Volume 40, Issue 1

At the beginning of a new biennium, the first thing is always to have a look at what we have accomplished, where we are, and to think about what to do next. I thank the volunteers and the staff of the Union for their excellent work over the last two years. Highlights include the naming of four new elements, progress on the revision of IUPAC’s “color books,” the release of several IUPAC Recommendations, the granting of many awards, the establishment of the Interdivisional Committee on Green Chemistry for Sustainable Development, and strengthened cooperation with other international organizations, including the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the International Younger Chemists Network.

The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an annual competition for the world’s most talented chemistry students at the secondary school level. The goals for IChO are to promote international contacts in chemistry, friendships between young scientists of different nationalities, and the exchange of pedagogical and scientific experience in chemistry. The first Olympiad took place in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1968, with delegations from three countries. The number of participating countries has grown ever since. Thailand first participated in the 22 nd International Chemistry Olympiad, held in Paris, France, in 1990. Then, in 1999, Thailand received the great honor to host the 31 st International Chemistry Olympiad. Held in Bangkok, the 31 st IChO welcomed 196 students from 51 countries. In 2017, as part of the celebrations for Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol’s 60 th birthday, Thailand hosted the 49 th International Chemistry Olympiad welcoming this time nearly 300 students from from 76 countries. The auspicious event was held 6-15 July 2017 at Mahidol University’s Salaya Campus in Nakhon Pathom.

Australia’s professional chemical society, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, is celebrating its centenary in 2017. It is therefore timely to review the involvement of Australian chemistry with IUPAC and its predecessors.

In 2017, the German Chemical Society ( Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker , GDCh) celebrated the 150th anniversary of the creation the older of its two predecessor organizations, the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft .

These words were spoken by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, in her address to the PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Award-Giving Ceremony in St Petersburg, 2 June 2017 [1].

At a historic joint meeting, on 26 Oct 2017, members of two leading international science councils voted to merge, launching a process that will see the formation of a single global entity called the International Science Council that unites the scientific community, including all social and natural sciences.

The IUPAC-ThalesNano Prize was been established in 2011. The 2016 recipient was Professor Volker Hessel of the Technical University Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The IUPAC-ThalesNano Prize will be awarded again in 2018. The award shall be presented at the 15th International Conference on Micro Reaction Technology [IMRET] in Karlsruhe, Germany, 21-24 October 2018.  A contribution to travel expenses will be provided.