Valentine's Day can be scientific, romantic

In celebration of Valentine’s Day the team behind the Periodic Table of Videos at The University of Nottingham has created a special perfume called ‘Mendeleev’s Dream’.

The perfume has been named after Dmitri Mendeleev the 19th century Russian scientist who created the Periodic Table – which has made this group of 21st century scientists into award winning YouTube hit.

Created in the labs of the School of Chemistry, the perfume is laced with Vanillin for the essence of ice cream, Cinnamaldehyde with its warmth and colour of cinnamon, Hexachloroplatinic Acid for some platinum bling, Citronellol to produce the classic scent of lemons and Theobromine, an extract of cocoa - to tempt the lady in your life with the irresistible aroma of chocolate!

Professor Martyn Poliakoff is one of the ‘noses’ involved in the creation of this perfume. He said: "The video was really fun to make and a great opportunity to blend light hearted banter with some serious points about the role of chemicals in various aspects of our lives."

Because everything they make is created in a scientific research laboratory nothing they produce can be consumed or used by humans. So Mendeleev’s Dream is what it says – just a dream! Even the special birthday cake they made to celebrate their first anniversary had to be exploded – under strict safety conditions.

To find out more about the Periodic Table of Videos and how it is making science more accessible follow the scent: http://www.periodicvideos.com

Professor Poliakoff said: “Mendeleev was one of the first great science communicators. Crowds of students filled lecture halls to hear him speak and he never lost touch with the classroom. We are delighted that his Periodic Table is now enabling us to communicate with new generations of young scientists. If a little fun on Valentine’s Day teaches people something about chemistry and science then we have had some success.”

Provided by University of Nottingham