The collection includes: (A) Biographical materials relating to Porter's career, honours and awards from 1955 to 1992 including the Nobel Prize in 1967. (B) Research materials including notes, drafts and data, and funding of his research, 1955-1987; a section on the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory detailing its collaboration with the University of London and the Photochemistry Discussion Group meetings at the Royal Institution. (C) Royal Institution documents the Director's involvement in administration, organization, funding and finance, membership and the organization of events including the Christmas Lectures at the RI. Also material on the history of the RI, its library, archives, and developments of the academic study of the history of science at the RI. (D) Lectures, broadcasts and publications relating to his role as a scientific communicator. Includes drafts of lectures, 1955-1988; discourses and Christmas Lectures and research lectures on photochemistry; correspondence on BBC radio programmes and with journal editors in his advisory role; and records of his teaching at Cambridge, Sheffield and through the Open University. (E) Societies, organizations and consultancies, relating to Porter's association with 81 organizations. The Royal Society is well represented. (F) Correspondence arranged alphabetically by correspondent and dating from Porter's time as Director of the RI, correspondence with Soviet Scientists from1970-1987 and Japanese Scientists from 1973-1985. Among the correspondents are Sir Hermann Bondi, Daniel Joseph Bradley, Sir William Lawrence Bragg, Ronald King, and Thomas John Meurig.