36. The Horners’ Company – Sir Martyn Poliakoff

As the craft of working with horn declined, in 1943, the Horners’ Company adopted its modern
equivalent, plastics. Today, the Company maintains strong links with the plastics industry, while seeking to support the horner's craft.

The 18th Ralph Anderson Memorial Lecture was given by Sir Martyn Poliakoff, an acclaimed chemistry professor at the University of Nottingham. Chemistry and the products of the chemical industry are central to the quality of modern life. However, some chemical processes are very damaging to the environment. In recent years he has researched completely new ways of making key products, such as perspex, without the environmental consequences, using supercritical fluids as solvents.
 
He is a champion of the new green chemistry and talked about how to engage young people and develop education tools. He can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvcaXM2hMgA His youtube series explaining the periodic table elements are extremely popular. My thanks go to the Horners’ Company for a splendid evening.