Volume 42, Issue 1

By the time you read this column, 2019 will have ended, and with it the important celebrations of IUPAC’s centenary and the International Year of the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements (IYPT). Both of these have focused on the dissemination of knowledge, creating educational opportunities and information exchange as central ideas for IUPAC, as well as on the history of IUPAC since 1919 and the development of the periodic table. However, an ending is also a beginning; a forward-looking perspective behind the worldwide New Year 2020 celebrations at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Remember the achievements in order not to forget, to move forward and build on them.

Sports, one of the symbols of the global human culture and a unit of peaceful society, excite both competitors and audiences. During the game and even practice, athletes concentrate to choose not only a comfortable design but also high-performing materials of their shoes, rackets, uniforms, etc. Under the high demand of athletes, sports materials are evolving with the support of new chemical reactions and coordination chemistry. Here, we exhibit the role of elements in sports. The International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT) will bring chemistry into the future as The Olympic & Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

As we get close to the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place next summer in Tokyo, Japan, athletes are preparing for selection by their host nation. This preparation, like most activities, is governed by the rules of sport. One of the most important rules relates to doping, a practice that is prohibited.

In 1999, James Bull was invited to become editor for the scientific journal of IUPAC, Pure and Applied Chemistry (PAC) and specifically for Special Topics , a series originally conceived as a way of promoting IUPAC engagement with topics of social relevance. As editor of the series and later of PAC , James Bull worked to raise the level of awareness of the issues and in turn draw attention to the work of the Union. In the course of my own research on the history of IUPAC, I, Danielle Fauque, was intrigued by the series, which was published between 1996 and 2012 [1]. It became the subject of several lengthy electronic exchanges with James Bull. The interest of the exchanges was so evident that a publication in CI seemed appropriate.

The International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN) began as a task force at the 2015 ACS National Meeting in Boston between a group of young chemists from the USA, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe. The ultimate goal was to create a unified international network for younger chemists to connect and share ideas. Successful efforts led to the official launch of IYCN as an associated organization of IUPAC at the 46th World Chemistry Congress (IUPAC2017) held in Brazil.

For 100 years, IUPAC has supported chemists worldwide in all facets of their craft: industrial development, academic research, teaching, and many more. Mindful of nurturing its future leaders, since 2020 the Union ensured the attendance of the younger generation of chemists at the General Assembly and Congress in part through their “Young Observers” program [1]. It provides an opportunity for scientists below 40 to acquaint themselves with the work of the Divisions and Committees. The IUPAC Congress, which attracts several thousand attendees every two years, was not finely tuned to the expectations and contributions of the rising generation of chemists. However, the paradigm has begun to change. For the 47 th Congress organized in Paris, France, 5-12 July 2019, the scientific executive committee, chaired by Clément Sanchez, enthusiastically received the proposal from a team of young chemists to build a “Young Chemists Symposium”, organized by younger chemists for the benefit of all the attendees.

On February 12, 2019, women chemists from over 50 different countries shared breakfast. They were taking part in the international networking event Empowering Women in Chemistry, an activity to celebrate the centenary of IUPAC. Women have made enormous contributions to the advancement of chemistry over the last 100 years, including as winners of Nobel prizes and many other major international awards, but they rarely take time to celebrate these achievements.

The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, is pleased to announce the decision of the OPCW-The Hague Award Committee to honour Robert Mikulak (US); Cheng Tang (China); and IUPAC as joint recipients of the 2019 OPCW–The Hague Award.

The IUPAC-SOLVAY International Award for Young Chemists is intended to encourage outstanding young research scientists at the beginning of their careers. The awards are given for the most outstanding Ph.D. theses in the general area of the chemical sciences, as described in a 1000-word essay. The award is generously sponsored by Solvay.

IUPAC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). Signed on 17 October 2019 at the BIPM during the meeting of the National Metrology Institutes (NMI) Directors, the MoU formalizes the long-standing cooperation between the BIPM and IUPAC.

The prize is meant to honor an original work in chemistry of benefit to mankind, society or nature. The Grand Prix will be awarded for the seventeenth time in 2020, to one or several persons, irrespective of nationality, and does carry a monetary award of 35,000 Euros.

Bestowed in partnership with IUPAC, DSM invites nominations for the DSM Bright Science Award 2020 in materials sciences which is accompanied by a cash prize of €25 000. This prestigious award has been established to recognize and reward experienced scientists, in the midst of their career, who have already made an indelible, positive impact on our global society and on the advancement of science in their respective field of research—and who we would like to stimulate to continue doing so by recognizing and rewarding their talent and achievements.

The United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.

Provisional Recommendations are preliminary drafts of IUPAC recommendations.  These drafts encompass topics including terminology, nomenclature, and symbols.  Following approval, the final recommendations are published in IUPAC’s journal Pure and Applied Chemistry (PAC) or in IUPAC books. During the commentary period for Provisional Recommendations, interested parties are encouraged to suggest revisions to the recommendation’s author.