2019, International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements

On 20 December 2017 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, an event that seeks to recognise the essential role of chemistry and physics in developing solutions to the challenges the European Union is facing in terms of sustainable development.

The celebration of this International Year will also mark the 150th anniversary of the creation of the periodic table of chemical elements by Russian scientist Dmitri Ivánovich Mendeléyev. This renowned chemist, considered one of the forefathers of modern chemistry, published the first version of the popular classification of the Earth’s elements in 1869; a system that is considered one of the most relevant milestones of scientific history.

The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements will be the guiding theme of the conference “2019, International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements”, which will be held on 16 January, at 7pm, at the Bidebarrieta Library in Bilbao (Calle Bidebarrieta, 4).

Dr. Pascual Román Polo, PhD in Chemical Science by the UPV/EHU (former University of Bilbao) and Professor Emeritus of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), will be responsible for explaining the popular history of the periodic table during this session, he will delve into the profiles of the scientists who proposed the idea of developing this system and how it evolved until its final approval.

Furthermore, the evolution of the periodic table until now will be analysed, as well the relevance of this icon in the fields of science and culture in our lives and its contribution to science and technology. Last of all, this session will review some of the initiatives that are taking place in the rest of the world to celebrate this event.

This talk is part of the “Scientific Bidebarrieta” series, an initiative organised every month by the Chair of Scientific Culture of the UPV/EHU and Bidebarrieta Library to discuss current scientific issues.

All of the talks are free of charge and open to all, subject to seating capacity. However, in order to enter, invitations must be obtained from the library, which are available from 11 January. Invitations can be collected from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday.

For those who are not able to attend, the talks are streamed live here.