C&EN Uncovered: Looking back on 100 years of chemistry

Published: Sept. 29, 2023, 6 p.m.

The first issue of C&EN was published in 1923 with the stated purpose of “the promotion of research, the development of the chemical industry, and the welfare of the chemist.” 

The world of chemistry has grown a lot since then, and the magazine has been there to report on it all.

To celebrate our 100th anniversary, C&EN reporter and informal historian Alex Tullo has sifted through thousands of issues of the magazine, and in this episode, he guides our host Craig Bettenhausen on a tour through the magazine’s history from the industrialization of plastics, to the environmental movement, to the modern era of digital publication. 

When this episode was recorded, Tullo was preparing the From the Archives feature for the 1980s, which is now published.

C&EN Uncovered, a project from C&EN’s podcast, Stereo Chemistry, offers a deeper look at subjects from recent stories. Read Alex’s entire series about the C&EN archives at cenm.ag/fromthearchives.


A transcript of this episode can be found at http://cenm.ag/100yearspod.



Credits


Executive producer: Gina Vitale


C&EN Uncovered host: Craig Bettenhausen


Reporter: Alex Tullo


Audio editor: Brian Gutierrez


Copyeditor: Bran Vickers


Story editor: Manny I. Fox Morone


Episode artwork: Shutterstock/Kay Youn/Will Ludwig/C&EN


Music: “Hot Chocolate” by Aves



Contact Stereo Chemistry: Contact us on social media @cenmag or email cenfeedback@acs.org.