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The papers of Sir Eric Rideal relate to various aspects of his work including: articles, speeches and writings on ecology and chemistry; proofs and articles such as 'the absorption of gases and vapours by solids', 'intermolecular forces in two-dimensional systems' (published in Physica 4, 1937) and 'some experiences on heterogeneous catalysis' an article for Shokubai, 1971. Notes, drafts and working papers are generally undated and fragmentary and relate to topics such as enzymes, catalysis, chemical reactivity, diachisis and disjoining pressure. Papers relating to committees, conferences and organisations refer to the International Union of Pure Applied Chemistry for the period 1967-1971; the Ministry of Supply for the period of 1953-1958; with various other papers on committees and conferences such as the Biological Research Advisory Board, the Chemical Engineering Committee, the High Explosives Committee and the Rideal conferences on chemisorption and catalysis. Scientific correspondence refers to barnacles, ion exchange and surface energy anisotropy in metals. This is evidently a very small portion of the records that he would have generated.

The papers of George Porter consist of sections relating to various issues: Section A, Biographical, relates to Porter's career, honours and awards from 1955 to 1992 including his appointment as Director of the Royal Instutution (RI)in 1966 and the award of the Nobel Prize in 1967; also includes his Nobel Lecture and the 1986 meeting held in his honour at the RI Flash Photolysis and its Applications'. Section B, Research, relates to Porter's research at Cambridge including notes, drafts and data which also includes periods at Sheffield and records the funding of his research arranged alphabetically by funding body from 1955 to 1987; also includes correspondence with suppliers from 1955 to 1979 and a miscellaneous section on the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory detailing its collaboration with the University of London and the Photochemistry Discussion Group meetings at the RI. Section C, Royal Institution, documents the Director's involvement in the administration of the RI, its organisation, funding and finance, membership, building and maintenance; it also records the organisation of events such as Discourses and Christmas Lectures at the RI for example the correspondence between the Director and Discourse lecturers arranged alphabetically, discourse invitations declined, suggested lecturers and topics, discourse statistics, discourse dinner party records and correspondence with lecturers about their Christmas Lectures; there is also material on the history of the RI, its library, archives and developments of the academic study of the history of science at the RI. Section D, Lectures, broadcasts and publications relates to Porter's role as a scientific communicator. There are drafts chronologically from 1955 to 1988 and alphabetically by folder title or topic, drafts of lectures at the RI for Schools Lectures, Discourses and Christmas Lectures, and research lectures on photochemistry; there is correspondence on BBC radio programmes, and with journals in Porter's editorial and advisory role; there are also records of his teaching at Cambridge, Sheffield and through the Open University as well as his student notes. Section E, Societies, organisations and consultancies, relates to Porter's association with eighty-one organisations. Refers to Porter's membership and leadership of various organisations particularly those of science education and popularisation aspect. The Royal Society is well represented as well as the Paul Instrument Fund. There are also commercial organisations such as the General Electric Research and Development Centre. Section F, Correspondence, consisting heavily ofMiscellaneous Correspondence Files' arranged alphabetically by correspondent and dating from Porter's time as Director of the RI. There is also correspondence of Early Scientific and Miscellaneous Correspondence form 1966 to 1987, as well as Soviet Scientists from 1970 to 1987 and Japanese Scientists from 1973 to 1985. There is also an index of correspondents.

The papers are extensive covering Faraday's work in science. Details of his work on electro-magnetic induction, the laws of electrolysis and the theory of electro-magnetism are in the form of laboratory notebooks, lecture notes and various publications on experimental researchers in electricity. There are some administrative papers on the Royal Institution of Great Britain including cash books. The correspondence covers his work for the Admiralty and the Corporation of Trinity House whilst acting as Scientific Adviser; they also detail his general communication with people and other organisations. Other items include his book collection, scrapbooks, portfolio of portraits and apparatus. A few lacunae have been identified. There are no documents on his personal life or his work as Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

Papers of Sir James Dewar include: (DI-DII) correspondence and general papers relating to membership of institutions, scientific work and the views of individuals, written papers. (DIII) Biographical papers and cuttings 1911-1925 and personal and (DB11) biographical papers c.1891-1924, relate to Dewar and his work. (DIII) Photographs 1890-1894, relate to various aspects such as rooms in the Royal Institution of Great Britain (RI) and apparatus; (DE15) photographs and reprints including discourses 1875-1923 include an album of photographs of soap films, reprints of Dewar lectures at the RI, notes on courses and lectures by Dewar and others such as John Tyndall. Notebooks relate to (DIII) experimental observations 1907-1909; (DB4) notebooks on radiation, dissociation, analyses; (DB5) low temperature work 1874-1919, notebooks and other papers; (DB6) spectroscopy notebooks 1879-1912; (DB7) rare gases 1885-1923, notebooks and papers; (DB8) laboratory apparatus notebooks, 1881-1905; (DB9) notebooks and papers on bubbles, 1917-1923; (DB10) notebooks on the work of Marcellin Berthelot and Henri Moissan, 1907; (DE10) lecture notebooks and experimental notes 1869-1918, relate to topics such as hydrogen, thermal values, latent heat and decomposition of gases. Notes on lectures include (DIV) lecture notes and lists 1878-1891, relates to soap bubbles, and Christmas lectures at the RI; (DB3) lecture notes 1877-1906, relates to lectures at the RI; (DE16) lecture notes and correspondence 1885-1940, relates to lectures at the RI including Christmas lectures and correspondence of various recipients particularly with William J. Green. (DE14) Discourses 1894-1923, relate to the Friday Evening Discourses at the RI as well as other notes on experiments. Various forms of notes include: (DB1) general laboratory notes 1864-1923, on temperature, thermo electric properties, analysis of water; (DB2) sound experiments; (DV) notes on scientists and scientific work 1845-1903, relate to Dewar; (DE1) experimental notes 1904-1922 and (DE2) 1919-1923, relate to topics such as dielectric constants of liquid hydrogen, soap films, vacuum tubes, radium, low temperature and radiation from the sky; (DE3) laboratory notes 1897-1930, (DE4) 1914-1920, (DE7) pre-1900 and (DE8) 1875-1910, relate to topics such as silvered vacuum flasks, specific heats, diffusion, apparatus, charcoal absorption and spectroscopic examination of gases; (DE5) bubble measurements 1815-1822, notes and observations; (DE13) experimental notes and correspondence 1893-1922, relate to topics such as densities at low temperature, charcoal, soap film and gases; (DE6) miscellaneous experimental notes 1878-1922 and (DE9) miscellaneous notes 1871-1925, relate to topics such as critical temperature of gases, radiation curves and bubbles. (DE11) Reprints 1866-1913, relate to issues such as Friday Evening Discourses at the RI, the Michael Faraday Centenary of 1891, Christmas lectures at the RI and notes and reports on experiments. (DE12) Royal Institution 1885-1924, relates to messages and letters to, from or concerning Dewar, his role at the RI and general administrative issues. (DE17) Diplomas, drawings and graphs relate to Dewar's Fullerian Professorship at the RI, apparatus and experiments. (DG1-DG3) W. J. Green papers include correspondence, notes, photographs and notebooks on experimental discussions and personal issues such as health. (DCI) Scott controversy 1911, Gordon case 1912-1917, (DCII) early Scott case 1891-1892 and Ruhemann controversy 1890-1891, correspondence and papers. (DVI) J. E. Petavel papers - St Louis exhibition 1904, relates to the reproduction of Dewar's low temperature work for the exhibition with notes on the exhibition. (DVII) War work 1915-1918, includes letter and papers on work for the war effort, World War One.

Papers of Sir Humphry Davy are extensive including the bond of indenture of apprenticeship, 1795 with its release, 1798; lecture notes of 1805-1812 relating to subjects such as the history of electricity, vegetable chemistry, electrochemical science, agricultural chemistry and geology; honours and diplomas relating to various institutions such as the Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg for 1826, the Danish Royal Society of Sciences for 1821 and the Pilman Society of Edinburgh for 1823; laboratory notebooks of 1805-1829 relating to experiments on galvanism, sulphur and phosphorous, ammonia on potassium, sodium, metals, muriatic and oxymuriatic gas, copper, and decompositions amongst others; RI laboratory notebooks of 1830-1861 which includes Davy's work on copper and water; correspondence relating to his work and personal life, to and from his mother, Mrs Jane Apreece, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) and others; personal notebooks c 1795-1829; mathematical notebooks; scientific observations notebooks of 1799-1800 relating to phosphorous, the combustion of iron and the philosophy of heat and light; papers relating to his published works such as the Elements of Chemical Philosophy, Consolations in Travel and Salmonia; papers collected by Michael Faraday (1791-1867) which includes some of the above mentioned notebooks; papers collected by John Davy (1790-1868) his brother, relating to extracts from Humphry Davy's journals and John's observations of his brother; papers of his poetry and sketches; his Commonplace book 1812-1815; a ledger of Edmund Davy (1785-1857) his cousin and appraisal for the miners safety lamp of 1815.

Papers of Henry Bence Jones, 1803-1873, including correspondence to and from various recipients, relating to the Royal Institution of Great Britain, in particular its lectures (CG4/1&2).