Fancy winning an iPad? Show off the most exciting or unexpected chemistry in your house in whatever creative form you wish.
Bill Bryson has been a great friend to the RSC over the past few years, and was recently in our London HQ to judge the RSC Bill Bryson Prize for science communication in schools. I nabbed him just as the judging was over, and showed him my own with a copy of his new book, , I was halfway through reading with the Amazon Kindle app.
At Home is a fascinating account of the history of home: of why we have walls, and rooms, and even toilets, and how home life has changed through the centuries. But as Bill mentioned to us, in every home is not just history, but chemistry. And we're not just talking bleach and toothpaste.
Walls are hard for a reason. The chemical composition of bricks makes them stable and long-living, cement starts off as a liquid but dries to hold those bricks together. Cavity insulation is formulated to keep heat in, outdoor paint is made to repel water... all this chemistry is just in the wall. Imagine how much secret chemistry there is in your whole house.
So go and explore your house, find your favourite and most unexpected chemistry, and tell us about it. Write out how it works, or how it makes you feel. Compose a poem, or some music, based on the chemistry. Take an arty photo, capture a quick video - anything at all. Just be as creative as possible, with the chemistry in your home as your inspiration, and send us whatever you come up with.
The entry that makes us think, or smile, the most will win a digital copy of Bill's great new book, and an Apple iPad to read it on. So get cracking! Send your ideas to us from the Contact Us page before the end of September, through email, Facebook, Twitter or anything else you fancy - we can't wait to hear from you.