Electronic Visualisation in Chemistry: From Alchemy to Art

TL;DR

This paper explores the evolution of chemical visualization software from scientific tools to artistic mediums, highlighting their development, aesthetic appeal, and role in bridging chemistry, art, and information technology.

Contribution

It provides a historical overview and analysis of how chemical visualization software has advanced and been adopted as a form of visual art and cultural expression.

Findings

Chemical visualizations are used in academic and artistic contexts.

Software like UCSF Chimera enables sophisticated molecular imagery.

Chemical images have gained recognition as artistic motifs.

Abstract

Chemists now routinely use software as part of their work. For example, virtual chemistry allows chemical reactions to be simulated. In particular, a selection of software is available for the visualisation of complex 3-dimensional molecular structures. Many of these are very beautiful in their own right. As well as being included as illustrations in academic papers, such visualisations are often used on the covers of chemistry journals as artistically decorative and attractive motifs. Chemical images have also been used as the basis of artworks in exhibitions. This paper explores the development of the relationship of chemistry, art, and IT. It covers some of the increasingly sophisticated software used to generate these projections (e.g., UCSF Chimera) and their progressive use as a visual art form.