International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
AbbreviationIUPAC
Formation1919; 105 years ago (1919)
TypeInternational non-governmental organization, standards organization
HeadquartersResearch Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
International Science Council
Official language
English
President
Israel Ehud Keinan[1]
Vice President
Australia Mary Garson[1]
Secretary General
Canada Zoltan Mester[1]
Websiteiupac.org Edit this at Wikidata

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC /ˈaɪjuːpæk, ˈjuː-/) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is a member of the International Science Council (ISC).[2] IUPAC is registered in Zürich, Switzerland, and the administrative office, known as the "IUPAC Secretariat", is in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States. IUPAC's executive director heads this administrative office,[3] currently Greta Heydenrych.[4]

IUPAC was established in 1919 as the successor of the International Congress of Applied Chemistry for the advancement of chemistry. Its members, the National Adhering Organizations, can be national chemistry societies, national academies of sciences, or other bodies representing chemists. There are fifty-four National Adhering Organizations and three Associate National Adhering Organizations.[2] IUPAC's Inter-divisional Committee on Nomenclature and Symbols (IUPAC nomenclature) is the recognized world authority in developing standards for naming the chemical elements and compounds. Since its creation, IUPAC has been run by many different committees with different responsibilities.[5] These committees run different projects which include standardizing nomenclature,[6] finding ways to bring chemistry to the world,[7] and publishing works.[8][9][10]

IUPAC is best known for its works standardizing nomenclature in chemistry, but IUPAC has publications in many science fields including chemistry, biology, and physics.[11] Some important work IUPAC has done in these fields includes standardizing nucleotide base sequence code names; publishing books for environmental scientists, chemists, and physicists; and improving education in science.[11][12] IUPAC is also known for standardizing the atomic weights of the elements through one of its oldest standing committees, the Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW).

  1. ^ a b c "Our Leadership". IUPAC. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b "IUPAC National Adhering Organizations". Iupac.org. 2 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  3. ^ "Council Agenda Book" (PDF). IUPAC. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  4. ^ "Secretariat". Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. ^ IUPAC Committees list. Archived 4 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  6. ^ Interdivisional Committee on Terminology web page. Archived 9 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  7. ^ Chemdrawn. Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  8. ^ Pure and Applied Chemistry Editorial Advisory Board web page. Archived 9 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Project Committee web page". Iupac.org. 2 June 2011. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  10. ^ Evaluation Committee page. Archived 9 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  11. ^ a b Fennel, R.W. (1994). History of IUPAC, 1919–1987. Blackwell Science. ISBN 0-86542-878-6.
  12. ^ IYC: Introduction. Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. 9 July 2009. Retrieved on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2010.