The ACS Illinois Heartland Section fosters collaboration between chemists and the community. We strive to build partnerships, maximize resources, and enhance engagement for both our members and the public.

Congratulations to the Bradley University Chemistry Club Demo Crew for reaching a total attendance of 50000! The Demo Crew started in 2007, and it took 530 outreach events to get here. The theme of National Chemistry Week 2025 is spices, so we are marking this milestone with the spice turmeric. To produce this demonstration, alcohol was added to turmeric to extract curcuminoids, and paper towels were soaked in the extract. Aluminum foil masks were placed over a dried towel and both were irradiated with longwave UV light to photobleach the curcuminoids. The light source and foil masks were removed to reveal the yellow pattern of unbleached curcuminoids, and the towel was sprayed with aqueous ammonia to turn the pattern from yellow to red.