The Chemistry Instruments and Apparatus Collection arose from the need to enhance the historical and cultural heritage of chemistry through initiatives to disseminate scientific culture. Following the relocation of the Chemistry Departments of the University of Cagliari from the Palace of Sciences to the new premises of the University Citadel in Monserrato, eight glass-fronted cabinets-which constitute, among other things, a remarkable example of the specialized craftsmanship of the late 1800s-have been placed in the hallways of the Chemistry Departments on the ground floor, storing instruments and glassware in use in the Laboratories of the University of Cagliari in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A display case containing a rare specimen of Deleuil’s Precision Scales was also created. Belonging to the collection are: two vintage reagent bottles, a high-voltage X-ray generator, a DC converter, a historic UV-Visible spectrophotometer, a large electromagnet for the study of magnetic susceptibility, distillers, a collection of scales from the early 1900s, a lathe, an icebox for storing perishables, and many other pieces of equipment. In these spaces the public is allowed to carry out experiments by operating interactively. Worth mentioning are, among others, a large three-dimensional periodic table, a counter on which equipment for steam distillation is mounted, two large illustrated panels that are an inviting guide to a pathway on essential oils and food flavorings, an educational equipment on fuel cells, and a fruit clock. Faithful copies of the originals of the devices invented and developed by Antonio Pacinotti are part of the collection: the two “Rings” and the machine for rotating the Rings; there is also a specimen of the Dynamo built by Pacinotti and now housed, with the Rings, by the Museum of Physics.
