Element samples, twelve plastic bottles containing metallic elements silicon, iron, silver, magnesium, nickel, zinc, copper, tin, tantalum, indium, niobium and molybdenum and accompanying card with QR code, featuring bilingual element names in English and Chinese. Designed by Jason K. K. Chan, made by the Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, 2019

2019 marks the 150th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev’s creation of his periodic table, which the United Nations commemorated in a worldwide, year-long celebration: the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT).

These element samples were one of the souvenirs given to attendees of IYPT events at the Hong Kong Science Museum. With text in both English and (Traditional) Chinese, they illustrate the internationalism of IYPT and the impact of the periodic table as a scientific and design icon of global culture.