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 20-26, with the theme “Picture Perfect Chemistry.” 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. 

Today, modern technology called imaging uses things like sound waves, many types of light, and even streams of electrons to make images we can’t see with our eyes alone. These tools assist with making the images we use for medicine, space exploration, research, and other areas. Similarly, through medical imaging, we can see inside the human body. Medical X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs allow doctors to look inside our bodies in ways never possible before.  These techniques help researchers understand diseases and improve patient care.

On Earth and in space, observatories use different types of imaging. These inventions help us see deeply into the universe and better understand it.  

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