Since the very beginning of conservation and restoration concepts and practice, different branches of Chemistry for Cultural heritage, such as physical, analytical, organic, inorganic, and environmental chemistry, have been playing a pivotal role in diagnosis, understanding causes and state of conservation, studying ancient production techniques, developing and evaluating restoration materials and methods, guiding conservators in the planning and execution of conservation-restoration interventions of both movable and immovable cultural heritage as well as in the education and training of conservation professionals.
The last decades have seen the introduction of new and advanced chemical technologies applied to the different fields mentioned above, which have marked a substantial improvement in the capability of the Chemistry discipline to answer specific conservation-restoration needs raised by the cultural heritage preservation international community.

The 7th International Congress on Chemistry for Cultural Heritage, organized by the Slovak University of Technology, Slovak National Museum in collaboration with the Slovak Chemical Society (SCHS), and its Division of Chemistry in Cultural Heritage, Slovak National Gallery (SNG) under the patronage of Slovak Commission for UNESCO is aimed at providing an international platform for presentation and discussion on all the above-mentioned issues.

Thank you all!

Special Collection on
Chemistry for and of Cultural Heritage

Dear all,

The role of chemistry for the analysis, protection and restoration of Cultural Heritage cannot be overstated. Connected to the 7^th International Congress on Chemistry for Cultural Heritage in Bratislava, which ChemPlusChem and Chemistry–Methods took great pride in sponsoring, we are running a Special Collection on this topic, entitled “The Chemical Arts: Chemistry for Characterisation, Interpretation and Management of Cultural Heritage”.

We aim to publish works that highlight the central role of all subdisciplines of chemistry in interpreting, preserving and sustainably managing our Cultural Heritage in all its forms. Employing and broadening our knowledge of chemistry as well as embedding it in cross-disciplinary approaches is vital so that we can understand and pass on what helps us to appreciate our common goods and the roots of our communities.

 ChemPlusChem and Chemistry–Methods are published on behalf of Chemistry Europe, an organization of 16 European chemical societies. ChemPlusChem is a general chemistry journal that publishes innovative multidisciplinary research from at least two chemical subdisciplines or related fields. Chemistry–Methods is a fully Open Access journal that works to help the chemistry community ensuring efficient and adaptable procedures that are fit for purpose by publishing high-impact and reliable processes in chemistry, including chemical methods and instrument development. It has recently received its very first Impact Factor (Clarivate) of 6.1 and its first CiteScore (Scopus) of 7.3

If you are interested in contributing to the Special Collection with a suitable article, please reach out to chempluschem@chemistry-europe.org or chemistry-methods@chemistry-europe.org.

To cover the costs of publishing, Chemistry-Methods will charge a publication fee as listed here after acceptance. Through the affiliation with Wiley, our authors are often able to benefit from transformative agreements and Wiley Open Access Accounts, which are each individually tailored to the needs of the respective partner. Automatic waivers and discounts will be given to authors from countries on this list. On the occasion of this Special Collection, the journal can offer a selection of waivers. Authors publishing in ChemPlusChem can decide for or against an Open Access option at the point of acceptance.

The due date for manuscript submission is January 31, 2025. ChemPlusChem and Chemistry-Methods will facilitate peer review and editorial decisions. All accepted manuscripts will be published online as quickly as possible! As a Special Collection, accepted manuscripts will not all be published in the same issue, but will be collected together and prominently advertised via a link on the journal’s homepage. Once the collection is finished, it will also be promoted through our Social Media channels.

• March 10, 2024  Oral/poster abstract submission deadline
• March 31, 2024  Notification of acceptance for oral presentation/poster
• May 15, 2024 Payment deadline for presenters
• May 31, 2024 Publication of the Final Program
• June 15, 2024 Deadline for registration
• July 2–5, 2024 CHEMCH 2024 Conference

The main topics of the congress will be:
• Development and improvements of analytical methods (non-invasive/micro-invasive, (mass)spectroscopy, chemical imaging, separation methods,…) considering also safety aspects
• Multispectral and hyperspectral methods in heritage science
• Chemical processes causing changes and degradation of cultural heritage artifacts
• Chemical aspects of biological alteration phenomena
• Environmental chemistry aspects in heritage conservation
• Nanotechnologies, green/sustainable materials, and methods for conservation and restoration.
• Data treatment, chemometrics, machine learning/artificial intelligence for cultural heritage investigations
• Cross-disciplinary visions for heritage science, conservation and restoration
• Multimodal investigations and case studies

The 7th International Congress on Chemistry for Cultural Heritage, organized by the Slovak University of Technology, Slovak National Museum in collaboration with the Slovak Chemical Society (SCHS) and its Division of Chemistry in Cultural Heritage, Slovak  National Gallery (SNG), under the patronage of Slovak Commission for UNESCO

Congress Chair
Radko TINO, Slovak University of Technology, Slovakia

International Scientific Committee
Elena BADEA, University of Craiova, Romania
Maite MAGUREGUI, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
Matija STRLIC, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Barbara LYDZBA-KOPCZYNSKA, University of Wroclaw, Poland
Rocco MAZZEO, University of Bologna, Italy
Meric BAKILER, Mimar Sinan Fine Art University, Istanbul, Turkey
Lucia BURGIO, Victoria & Albert Museum, UK
Anna VILA ESPUNA, “la Caixa” Foundation, Spain
Oliver HAHN, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und prüfung, Germany
Daniela IACOPINO, Tyndall National Institute, Ireland
Koen JANSSENS, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Edith JOSEPH, Haute Ecole Arc Conservation Restauration, University of Applied Sciences
and Arts Western Switzerland, Switzerland
Katrien KEUNE, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherland
Hartmut KUTZKE, Norwegian Chemical Society
Jasna MALEŠIC, National and University Library, Slovenia
Maria João MELO, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Portugal
Silvia PRATI, University of Bologna, Italy
Milena REHÁKOVÁ, Slovak University of Technology, Slovakia
Katarína VIZÁROVÁ, Slovak University of Technology, Slovakia
Jana SANYOVÁ, Institut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique (IRPA), Belgium
Tomasz SAWOSZCZUK, Cracow University of Economics, Poland
Domagoj SATOVIC, Academy of Fine Arts, Croatia
Kaj THURESSON, Sweedish National Heritage Board, Sweden
Ljiljana DAMJANOVIC-VASILIC, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Dubravka JEMBRIH-SIMBÜRGER, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria

Organizing Committee
Radko TIŇO, Slovak University of Technology
Milena REHÁKOVÁ, Slovak University of Technology
Katarína VIZÁROVÁ, Slovak University of Technology
Peter BARTA, Slovak National Museum
Nina LALÍKOVÁ, Slovak National Museum
Eduard BELUŠÁK, Slovak National Museum
Katarína KUČÍKOVÁ, Slovak University of Technology
Izabela LUKAČOVIČ VAJOVÁ, Slovak University of Technology
Ida SKOTNICOVÁ, Slovak University of Technology
Soňa MALEČKOVÁ, Slovak University of Technology
Vladimír DVONKA, Slovak University of Technology