National Chemistry Week

National Chemistry Week (NCW) is a public awareness campaign that promotes the value of chemistry in everyday life. ACS members and chemistry enthusiasts celebrate NCW by coordinating events and communicating the importance of chemistry. Read more about NCW.

National Chemistry Week (#ACS_NCW) is celebrated this year during the week of October 19-25, with the theme “The Hidden Life of Spices.” Chemistry plays a crucial role in how spices can create various smells and flavors, while also acting as medicine or fabric dyes. Spices can be found typically as solids or in the form of oil, which is a hydrophobic liquid. Hydrophobic means that the substance does not like water. Chemists must use different methods while working in the laboratory to obtain these oils, with methods including distillation, cold press, and more.

The structure of spices plays a huge role in how the spice is perceived by people. Even the smallest difference in structure can completely change how a spice tastes or smells. For example, did you know that celery and licorice have structures that have just one difference? These differences affect how receptors on our tongue and inside our nose interact with a spice, changing the way we perceive its smell and/or its taste.

There are a variety of chemicals in spices. In fact, spices are mixtures of various chemicals. Some chemicals found in spices include capsaicin, myristicin, and many more. Capsaicin is a chemical that makes peppers spicy. Myristicin is a chemical that gives nutmeg its flavor and aroma.

Fun fact: Did you know that nutmeg, a spice, was once worth more than gold?

Explore the resources on our pages to learn more about chemistry’s contribution to spices, as we strengthen local communities and celebrate this year’s National Chemistry Week together.