The Rebuilding and Advance of the International Union o f Chemistry M A R S T O N T A Y L O R B O G E R T , Columbia U n i v e r s i t y , N e w Y o r k , Ν . Υ .
Questions of uniform nomenclature, standard? > a t o m i c weights, and c o m p i l a t i o n a n d codification of data d e m a n d t h e cooperative efforts o f c h e m i s t s t h e world over. T h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l U n i o n ' s p u r p o s e is t o e n a b l e c h e m i s t s t o work t o g e t h e r t o solve t h e m J7 OLLOWIXG the termination of World War I, and as the sequel to international conferences of chemists in London and Paris, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistr}' (later renamed Inter national Union of Chemistry) was for mally and officially established on July 14, 1919. The nations represented in this or ganization meeting were Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, and the United States. Charles Moureu of France was elected president and Charles L. Parsons, American delegate, vice president. The American delegates who took part in the preliminary international conferences in addition to Dr. Parsons were Drs. Bartow, Cottrell, McDowell, Kirkpatrick, Keyes, Mackall, Norris, Pennie, Riley, Washburn, Wigglesworth, and Zanetti. In so far as the paternity of this union is involved, therefore, American chemists must admit a considerable share of the responsibility, should be more in terested in the growth and development of their offspring, and should maintain toward it a more solicitous attitude. The most important feature of this new organization of chemists besides its inter national aspect, is its continuing charac ter. Unlike the chemical congresses which have been held at irregular intervals as in dependent undertakings, the union is of a permanent nature. The congresses, how ever, are now usually conducted in affilia tion with the conferences of the union and the union determines where and when such congresses shall be held. The congresses utilize their time chiefly in the presenta tion of scientific papers and addresses, in social functions of various kinds, and in excursions to points of special interest. When the congress adjourns it passes out of existence completely and has no con nection whatever with its successor, which must be held in a different country. Its financial support, therefore, must be pro vided wholly by the host country. Any chemist may participate in such a congress on payment of the registration fee (£2). The International Union of Chemistry, on the other hand, is a federation of mem ber nations which contribute annually to its support and maintain a permanent of ficial headquarters or secretariat located a t present in Paris. Its objects are to as sure permanent cooperation between the 1426
chemists of the participating countries, to coordinate their scientific and technical activities, and to contribute to the advance of chemistry in the whole wide sweep of its vast domain. These objects are achieved notably through reunions in con ferences and congresses which provide a clearinghouse and public forum for dis cussion, and by the labors and publica tions of international commissions, com posed of distinguished experts, for the study of problems of international im portance. These reports are distributed throughout the world and accepted as authoritative. The periodic meetings of the union, or conferences, as they are called, usually held every two years, are devoted to routine administration prob lems, questions of policy, the reception and discussion of reports from the inter national commissions, and action on the recommendations which the commissions present. Membership in the union, there fore, is not by individuals but by organiza tions, usually the national chemical so cieties, the national academies of science, or their equivalents. The government of the union is vested in a council composed of delegates from the adhering member organizations. To expedite its business the council operates through an executive committee or bureau, at present composed of 16 council mem bers. In the U. S. the adhering organization is the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of the National Research Council which has sole authority in the selection of delegates to the union confer ences. Prior to World War II, the Na tional Research Council was successful in obtaining from our Government, through the State Department, the S675 required to pay our annual dues to the union. This government assistance we are now endeav oring to have renewed*. At the request of that department, and in support of our appeal for this financial assistance, a bib liography of the publications of the union from its reorganization in 1919 to the out break of World War II, was prepared. Although incomplete, the references cited cover nine single-spaced typewritten pages, and the. publications cited were issued in from one to five languages. The only meetings which the Interna CHEMICAL
tional Congress or the International Union have held in this country have been the following: In 1912, Sept. 4 through 13, the VII Ith International Congress of Pure and Applied Chemistry met in New York and Washington under the patronage of Presi dent Taft, with William II. Nichols. In 1926, Sept. 13 through 15, the Vllth Conference of the International Union of Chemistry met in Washington, under the presidency of Ernst Cohen of Holland, who was murdered later by the Nazie. Since its report in the Oct. 10, 1946, is sue of C&EN (p. 2608), the International Union of Chemistry has rapidly forged ahead and is nonbreaching out in all direc tions, enlisting a n ever-increasing number of chemists in many lands, steadily aug menting its usefulness, and advancing its influence and prestige. Any roster of those at present partici pating in the activities of the union would read much like a page from Who's Who in World Chemistry, for it would include the names of four past presidents of the AMERI CAN' CHEMICAL SOCIETY, Bartow, Bog
ert, Lind, and Marvel; in England, the president of the Royal Society, Sir Robert Robinson; the president of the British National Committee for Chemistry, Sir Ian Heilbron, last year's Perkin Medalist; and the president of the Society of Chemi cal Industry, Leslie Lampitt; in France, the High Commissioner of Atomic Energy, 1 .étléric Joliot, Nobel laureate; and the president of the French Chemical Society, Raymond Delaby; in Switzerland, the president of the Council of Swiss Chemical Societies, Emile Briner; and in Holland, the recent president of the International Council of Scientific Unions, H. R. Kruyt. The union and its affiliated International Congress of Pure and Applied Chemistry will meet in London this summer, July 16 through 24, immediately following the centennial celebrations of the Chemical Society, July 15 through 17. The president of the congress will be the Viscount Leverhulme. At this XlVth conference of t h e union, the various international commissions will report, routine business of all kinds will be transacted, and the new bureau and officers for the quadrennium 1947-51 will be elected. Countries will be chosen as hosts for the X Vth conference of the union in 1949, and for the joint meeting in 1951 of the XVIth conference of t h e union and its X l l t h international congress. In addition to the usual program on such occasions, a joint session is planned for t h e discussion of problems of documentation and abAND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
stracts. T h e question of a closer a filia tion with U N E S C O will be considered. As already mentioned, one of the im portant functions of the international union is the organization and sponsoring of separate international commissions under the presidency of recognized world leaders to study important problems and report their findings to t h e chemical world. At present there are the following: (1) atoms, (2) atomic weights, (3) Inter national Bureau of Physicochemical Standards, (4) physicochemical symbols, (5) physicochemical measurements, (6) annual tables of physical constants, (7) radioactive constants, (8) Weston normal cell, (9) thermochemistry, (10) standardization of the purity of chemical compounds, (11) normalization of labo ratory equipment (glassware, etc.), (12) macromolecular chemistry, (13) ency clopedic chemical compendia, (14) codi fication, ciphering, punched cards, etc., (15) nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, (16) nomenclature of organic chemis try, (17) nomenclature of biochemistry, (18) new analytical reactions and re agents, (19) fats and fatty substances, (20) toxicology of atmospheric contami nation, (21) finances. Where there are similar national com mittees (as in t h e ACS for example), the attitude of the international commission is not to interfere in any way with the autonomy of such groups, but to join with them in avoiding duplication, overlapping, or misunderstanding of any kind, so that where it seems clearly desirable coopera tion shall lead to coordination. A few examples of the recent activities of some of these commissions follows : international
Commission
on
Atoms
In a letter dated Feb. 15, 1947, Editor Crane of Chemical Abstracts wrote the author a s follows: As you know, a number of new elements have been produced in recent years and several new names are coming into use. The names which I have in mind in par ticular are technetium (43), astatine (So), francium (87), neptunium (93), pluto nium (94), americium (95), and curium (96). Some of these elements were given other names after it w a s thought that the}' had been discovered and so there will be some confusion. I refer, for example, t o masu rium (43), illinium (61), alabamine (85), and virginium (S7). Then there i s the question of official symbols. Both F r and Fa have been used for francium, and Fr was used for florentium, another n a m e for clement 61. T o which I might add that even today the element 41 is sometimes known as columbium (Cb) and sometimes as nio bium ( N b ) . T h e problem i s one which concerns our text and reference books, our indexers, and our committees and commissions on no menclature. I t has therefore been re ferred t o our International Commission on Atoms with t h e suggestion t h a t they
VOLUME
2 5, N O . 2 0
» . »
confer with President Kramers of the In ternational Union of Pure and Applied Physics so that, if possible, appropriate resolutions may be presented at the Con ference of the International Union of Chemistry next July in London. From 1936 to 1940, this commission published "International Tables of Stable Isotopes" under the leadership of its former president, t h e late Professor Aston. A n e w issue of these tables is now badly needed. International on Atomic
Commission Weights
This is t h e commission which issued the International Tables of Atomic Weights annually from 1931 t o 1943 under the presidency of Professor Baxter of Harvard University, and I am sure that all chem ists will be pleased to hear that the new (13th) Atomic AVeight Report was com pleted several months ago, and its imme diate publication in t h e United States, England, and France has been officially authorized. Commission on International Bureau of Physicochemical Standards This commission is under t h e presidency of Wojciech Swietoslawski, Warsaw. Its function is to exercise a general overseeing of the work of the International Bureau of Physicochemical Standards, which latter was established many years ago at Brus sels, with Jean Timmermans as director, to prepare and furnish chemical standards of high purity as certified by their physical constants. An interesting problem now under dis cussion between Dr. Needham of U N E S CO and Dr. Timmermans is that involv ing the establishment of international stockrooms of pure chemical compounds, a subject which UNESCO recently discussed in its Report to the Economic and Social Council of U N in connection with the question of international research labora tories and observatories. » MAY
19,
19 4 7
Dr. Timmermans points out that the work of such a center may be conducted •on three different levels, as follows: Level I. T h e center collects pure chemical compounds or products, not ob tainable in commerce, from firms or re search workers willing to"supply them. It establishes a stockroom and card index, and issues samples on request t o bonafide research workers, but does not assume any responsibility for their purity. The nearest approach t o this, so far as the writer is informed, is the National Registry of Rare Chemicals created June 1, 1942, by the Armour Research Founda tion of Chicago. This is now serving the nation without charge as a clearinghouse for information on available sources of uncommon chemicals urgently needed for the satisfactory continuation or comple tion of research projects. As its name in dicates, it is not a chemical stockroom, but a large and highly organized card file of data similar to that supplied some years ago b y the National Research Council's Research Information Service under Ma jor West. Level Π. This is the level on which Timmermans' bureau operates. I t takes the more useful, more frequently requested chemicals of commerce, purifies them, de termines their physical constants, and sells them at a fixed price. Level ΙΠ. This might be termed the "metrological" level, since it involves higher purification than that contem plated in the foregoing, and the use of expensive special apparatus. Dr. Timmermans is of the opinion that, with necessary financial assistance, his bureau can handle Levels I and II, and that Level III is not urgent. So far as international chemical stock rooms are concerned, they should of course be dispersed geographically with a central coordinating headquarters in Brussels or I'lsewhcre, and they need not all necessar ily carry exactly the same lines of goods. Cooperation with such organizations as the Armour Research Foundation should be entirely feasible. Such a chain of chemical stockrooms would be quite analogous to the chain of microbiological type-culture collections which already ex ists. International Encyclopeilic
Commission Chemical
on Compendia
At the recent London meeting of the International Union of Chemistry one of the subjects of discussion was the destruc tion of the source of so many of our great encyclopedic chemical compendia by the annihilation of Germany as a nation and the razing of her cities. Chemists from both the United States and England later visited Europe and reported back to their respective countries on the serious situation there and the urgent need for action to meet it. Our own AMERICAN CHEMICAL* SOCIETY appointed a committee
on foreign compendia, under the able
1427
chairmanship of Henry H. llas> «if I'urdm* University, winch has IMM»H studying tin· problem int need? (A) In what languages should they be published? (5) What system of .classification is to be adopted for the field covered? In the organic field, for example, it is of funda mental importance that there should be an internationally accepted systematic classi fication, grouping, and naming of the millions of organic compounds already known or visualized, and one capable of extension to cover wholly new groups. The rapidly increasing list of compounds containing carbon isotopes, with or with out isotopic forms of other elements, in troduces complications. The question may also arise as to the advisability of printing, alongside» the official names and structural formulas, the internationally accepted code names and formulas. (6) In the case of organic chemistry, if we have already reached the point where an all-inclusive publication like Beilstein must give place to a whole library covering smaller and more restricted fields, each with its own separate editorial board, how is it to he organized and handled and where are the dividing lines to be drawn? (7) If the publication is to be under the sponsorship or control of national govern ments or of their national academies of sciences, how can this be worked out and what business arrangements must be made with the owners of copyrights, pat ents, etc.? (8) T h e International Union of Chem istry would be financially unable to un dertake the preparation and publication of anything like Beilstein, for example, even if it approved the plans proposed, but it might, through the International Council of Scientific Unions and UNESCO, suc ceed in obtaining the requisite funds from the United Nations. (9) The formulation, nomenclature, and numbering adopted for all of these com pendia should, so far as possible, agree with that adopted by the corresponding in ternational commissions on the nomencla ture of chemical compounds. (10) If code formulas and/or numbers are to be used, they also should be subject to international agreement. The same applies to names based upon code formu las, ciphers, notation, indexing, etc. Within recent years numerous attempts have been made to simplify names and
1428
formulas of organic compounds by the in troduction of new systems of codes, etc. Most notable is that worked out by Dr. Dyson. But we have îilso those of Wiselogle, used for over 15,000 compounds in the Survey of Antimalarial Drugs, of D. K. II. Frear of Pen η State, and many others. These efforts to help in classifying and indexing the rapidly accumulating ami overwhelming mass of chemical lit erature all occupy a middle ground be tween Kichter's **Lexicon" and beilstein— that is, between the simplest classification based on the number of atoms «if each ele ment, on the one hand, :iiul the complete structural graphie formulas, on t h e other. (11) If perforated cards and mechanical sorting are to be introduced, the coding and classification system should likewise be agreed upon internationally, and the availability of the necessary machines assured. It is thus obvious that the problems involved are not only extensive and com plicated, but are important to all civilized nations and should he handled b y an in ternational commission under t h e Inter national Union of Chemistry. T h e union, therefore, counts itself most fortunate in that, with the 100
