The 15th International Conference on the History of Chemistry will be held in Bologna between June 8th and 12th 2027. It is organised by OFFISS (Officina di Storia delle Scienze - Bologna), the Società Chimica Italiana, and the Gruppo Nazionale di Fondamenti e Storia della Chimica.

Bologna is one of the major centres for the study of the history of science in Italy, and this distinguished tradition goes back a long time. Since the later Middle Ages Bologna has been at the core of significant developments in European medicine, chemistry, natural philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and a wide spectrum of other emerging scientific disciplines. 

Bologna was also an important center for the study of alchemy and chemistry in the early modern period. The discovery, in the seventeenth century, of the luminescent properties of the stone that took its name from the city occurred in a context in which Paracelsianism, thanks to the work of Leonardo Fioravanti, had spread even among popular classes. 

In 1737, the first chair of chemistry was established at the University, and Jacopo Bartolomeo Beccari quickly distinguished himself with numerous important discoveries, the most significant of which was that of the nutritional properties of gluten. At the end of the century, other naturalists, physicians, and surgeons, such as Luigi Galvani, successfully cultivated interests in chemistry, consolidating a tradition that, from then on, never faded away. 

CONFERENCE THEME: The Chemistry of Food and Spirits

read the call for papers