Periodic magazine

Read the latest issue of Periodic, the annual magazine of the Department of Chemistry.  Periodic is published annually in October/November and distributed free to alumni and friends of the Department of Chemistry. If you would like to receive future editions or contribute an article, please contact the Alumni office.

Latest issue

Periodic 12, 2024–25

Contents:

  • Letter from the Head of Department
  • News and achievements
  • New research
  • Profile: Prof Meera Mehta
  • New professors
  • Making our chemical future
  • New method detects fake vaccines
  • PERIODically
  • How Life Works
  • Solar chemistry
  • Leading in sustainable chemistry
  • SCHEMA
  • Oxford Chemistry Outreach: Puzzle boxes
  • Oxford Chemistry Outreach: Building Bridges
  • In with the new
  • Designing new diagnostic tools for lung disease
  • It's not only opposites that attract
  • Chemistry of the northern lights
  • The Jamie Ferguson Chemistry Innovation Awards
  • Waynflete inaugural lecture
  • Chemistry puzzles
  • Puzzles
Cover of Periodic 2024-25.

Previous issues

Periodic 11, 2023–24

Contents:

  • From Professor Mark Brouard
  • Letter from the Head of Department
  • News and achievements
  • New research
  • Quantum entrepreneur
  • Molecular World
  • Poisonous Tales
  • CRL turns 20
  • Jamie Ferguson Chemistry Innovation Awards
  • Interview: BBC Science Editor Rebecca Morelle
  • Profile: Dr Martin Galpin
  • Women in Chemistry
  • Building Bridges
  • Inspiring future chemists
  • The power of a DPhil
  • LEAF: Sustainable, efficient laboratories
  • The future of antibiotics
  • Beryllium: A new bond
  • Special delivery: Cyclotron
  • Hazard-free fluorochemicals
  • Professor John Goodenough
  • Professor Sir Brian Smith
  • Puzzles
The front cover of Periodic magazine 2023. The main image is of a QR-code inspired solid structure.

Periodic 10, 2022–2023

Contents:

  • From the Head of Department 
  • News and achievements  
  • New research 
  • Outreach update
  • The power of a DPhil – Val Rahmani
  • Hinshelwood lectures 2022
  • The science of baking to perfection
  • Chemistry in the garden
  • Bringing science & ventures together – Alan Roth
  • Memories of Dorothy Hodgkin
  • Schrödinger in Oxford
  • Researcher profile – Patricia Rodríguez-Maciá
  • John Goodenough's 100th birthday
  • Rex Richards
  • Life-like chemical oscillations
  • Green chemistry revolution
  • Periodic puzzles
  • Periodic table of Oxford Chemistry
Cover of Periodic Magazine 2022-23

 

Periodic 9, 2021–2022

Contents:

  • From the Head of Department 
  • News & Achievements  
  • New Research 
  • Clean Green Tech 
  • The People Person
  • Nobel Prize Centenary for Oxford Chemistry
  • A Champion for Women in Entrepreneurship
  • Practical Chemistry in a time of Covid
  • Outreach
  • A Scientific Life
  • A New Institute to Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance
  • DPhil Centenary Campaign
periodic cover

 

​​​​​Periodic8, 2020–2021

Contents:

  • Letter from the Head of Department 
  • News & Achievements  
  • New Research 
  • An Interview with Nobel Laureate Professor M Stanley Whittingham. 
  • Chemistry in Cells
  • Professor Volker Deringer
  • Coronavirus research
  • Sequencing SARS-Cov-2-RNA
  • Communicating Chemistry Research
  • Contributing to the Fight against Climate Change
  • Lab in a Van: The Chemystery Machine
  • Pioneering Women Chemists
  • Oxford Women in Chemistry
  • From the PCL to Pyongyang
  • Centenary of the DPhil
periodic 8 cover

 

Periodic 7, 2019–2020 

Contents:

  • Letter from the Head of Department
  • News & Achievements
  • Remembering Professor Sir John Rowlinson
  • New Research
  • Professor Charlotte Williams
  • Making it Happen
  • Transparent, Recyclable Food Packaging
  • Oxford HighQ
  • A New Centre for Doctoral Training
  • Innovations in Teaching
  • Sharing the Joys of Chemistry
  • Letters from Alumni
  • Working with Industry
  • Using Virtual Reality to Explain Chemistry
  • Celebrating a Century of Student Research
periodic cover issue 7

 

Periodic 6, 2018–19 

Contents:

  • Letter from Head of Department
  • News & Achievements
  • Interview with Dr Martine Abboud
  • Electrochemical Sensors - Hot off the press
  • New Research
  • Making light work of weighing molecules
  • Labs for 21st Century chemistry
  • Spinouts that tackle global challenges
  • Scientific glassblowing
  • Turning green into gold
  • A chemical collaboration
  • Chemistry at Kew Gardens
  • The Alan Howe Prize
  • Alumni
  • The Alembic Club
Photo of the cover of Periodic Magazine, issue 6

 

Periodic 5, 2017–18 

Contents:

  • From the Head of Department
  • News & Achievements
  • The lucky chemist
  • Harvest for the world?
  • New research
  • As pure as the driven snow
  • A catalyst for success
  • Molecular Movies
  • A collaboration of excellence
  • Inspiring the Next Generation
  • Professor Joanna Aizenburg gives the 2017 Hinshelwood Lectures
  • Supporting women and parents in scientific careers
  • Tales of the Part II
periodic cover issue 5 copy

 

Periodic 4, 2016–17

Contents:

  • Letters from the Head of Department
  • News & Achievements
  • A day in the life: Laia Josa-Culliere
  • Celebrating the 90th birthday of Sir John Rowlinson FRS
  • A quantum needle in a haystack
  • Chemistry careers that change the world
  • Spinning out success
  • New elements in graduate training
  • Theoretical chemistry made easy, through golf
  • Green labs for a sustainable future
  • Oxford chemists inspire a new generation of young scientists
  • New teaching laboratories for undergraduate students
  • Alumni
Photo of the cover of Periodic Magazine, issue 4

 

Periodic 3, 2015–16 

Contents:

  • From the Head of Department
  • News & Achievements
  • Spotlight on research
  • Women in science: the Athena Swan Charter
  • Tandem catalysis for an imbalanced cycle
  • News from our graduate training programmes
  • Industrial partnerships help us change the world
  • Crusher Musher Masher Man
  • Inspiring the next generation of chemists
  • The matter factory
  • Delights of the DP
Photo of the cover of Periodic Magazine, issue 3

 

Periodic 2, 2014–15 

Contents:

  • A letter from the Head of Department
  • News & Achievements
  • Spinning out success
  • International year of crystallography 
  • Spotlight
  • A day in the life: Olivia McDermott
  • Centres for doctoral training
  • Where are they now? Alumni stories
  • Chemistry at the museum
  • Rainbows, rapid expansion and renaissance art
  • Coping with low oxygen
  • Where did chemistry take you? Alumni
Photo of the cover of Periodic Magazine, issue 2

 

Periodic 1, 2013–14

Contents:

  • A letter from the Chairman
  • News & Achievements
  • Inside the chemistry department
  • Spotlight
  • Life as an undergraduate
  • A day in the life: Catherine Ball
  • Where are they now? Alumni stories
  • Chemistry at the garden
  • MediSense: Commercialsiing chemistry
  • Solving the energy crisis
  • Alumni relations programme
  • Alumni updates
Photo of the cover of Periodic Magazine, issue 1