• Question: Which is you're favourite scientific discovery?

    Asked by andrealaba to Stuart, Richard, katy, Anais on 11 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Stuart Atkinson

      Stuart Atkinson answered on 11 Mar 2016:

      Hi andrealaba. I think the periodic table is awesome. When you imagine that hundreds of years ago no one knew what was an element or a compound or a mixture or what everything was made up of…and now we have this perfectly arranged map of atomic weights and chemical properties. And if you do chemistry at A-level you’ll find out how it is also arranged according to the quantum numbers that determine the structure of the atom!

    • Photo: Anais Kahve

      Anais Kahve answered on 12 Mar 2016:

      I would say that the discovery of the first antimicrobial compound called Salvarsan in 1909 is my favourite scientific discovery. Although it is no longer used today because it contains arsenic which is toxic and causes horrible side effects, it was a starting point for scientists to develop less-toxic compounds to cure illnesses. Also, Salvarsan was discovered using a systematic method to find the compound with the best antimicrobial effects by making small chemical modifications to it, a method which is still used by pharmaceutical companies today.

    • Photo: Richard Friend

      Richard Friend answered on 14 Mar 2016:

      I like the ones that were all made by complete accident, like penicillin, which was discovered after some poor lab practice, or saccharin, which was found after someone didn’t wash their hands after working in the lab. It doesn’t matter how good you are at something, sometimes we all need a bit of luck!

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