On December 5, the Official Closing Ceremony for the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT) took place in Tokyo, Japan. Professor David Cole-Hamilton, EuChemS Vice-President, attended the ceremony on behalf of EuChemS. Learn more about this event here.

150 years after the discovery of periodicity by Mendeleev, 2019 was selected to be the year-long celebration of the universally known symbol of science. The IYPT2019 permitted to put chemistry under the spotlights for a whole year, enhancing initiatives for a better communication among the different fields of the discipline. Events were organised all year-long, in Europe and beyond.

Most prominent among EuChemS actions was the creation of a Periodic Table depicting elements scarcity. By sharing it the European Chemical Society aimed to lead to reflection and action on the topic. The EuChemS Periodic Table is now available in 32 languages. Amongst other, it was unveiled and discussed at EuChemS event in the European Parliament in Brussels in January this year and included in recently published report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) ‘Paving the way for a circular economy: insights on status and potentials’.

EuChemS also released a video game, a Periodic Table Adventure ‘Elemental Escapades’. The game aims to teach about basic chemical elements in an entertaining way. ‘Elemental escapades’ has been viewed by almost 9k people within two months of its release.

Nonetheless, the year-long celebration has not end yet. You can still follow the hashtag #IYPT2019 on social media to follow all the latest news.