Chemistry World Blog

The Chemistry World office is bedecked in tinsel, ready to celebrate the festive period. And as a thank you for celebrating with us, we’re going to send a Chemistry World mug to each of our favourite festive chemistrees!

On a recent trip to the chemistry department at the University of York, I spotted a different interpretation of the traditional Christmas decorations…

So we tweeted about it…

Here's the @ChemistryatYork #chemis-tree in full… pic.twitter.com/4pnQBqcC5T

— Chemistry World (@ChemistryWorld) December 5, 2013

The making of chemistrees to decorate labs is not a new phenomenon, we found this one last year:

Sticking with festive labs, we posted this Christmas chemis-tree from A Kleij Research Group at ICIQ last year… pic.twitter.com/x5RZDKuyF4

— Chemistry World (@ChemistryWorld) December 5, 2013

But we wanted to see more, so asked on twitter – the response was phenomenal:

@ChemistryWorld from chemistry at Loughborough college love Lizzy, Emma and Paul. pic.twitter.com/KkUSZdIrXi

— Chemistry@loucoll (@bananaclubchem) December 5, 2013

A chemistry Christmas tree! (HT @BenForScience) pic.twitter.com/W6rrcbE4Xz

— Dr Paul Coxon (@paulcoxon) December 5, 2013

.@RyanPharmilton @ChemistryWorld @ChemistryatYork @BenValsler Behold The Chemis-tree. Est. 2007 Photo by @MRKINGRUSS pic.twitter.com/29WGye6Me0

— Dr Suze Kundu (@FunSizeSuze) December 5, 2013

https://twitter.com/KyniskKjemiker/status/408622748450054145

@ChemistryWorld @ChemistryatYork the #chemistree before the red & blue dyes faded pic.twitter.com/vQy1o9qUi5

— Emma Dux (@Duxie_Em) December 5, 2013

@ChemistryWorld This was our lab tree in 2008. The colored liquids were all aqueous solutions of inorganic compounds. pic.twitter.com/5qkfAFt38R

— Monica Gill (@MGillChem) December 5, 2013

@ChemistryWorld Our 5th year Christmas Chemis-tree Dublin, Ireland pic.twitter.com/fjzNWuprfu

— Jack Kennedy (@KennedyJack16) December 6, 2013

White Bear Lake chemistry students are ready for the holidays with their "chemistree!" #chemchat @ChemistryWorld pic.twitter.com/nWKQaTmcEj

— Cassandra Knutson (@cmknutson) December 9, 2013

. @ChemistryWorld #chemistree RT @keelechem: Org labs getting in to the festive spirit at @keelechem @KeeleUniversity pic.twitter.com/9iNhSyyQ8F

— Katherine Haxton (@kjhaxton) December 10, 2013

@ChemistryWorld OSFC Chemistree! pic.twitter.com/LyQGHKciOI

— Chemistry Department (@osfc_Chemistry) December 12, 2013

Our amazing #Chemistree @RSC_Comms @StBedesCollege @stbedespress merry Christmas!! pic.twitter.com/7ZgeATkF4n

— St Bede's Chemistry (@StBedeChemistry) December 12, 2013

.@ChemistryWorld Here's our Applied Clay Sciences Christmas #Chemistree! Happy holidays everyone! pic.twitter.com/LmXwvTDioc

— Ryan Hamilton (@RyanPharmilton) December 13, 2013

@ChemistryWorld @Chemistry_cat_ Thought you might like Farlingaye high school's #chemistree pic.twitter.com/Q6vKiI6Tlq

— Farlingaye Chemistry (@FHSChemistry) December 13, 2013

Another multicoloured chemistry Christmas bauble @ChemistryatYork @ChemistryWorld #realtimechem pic.twitter.com/V0Srqmbhpf

— Emma Dux (@Duxie_Em) December 12, 2013

A rainbow chemistry christmas bauble @ChemistryatYork @ChemistryWorld #realtimechem pic.twitter.com/D17MqNEaPt

— Emma Dux (@Duxie_Em) December 12, 2013

Want to get our #Chemistree into the mix. @ChemistryWorld pic.twitter.com/4DhbWJ88sN

— Michael Geyer (@234chem) December 16, 2013

They just keep coming!

Want to get our #Chemistree into the mix. @ChemistryWorld pic.twitter.com/4DhbWJ88sN

— Michael Geyer (@234chem) December 16, 2013

@ChemistryWorld here's ours, complete with various ionic solutions, plus a couple of indicators. pic.twitter.com/o7dmEZ6lKX

— Bill Green (@7wgreen7) December 16, 2013

@ChemistryWorld We'd like to submit our #chemistree to the running! pic.twitter.com/tTHy8zVCnM

— Davis Research Group (@APDChem) December 16, 2013

Here's our #Chemistree @ChemistryWorld #9 daystogo pic.twitter.com/oL0q3N9BLl

— Jessica Bonham (@jabonham8) December 16, 2013

@ChemistryWorld Tried our best – what do you think of our Chemist-tree? pic.twitter.com/mPuMh2kBvo

— Rhod Jenkins (@rhodrij) December 16, 2013

https://twitter.com/CesarGtzQuevedo/status/412708504068042752

This has got to be the best Chemis tree…@ChemistryWorld pic.twitter.com/2eaN9FNmyc

— HCC_Chem (@HCC_Chem) December 17, 2013

https://twitter.com/EmmaKCorbin/status/412943621852495872

@ChemistryWorld @NottsHigh a (Nottingham) Forest of Chemistrees by our Y10 chemists… #chemistree pic.twitter.com/DoZjyHGGGq

— NHS Chemistry (@NHS_Chemistry) December 18, 2013

Harrison Central's Chemistree @ChemistryWorld #chemistree pic.twitter.com/TtOOTT78Tp

— Samantha Craig (@SamGraceCraig) December 18, 2013

https://twitter.com/krsimmo/status/413385629133996032

@ChemistryWorld Here is the Air Academy High School #chemistree that was made my the ChemClub at our school! pic.twitter.com/ZShadpsq6k

— Colin Adams (@collopa96) December 18, 2013

Our #chemistree decorated with glassware treated with Tollen's to turn them into silver baubles. @ChemistryWorld pic.twitter.com/IcGK6AxQde

— Chemistry at Hull (@HullChemistry) December 19, 2013

Our #chemistree at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Oslo @unioslo_mn @ChemistryWorld pic.twitter.com/eftW1T0HoF

— Anders Vik (@andervik76) December 19, 2013

@ChemistryWorld this is our chemistree! #inholland pic.twitter.com/zepM3OQbqw

— Lieke van Hemert (@lvhemert) December 19, 2013

@ChemistryWorld The biology team are jealous of our #bhasvic #chemistree pic.twitter.com/dq8xCV3uXb

— BHASVIC Chemistry (@BHASVIC_Chem) December 20, 2013

Happy Christmas Chemists! Tollens, TMs, Indicators & good ole wax 🙂 @ChemistryWorld @RLSChemistry #chemistree pic.twitter.com/N0sE4ZfoJE

— Kat Day (@chronicleflask) December 20, 2013

We liked these so much that we’ll pick our five favourites, and send a Chemistry World mug to each one – keep an eye out on our twitter and facebook pages to see which trees win!

A further trawl of twitter showed that we were not the only ones getting festive!:

Xmas decorations are up in the lab. Amazing what you can do with a few round bottom flasks! #sciencemeetsdesign pic.twitter.com/gQqKdMCGRM

— Sketching Science (@sketchingsci) December 5, 2013

One for chemistry / science teachers! #scichat #stem #edchat #education #Christmas pic.twitter.com/z4STLfIpGz

— Jason Elsom (@JasonElsom) December 8, 2013

https://twitter.com/alicethewxnted/status/410463819107143680

https://twitter.com/MeganKechner/status/408355936709799936

https://twitter.com/sc_areli/status/408619974651957249

Year 13's #chemistree attempt! pic.twitter.com/pcqLnZLvcY

— Barry Comp Chemistry (@BCSChemDept) December 9, 2013

A lesson well spent I think :') @BCSChemDept #chemistree Merry Christmas! pic.twitter.com/W036QitG89

— Broni (@BronwenMali) December 9, 2013

@SellaTheChemist Happy Christmas from all at the Oakbank Science department #chemistree pic.twitter.com/K458OWXk9u

— OakbankScienceDept (@OakbankScience) December 9, 2013

https://twitter.com/TinneWeeney/status/410176875546542080

I see #chemistree(s) on my twitter feed! Now wondering what a nice physics-y alternative might be.. (pic @jk_graves) pic.twitter.com/NcP3BujRMe

— Ans Hekkenberg (@GirlForScience) December 10, 2013

https://twitter.com/mbckenny/status/410363227084582912

#chemistree Happy Christmas from Hartlepool Sixth Form College! pic.twitter.com/2kAPxQcOPT

— MaChemGuy (@MaChemGuy) December 10, 2013

@Adams_Grammar Chemistree Mk II #chemistree pic.twitter.com/nSmZKUpEsk

— Neil Fairbrother (@chingwakabungya) December 10, 2013

Chemistree Mk I #chemistree pic.twitter.com/k7doSRlU5w

— Neil Fairbrother (@chingwakabungya) December 10, 2013

@Adams_Grammar Chemistree Mk III #chemistree pic.twitter.com/bLFqW9CVrh

— Neil Fairbrother (@chingwakabungya) December 10, 2013

Oh #chemistree with @TRidgeGrizzlies colors. pic.twitter.com/ZrcZHMttjZ

— Nicolas Babcock (@BabcockChem) December 11, 2013

I was studying… then this happened. #Chemistree #procrastinationatitsfinest pic.twitter.com/DXw4RRhYgn

— Hanna Erickson, MS (@MDPhDToBe) December 12, 2013

My technicians clearly have too much time on their hands #ASE chat. Can anyone top this? #chemistree pic.twitter.com/8WmSc4epWE

— Dr. W.Inglis (@DrInglisSci) December 11, 2013

https://twitter.com/alexonred/status/410839652099059712

Year 12's very impressive #Chemistree with Miss Sharman providing a little light! pic.twitter.com/s8UEkXZHaS

— Barry Comp Chemistry (@BCSChemDept) December 12, 2013