists’ Club).
