Join us for an overview of historic color usage and how the advent of modern synthetic pigments and dyes irrevocably affected governments and society.
Presented by Dr. Mary Virginia Orna.

This lecture is free and open to the public!

Learn about:
1. A single chemical reaction can have significant repercussions on society
2. The chemistry of color was a driver not only in the fashion world, but also in the development of modern educational institutions and the modern patent system
3. The structural formulas of dyes are closely related to those of high explosives and of pharmaceuticals, with significant historical consequences

September 18, 2024
5:30-6:00pm Meet and Greet
6:00-7:00pm Presentation
308 Padnos Hall
GVSU Allendale campus

Mary Virginia Orna, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Chemistry, College of New Rochelle, New York. Her academic specialties are in the areas of color chemistry and archaeological chemistry.

RSVP to [email protected]
RSVP to get a parking pass or to get a Zoom link.

Hosted by Western Michigan American Chemical Society

Mary Virginia Orna, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Chemistry, College of New Rochelle, New York. Her academic specialties are in the areas of color chemistry and archaeological chemistry. She has twenty-one authored, co-authored or edited books on chemical education and history of chemistry to her credit. Her latest book, March of the Pigments, was published by the Royal Society of Chemistry on May 23, 2022, a direct product of the COVID lockdown. She is the recipient of numerous chemical education and service awards, the latest being the American Chemical Society 2021 Joseph B. Lambert HIST Award “for her original research in the area of color and pigment chemistry.” In 1989, she was designated the New York State Professor of the Year, and in 1994 she served as a Fulbright Fellow in Israel. Her hobby is constructing crossword puzzles; she has contributed many of these to the New York Times. She is a religious novitiate of the Ursulines of the Roman Union, and a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.

This talk is based on her popular book, “The Chemical History of Color” (Springer, 2013). Color has been an exciting and enjoyable part of human life over the years. However, the junction between color and chemistry, and color and history, is of more recent origin. The first recorded use of chemistry to manufacture a color is the stunning set of cave paintings found in the Grotte Chauvet in Southern France. This talk traces the history of color usage as a chemical endeavor from the earliest records to the present day, focusing on four major areas: fashion, pharmaceuticals, food, and fun. It is a trajectory peppered with stories to help us understand the mystery of color as a universal experience and phenomenon; its chemical history, as you shall see, even changed the course of history in the 20th century.