NEW BOOK: CHEMISTRY OF MEDALS, VOLUME 2

We have reprinted the preface to the original Chemistry of Medals volume that was published in 2022 below this first paragraph. Our aims have not changed in creating this volume, and in incorporating some of the most accomplished individuals in the field of medallic art. It is hoped that the chapters in this second volume provide guidance and inspiration to anyone who is working in this field, be they artist or scientist. This area is a bridge between chemistry and art, one that we hope will be of interest to anyone reading the chapters found here.

An ACS volume on chemistry and medals may at first seem a bit odd or out of the ordinary, since the entire volume is devoid of chemical reactions, percent yields, and the creation of new molecules. But this area is a junction of science and art that is educational and wonderful—chemistry at its most elemental and art at its most tactile. Chemists teach and study metal elements and alloys as part of our academic discipline, and artists use such materials, as well as numerous plastics, resins, and plaster, to create truly amazing works of art. The art of the medal is art that is made to be touched, t o be felt, and to be held in the hand.

Medals have been with us since ancient times, often in some place of honor. Commanders of the Roman legions at times presented medals to the leaders of neighboring nations and tribes, usually as signs of friendship. Centuries later, European generals or field marshals, and later the officials of a young and growing United States of America, bestowed medals upon chiefs of the Native American peoples as tokens of fellowship and trust, as a means to seal alliances. These can sometimes be seen in the formal photographic portraits of Native American chiefs taken in the nineteenth century. Also, as mass armies and navies came into existence to defend nations and empires, medals and orders were awarded to the best and bravest soldiers and sailors, often for bravery and valor in combat. More broadly, we are familiar with medals as tokens of athletic, diplomatic, or scientific achievement, prowess, and excellence.

In this volume, we have gathered authors who are world-renowned artists, as well as scientists and others who are involved in some way in the production, use, or care of medals and other related artistic, numismatic items. In doing so we hope readers of this volume will see all the aspects of the production of medals, from the inception of ideas through all the steps of production, and ultimately to their continued care.

Additionally, while metals chemistry and the formation of alloys seems to have been largely displaced from our laboratory classes in the undergraduate curriculum, often for experiments that have some biochemical focus, there is no reason they need to be. Such experiments are certainly educational, they teach the rising generation the importance of these materials, and they possess a certain draw for students. Put simply, students find melting, solidifying, and using metals to be fun and engaging.

It is hoped that the chapters here will stimulate new ideas in anyone who reads them, possibly sparking in them other means by which chemistry and art can be brought together. Creating bridges of this sort has the potential to both advance our science and to make our world a far more beautiful, enchanting place.

Title: Chemistry of Medals, Volume 2
Series: ACS Symposium Series 1516
Editor: Benvenuto, M.
ISBN: 9798331330088
Pages: 191 (1 Vol)
Format: Softcover
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
POD Publisher: Curran Associates, Inc. ( Jan 2026 )

To read the table of contents, see:
https://www.proceedings.com/content/083/083277webtoc.pdf

For more information, or to order, see:
https://www.proceedings.com/search-result/?search_query=Chemistry%20of%20Medals
CHEMISTRY OF MEDALS. (https://www.proceedings.com/72712.html)
CHEMISTRY OF MEDALS, VOLUME 2 (https://www.proceedings.com/83277.html)

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