The SENSE-ATIONAL! exhibition is sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry to promote awareness of the chemistry in our daily lives.

The RSC supports chemistry teaching, organises chemistry meetings, is a major publisher, and a leader in communicating science to the public.
For further information about the exhibition please contact us using the feedback form

Onions Make you Cry
Chop a raw onion, and the chances are you will be in tears. As onion cells are broken by the chopping knife, chemicals are released into the air, which in time find their way to your eyes. One chemical, thiopropionaldehyde-S-oxide, a lachrymator, will make your eyes water.

Get That Adrenaline Going!
We all know the feeling, that buzz when we start to exercise. Our heart rate increases, energy goes to our muscles, we sweat, we go red. Adrenaline, which is produced by the adrenal gland, creates these feelings and effects.

Blue Jeans
Blue jeans are famous for their durability and durable blue colour. But where does this rich, vivid and popular colour come from? There are many blue dyes, which create different shades of blue, but the original blue dye is indigo.

Well Salted
One of the most widely used chemicals throughout history, salt has been used for many things ranging from a preservative of food in winter, to a payment of Roman soldiers' salaries. Salt is an everyday chemical, everywhere in the world!

Red Hot Chilies
Have you ever wondered why chili peppers taste so hot, and why they can burn your lips and skin? These effects are caused by a chemical called capsaicin, which is found in the flesh and seeds of chilies, and which creates a sensation of heat and pain by stimulating nerve endings

One Spoon, or Two?
Sugar, the original crystalline sweetener, is made up of the chemical sucrose, which tastes sweet. It is one of many naturally occurring sugars, and is found in many foods, particularly sugar cane and sugar beet.

The Strong Smell of Garlic
Whether you love the smell or hate it, there is no avoiding the fact that garlic smells strongly. As soon as you cut garlic, chemicals are released from the broken cells, which are very volatile and easily smelt. Many of these compounds contain sulphur, which is often associated with strong/pungent odours. Diallyl disulphide is a major contributor to the smell of garlic.

Smooth to the Touch
Sensual, smooth, rich and flowing, silk is famous for its wonderful texture. But why does it look and feel like this? Silk is made up of a protein called ß-keratin, which because of its flat structure, makes silk smooth to the touch.

Bright Green Lettuce
The rich and lush green colour of the plant world, including lettuce leaves, comes from the molecule chlorophyll. This exceptionally important chemical allows plants to absorb sunlight, and this energy is then used in a process called photosynthesis to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water. Chlorophyll provides plants with their colour and with food.

Men Will Be Men
Well they say it's all in the chemistry! Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, and gives men their characteristic maleness. It affects men's behaviour, strength, appearance and sexuality.

Crystal Clear Water
Water is such a simple, yet extraordinary molecule, without which life could not exist. It consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H₂O). It covers over two thirds of the surface of this planet, can occur as a solid (ice), liquid or gas (steam) and we must drink it to survive.

Aroma Therapy
Think of the smell of freshly brewed coffee on a cold winter's morning. It has a characteristic warming, invigorating and therapeutic aroma. But what causes this? The smell of coffee is complicated, varying subtly between coffee blends, and is caused by many molecules. One important contributor is 2-mercaptomethylfuran.

Cristina De Matteis (pictured in some of the photographs above) is currently a part-time lecturer in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Nottingham, and works freelance in London. Cristina has a BSc in Medicinal Chemistry and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of London.

In 1995-1996 she obtained a Seed Grant from COPUS¹ to support initiation of the art project, and in 1996 won the Science Communicator of the Year Award from BBSRC² for the first development stage of the project.

Explains Cristina: "Many of the chemicals that are in everyday things are structurally very beautiful. I wanted to blend the computer graphics of these molecules with their everyday counterparts to create dramatic works of art."

¹ Committee on the Public Understanding of Science
² Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council