Chemistry makes scents at the Eden Project

Visitors to the Eden Project were challenged to guess the smells from plants, and to “Play Your Elements Right” by volunteers from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The 18 volunteers, recruited by Education Coordinator Kate Whetter, ran outreach activities over a weekend at the Eden Project’s new education area and public laboratory.

Games were linked to the International Year of the Periodic Table, with "Chemistry Makes Scents" demonstrating the science behind the smells of plants. Another game, loosely based on Play Your Cards Right, had children guessing whether the atomic number of the next element was going to be higher or lower.

Members of the public also designed and drew elements for a sticky note periodic table, and built carbon atoms by throwing differently-coloured proton and electron balls into a bowl.

Kate described the activities as "an opportunity to talk about elements big time", and highlighted the diverse audience reached by running an event at an international attraction.

One of the volunteers said "the best thing was getting to experience the Eden Project and share my love for chemistry", while comments from the children included: "It’s AMAZING!" and "I loved the fact that the people told me what platinum means."