DECEMBER 18, 1913] 
THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF 
CHEMICAL SOCIETIES. 
ees science of chemistry has some 20,000 
adherents at least. Chemical journals are 
very numerous, and it would be impossible for 
any one man to read current chemical literature, 
were he to read for twenty-four hours a day. The 
investigations of chemists are published, for the 
most part, in transactions of chemical societies, 
and until recently these societies lived apart, 
having merely a bowing acquaintance with one 
another. ‘Union is strength,” and in default of 
union, cooperation lends a strengthening hand. 
Hence a proposal which originated in the winter 
of 1910-11 with Profs. Ostwald and Haller to 
form an association of chemical societies was re- 
garded with favour by the three great chemical 
societies of London, Berlin, and Paris. 
To organise this association, a preliminary 
meeting was held in Paris in April, 1911, at which 
were present three Frenchmen, MM. Béhal, 
Haller, and Hanriot; three Germans, Herren 
Jacobson, Ostwald, and Wichelhaus; and two 
Englishmen, Dr. Percy Frankland and Sir 
William Ramsay, as delegates of the three 
national societies. It was there resolved that all 
chemical societies should have the right to demand 
admission to the association, provided their pro- 
ceedings were published in a journal; and also 
that each country should be represented by only 
one society. 
At this meeting, too, questions in regard to 
which the association might do useful work were 
indicated. Among these are: Nomenclature and 
classification of chemical compounds; atomic 
weights; the unification of the notation of physi- 
eal constants; the editing of indices and sum- 
maries of chemical work; consideration of the 
possibility of utilising a universal language; uni- 
fication of the size of pages of chemical literature; 
means to be taken to prevent the re-publication of 
papers in different journals; and publication of a 
complete record of chemistry. Statutes were also 
drawn up; the object of the association is defined 
as ‘‘forming a link between the chemical societies 
of the world, which shall deal with questions of 
general and international importance for chem- 
istry.’’ The constitution of the council is also 
defined in the statutes; there shall be a president, 
a vice-president, and a secretary, chosen from’ the 
same nation, who shall be an acting committee 
for the period of one year. 
During this preliminary meeting, the chair was 
occupied by each delegate in succession; but Prof. 
Ostwald was elected president for the meeting in 
tg12, Prof. Wichelhaus, vice-president, and Prof. 
Jacobson secretary. 
In April, 1912, the first statutory meeting was 
held in Berlin. The Swiss Chemical Society had 
joined in the meantime, and was represented by 
MM. Fichter, Guye, and Werner; the American 
‘Chemical Society, by Prof. W. A. Noyes; and the 
Russian Chemical Society, by MM. Kurnakow, 
Tschugaeff, and Walden; while M. Marie repre- 
sented the Société de Chimie-physique of Paris; ! 
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‘Hr. Auerbach, the Bunsen-Gesellschaft; Prof. 
Cohen the Netherland Chemical Union; Hr. Gold- 
schmidt, the Norwegian; and Hr. Biilmann, the 
Danish Chemical Society. The Italian societies, 
although they had applied and been received as 
members of the association, were unrepresented 
on this occasion. 
At the first meeting in Berlin, Great Britain was 
chosen as the next place of meeting; and Sir 
William Ramsay was chosen to be president, Prof. 
Frankland vice-president, and Prof. Crossley was 
subsequently appointed secretary. 
During the meeting the projects suggested were 
further discussed, and committees were appointed 
to consider and report on nomenclature, on ab- 
breviated titles for chemical journals, on the size 
of pages of journals, and on means to overcome 
the difficulties caused by a multiplicity of lan- 
guages. It was also announced that the chemical 
societies of Madrid and of Tokyo, and the Union 
of Austrian Chemists had applied for admission 
to the Association. It was arranged that the 
meeting in 1913 should take place in England in 
August or September, so as to suit the conveni- 
ence of American chemists. 
This resolve, however, was changed, for the 
following reason. M. Ernest Solvay, the great 
Belgian chemical manufacturer, declared his in- 
tention of assisting this international movement 
by a large donation. Hitherto, the expenses had 
been defrayed by the participating societies. But 
M. Solvay informed the officers that he wished to 
place unreservedly at the disposal of the associa- 
tion a sum of 250,000 francs, and that he desired 
also to set apart a sum of 1,000,000 francs, under 
such conditions that the capital would be ex- 
hausted in twenty-nine years. He ear-marked 
one-third of the interest of this sum to be devoted 
to scholarships for Belgian students, while the 
remaining two-thirds were to be placed at the 
disposal of the association. This fund is to be 
administered by a commission, consisting so far 
as the scholarships are concerned, of M. Solvay 
himself, or his nominee; of a member nominated 
by H.M. the King of the Belgians; and lastly, by 
a member nominated by the University of Brus- 
sels. These members, together with three repre- 
sentatives of the council of the association, viz., 
MM. Haller and Ostwald, and Sir W. Ramsay, 
are directors of an “International Institute of 
Chemistry.”” M. Solvay also signified his inten- 
tion to provide the association with a secretariat 
at Brussels, which should serve as a permanent 
abode. 
It was therefore thought advisable to abandon 
the intention of meeting in England, and to hold 
the meeting for 1913 in Brussels, so as to have 
an opportunity of thanking Monsieur Solvay for 
his generous gift. A further reason for meeting 
in Brussels lay in the fact that the days appointed 
coincided with the date of M. Solvay’s golden 
wedding, as well as the fiftieth anniversary of the 
foundation of the industry which bears his name. 
The date was accordingly September 19 to 23. 
At this meeting the Chemical Society of Bel- 
gium was represented; there were present besides 
