International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

IUPAC logo

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), Template:Pron-en) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations that represents chemists in individual countries. It 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. It is the recognized world authority in developing standards for the naming of the chemical elements and their compounds, through its Inter-divisional Committee on Nomenclature and Symbols (IUPAC nomenclature). It is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

Since its creation, IUPAC has been run by many different committees with different responsibilities. These commities all run different projects which include standardizing nomenclature, finding ways to bring chemistry to the world , and publishing works.

Creation

Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz

The need for an international standard for chemistry was first addressed in 1860 by a committee headed by German scientist Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz. This committee was the first international conference to create an international naming system for organic compounds. The ideas that were formulated in that conference evolved into the official IUPAC nomenclature of organic chemistry. This meeting was the very beginning of what eventually became IUPAC. Historically, this committee was one of the most important international collaborations of chemistry societies because it left a legacy that became IUPAC.

The ideas of committee of 1860 were further addressed by the first international proposal. The rules established by this proposal are known as the Geneva Rules. The Geneva Rules first officially standardized some Organic Chemistry names and rules. The largest contribution that the Geneva Rules made to Organic Chemistry is the establishment of Organic root names. The conference in Geneva was held by a precursor to IUPAC called The International Union of Chemistry.

The work from the first international proposal was continued by the Commission for the Reform of Nomenclature in Organic Chemistry. The Commission for the Reform of Nomenclature was headed by The International Union of Chemistry. The International Union of Chemistry continued to work on the naming of Organic compounds until the advent of World War I, due to international strife.

After World war one, discussion ensued about the formation of a new permanent international chemistry society. At this time, the basic nomenclature of Organic compounds was established. However, a new organization needed to be established in order to continue work on the standardizing of chemistry. This prompted the creation of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Since this time, IUPAC has been the official organization held with the responsibility of updating and maintaining official organic nomenclature. One notable country excluded from the early IUPAC was Germany. Germany's exclusion was a result of prejudice towards Germans by the allied powers after World War I Germany was finally admitted into IUPAC during 1929. However, Nazi Germany was removed from IUPAC during World War II

During World War II, IUPAC by the allied powers IUPAC had little involvement during the war. However, after the war, Germany was allowed back into IUPAC.

Committees and Governance

IUPAC is governed by several committees that all have different responsibilities. The committees are as follows: Bureau, CHEMRAWN (Chem Research Applied to World Needs) Committee,Committee on Chemistry Education, Committee on Chemistry and Industry, Committee on Printed and Electronic Publications, Evaluation Committee, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Interdivisional Committee on Terminology, Nomenclature and Symbols, Project Committee, Pure and Applied Chemistry Editorial Advisory Board. Each committee is made from members of different National Adhering Organizations from different countries.

The steering committee hierarchy for IUPAC is as follows:

1. All committees have an allotted budget that they must adhere to
2. Any committee may start a project.
3. If a project's spending becomes too much for a committee to continue funding, it must take the issue to the Project Committee.
4. The project committee either increases the budget or decides on an external funding plan.
5. The Bureau and Executive Committee oversee operations of the other committees

Each committee has their own group of responsibilities that are related to the field of chemistry. Each group's names and responsibilities are listed in the table below:

Committees Table

Committee name (abbreviation)	Responsibilities
Bureau	Discusses and makes changes to which committee has authority over a specific project Controls finances for all other committees and IUPAC as a whole Discusses gerneral governance of IUPAC
CHEMRAWN Committee (Chem Research Applied to World Needs)	Discusses different ways chemistry can and should be used to help the world
Committee on Chemistry Education (CCE)	Coordinates IUPAC chemistry research with the educational systems of the world
Committee on Chemistry and Industry (COCI)	Coordinates IUPAC chemistry research with industrial chemistry needs
Committee on Electronic and Printed Publications (CPEP)	Designs and implements IUPAC publications Heads the Subcommittee on Spectroscopic Data Standards
Evaluation Committee (EvC)	Evaluates every project Reports back to Executive committee on every project
Executive Committee (EC)	Plans and discusses IUPAC events Discusses IUPAC fundraising Reviews other committees work Current Officers of Executive Committee: President: Moreau, Nicole J. Vice President: Tatsumi, Kazuyuki Treasurer: Corish, John Secretary General: Black, David StC.
Finance Committee (FC)	Helps other committees properly manage their budget Advises Union officers on investments
Interdivisional Committee on Terminology (ICTNS)	Manages IUPAC Nomenclature Works through many projects to standardize nomenclature Standardizes measurements Discusses atomic weight standardization
Project Committee (PC)	Manages funds that are under the jurisdiction of multiple projects Judges if a project is too large for its funding Recommends sources of external funding for projects Decides how to fund meetings in developing countries and countries in crisis
Pure and Applied Chemistry Editorial Advisory Board (PAC-EAB	Helps to plan, implement, and publish Pure and Applied Chemistry

Nomenclature

The IUPAC committee has a long history of officially naming organic and inorganic compounds. IUPAC nomenclature is developed so that any compound can be named under one set of standard rules to avoid repeat names. The first publication, which is information from the International Congress of Applied Chemistry, is on IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds can be found from the early 20th century in A Guide to IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Compounds (1900).

Organic Nomenclature

IUPAC organic nomenclature has three basic parts: the substituents, carbon chain length and chemical ending. The substituents are any functional groups attached to the main carbon chain. The main carbon chain is the longest possible continuous chain. The chemical ending denotes what type of molecule it is. For example, the ending ane denotes a single bonded carbon chain.

An example of IUPAC organic nomenclature is Cyclohexanol:

Cyclohexanol

• The substituent name for a ring compound is "Cyclo".
• The indication (substituent name) for a six carbon chain is "hex".
• The chemical ending for a single bonded carbon chain is "an"
• The chemical ending for an alcohol is "ol"
• The two chemical endings are combined for an ending of "anol" indicating a single bonded carbon chain with an alcohol attached to it.

Inorganic Nomenclature

Basic IUPAC inorganic nomenclature has two main parts: the cation and the anion. The cation is the name for the positively charged ion and the anion is the name for the negatively charged ion.

An example of IUPAC inorganic nomenclature is Potassium chlorate:

Potassium chlorate

• Potassium is the cation name.
• Chlorate is the anion name.

Amino Acid and Nucleotide Base Codes

IUPAC also has a system for giving codes to identify Amino Acids and Nucleotide Bases. IUPAC needed a coding system that represented long sequences of Amino Acids. This would allow for these sequences to be compared to try to find homologies. These codes can consist of either a one letter code or a three letter code. For example:

• Alanine: Single letter code: A, Three letter code: Ala

These codes make it easier and shorter to write down the Amino Acid sequences that make up proteins. The Nucleotide Bases are made up of purines (Adenine and Guanine) and pyrimidines (Cytosine and Thymine). These Nucleotide Bases make up DNA and RNA. These Nucleotide Base codes make the genome of an organism much smaller and easier to read.

Publications

Non-series Books

Book Name	Description
Principles and Practice of Method Validation	File:Methodvalidationsbookcover.jpg Cover of Principles and Practice of Method Validation Principles and Practices of Method Validation is a book entailing methods on validating and analyzing a many analytes taken from a single aliquot. Also, this book goes over techniques for analyzing many samples at once. Some methods discussed include: chromatographic methods, estimation of effects, matrix induced effects, and the effect of an equipment setup on an experiment.
Fundamental Toxicology	File:Fundamental toxicology.gif Cover of Fundamental Toxicology Fundamental Toxicology is a textbook that proposes a curriculum for toxicology courses.Fundamental Toxicology is based on the book Fundamental Toxicology for Chemists. Fundamental Toxicology is enhanced through many revisions and updates. New information added in the revisions includes: risk assessment and management; reproductive toxicology; behavioral toxicology; and ecotoxicology. This book is relatively well received as being useful for reviewing chemical toxicology.
Macromolecular Symposia	File:Macromolecular Symposia.jpg Cover of Macromolecular Symposia Macromolecular Symposia is a journal that publishes fourteen issues a year. This journal includes contributions to the macromolecular chemistry and physics field. The meetings of the IUPAC are included in this journal along with the European Polymer Federation, the American Chemistry Society, and the Society of Polymer Science in Japan.

Experimental Thermodynamics Book Series

The Experimental Thermodynamics books series covers many topics in the fields of thermodynamics.

Book	Description
Measurement of the Transport Properties of Fluids	File:Measurement of the Transport Properties of Fluids.jpg Cover of Measurement of the Transport Properties of Fluids Measurement of the Transport Properties of Fluids is a book that is published by Blackwell Science INC. The topics that are included in this book are low and high temperature measurements, secondary coefficients, diffusion coefficients, light scattering, transient methods for thermal conductivity, methods for thermal conductivity, falling-body viscometers, and vibrating viscometers.
Solution Calorimetry	File:Solution Calorimetry.jpg Cover of Solution Calorimetry Solution Calorimetry is a book that gives background information on thermal analysis and calorimetry. Thermoanalytical and calorimetric techniques along with thermodynamic and kinetic properties are discussed in this book. Later volumes of this book discusses the applications and principles of thes thermodynamic and kinetic methods.
Equations of State for Fluids and Fluid Mixtures Part I	File:Equations of State for Fluids and Fluid Mixtures Part I.jpg Cover of Equations of State for Fluids and Fluid Mixtures Part I Equations of State for Fluids and Fluid Mixtures Part I is a book that gives up to date equations of state for fluids and fluid mixtures. This book covers all ways to develop equations of state. It gives the strengths and weaknesses of each equation. Some equations discussed include: virial equation of state cubic equations; generalized van der Waals Equations; integral equations; perturbation theory; and stating and mixing rules. Other things that Equations of State for Fluids and Fluid Mixtures Part I goes over are: associating fluids, polymer systems, polydisperse fluids, self-assembled systems, ionic fluids, and fluids near their critical points.
Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Single Phases	File:Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Single Phases.jpg Cover of Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Single Phases Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Single Phases is a book that gives an overview of techniques for measuring the thermodynamic quantities of single phases. It also goes into experimental techniques to test many different thermodynamic states precisely and accurately. Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Single Phases was written for people interested in measuring thermodynamic properties.
Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Multiple Phases	File:Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Multiple Phases.gif Cover of Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Multiple Phases Measurement of the Thermodynamic Properties of Multiple Phases is a book that includes multiple techniques that are used to study multiple phases of pure component systems. Also included in this book are the measurement techniques to obtain activity coefficients, interfacial tension, and critical parameters. This book was written for researchers and graduate students as a reference source.

Series of Books on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental Systems

Book Name	Description
Atmospheric Particles	File:Atmospheric particles book cover.jpg Cover of Atmospheric Particles Atmospheric Particles is a book that delves into the field of aerosol science. This book is aimed as a reference for graduate students and atmospheric researchers. Atmospheric Particles goes in depth on the properties of aerosols in the atmosphere and their effect. Topics covered in this book are: acid rain; heavy metal pollution; global warming; and photochemical smog. Atmospheric Particles also covers techniques to analyze the atmosphere and ways to take atmospheric samples.
Environmental Colloids and Particles: Behaviour, Separation and Characterisation	File:Colloids.jpg Cover of Environmental Colloids and Particles: Behaviour, Separation and Characterisation Environmental Colloids and Particles: Behaviour, Separation and Characterisation is a book that discusses environmental colloids and current information available on them. This book focuses on environmental colloids and particles in aquatic systems and soils. It also goes over techniques such as: techniques for sampling environmental colloids, size fractionation, and how to characterize of colloids and particles. Environmental Colloids and Particles: Behaviour, Separation and Characterisation also delves into how these colloids and particles interact.
Biophysical Chemistry of Fractal Structures and Processes in Environmental Systems	File:Biophysical fractal structures book.jpg Cover of Biophysical Chemistry of Fractal Structures and Processes in Environmental Systems Biophysical Chemistry of Fractal Structures and Processes in Environmental Systems is meant to give an overview of a technique based on fractal geometry and the processes of environmental systems. This book gives ideas on how to use fractal geometry to compare and contrast different ecosystems. It also gives an overview of the knowledge needed to solve environmental problems. Finally, Biophysical Chemistry of Fractal Structures and Processes in Environmental Systems shows how to use the fractal approach to understand the reactivity of flocs, sediments, soils, microorganisms and humic substances.
Interactions Between Soil Particles and Microorganisms: Impact on the Terrestrial Ecosystem	File:Interactions-between-soil-particles-and-microorganisms-impact-on-the-terrestrial-ecosystem.jpg Cover of Interactions between Soil Particles and Microorganisms: Impact on the Terrestrial Ecosystem Interactions Between Soil Particles and Microorganisms: Impact on the Terrestrial Ecosystem is meant to be read by chemists and biologists that study environmental systems. Also, this book should be used as a reference for earth scientists, environmental geologists, environmental engineers, and professionals in microbiology and ecology. Interactions Between Soil Particles and Microorganisms: Impact on the Terrestrial Ecosystem is about how minerals, microorganisms, and organic components work together to affect terrestrial systems. This book identifies that there are many different techniques and theories about minerals, microorganisms, and organic components individually, but they aren't often associated with each other. It further goes on to discuss how these components of soil work together to affect terrestrial life. Interactions Between Soil Particles and Microorganisms: Impact on the Terrestrial Ecosystem gives techniques to analyze minerals, microorganisms, and organic components together. This book also gives a large sections on why environmental scientists working in the specific fields of minerals, microorganisms, and organic components of soil should work together and how they should do so.
The Biogeochemistry of Iron in Seawater	File:Biogeochemistry of iron in seawater.jpg Cover of Biogeochemistry of Iron in Seawater The Biogeochemistry of Iron in Seawater is a book that describes how low concentrations of iron in Antarctica and the Pacific Oceans are a result of reduced chlorophyll for phytoplankton production. It does this by reviewing information from research in the 1990s. This book goes in depth about: chemical speciation; analytical techniques; transformation of iron; how iron limits the development of High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll areas in the pacific ocean
In Situ Monitoring of Aquatic Systems: Chemical Analysis and Speciation	File:In situ monitoring of aquatic systems.jpg Cover of In Situ Monitoring of Aquatic Systems: Chemical Analysis and Speciation In Situ Monitoring of Aquatic Systems: Chemical Analysis and Speciation is a book that discusses techniques and devices to monitor aquatic systems and how new devices and techniques can be developed. This book emphasizes the future us of micro-analytical monitoring techniques and microtechnology. In Situ Monitoring of Aquatic Systems: Chemical Analysis and Speciation is aimed at researchers and laboratories that analyze aquatic systems such as rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Structure and Surface Reactions of Soil Particles	File:Structure and surface reactions of soil particles book cover.jpg Cover of Structure and Surface Reactions of Soil Particles Structure and Surface Reactions of Soil Particles is a book about soil structures and the molecular processes that occur in soil. Structure and Surface Reactions of Soil Particles is aimed at any researcher researching soil or someone in the field ofanthropology. It goes in depth on topics such as: fractal analysis of particle dimensions; computer modeling of the structure; reactivity of humics; applications of atomic force microscopy; and advanced instrumentation for analysis of soil particles.
Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems, Series on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental Systems Vol. 3	File:Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems, Series on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental Systems Vol. 3.jpg Cover of Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems, Series on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental Systems Vol. 3 Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems, Series on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental Systems Vol. 3 is a book about the effect of trace metals on aquatic life. This book is seen as a specialty book for researchers interested in observing the effect of trace metals in the water supply. This book includes techniques to assess how bioassays can be used to evaluate how an organism is affected by trace metals. Also, Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems, Series on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental Systems Vol. 3 looks at the limitations of the use of bioassays to observe the effects of trace metals on organisms
Physicochemical Kinetics and Transport at Biointerfaces	File:Physicochemical kinetics book cover.jpg Cover of Physicochemical Kinetics and Transport at Biointerfaces Physicochemical Kinetics and Transport at Biointerfaces is a book created to aid environmental scientists in field work. The book gives an overview of chemical mechanisms, transport, kinetics, and interactions that occur in environmental systems. Physicochemical Kinetics and Transport at Biointerfaces continues from where Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems leaves off.

Colored Cover Book and Website Series (nomenclature)

IUPAC color codes their books in order to make each book distinguishable. Books that follow this trend are: Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature; Pure and Applied Chemistry(journal); and Compendium of Chemical Terminology.

Book Name	Description
Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature	Cover of the Orange Book One extensive book on almost all nomenclature written (IUPAC nomenclature of organic chemistry and IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry) by the IUPAC committee is Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature - The Orange Book, 1st edition (1978) This book has been through a revision that allowed a second edition to be published in 1987. The second edition has many revisions that come from reports on nomenclature between 1976 and 1984. In 1992, the second edition went through many different revisions which led to the third edition.
Pure and Applied Chemistry	File:Pure Appl. Chem. cover.jpg Cover of Pure and Applied Chemistry Pure and Applied Chemistry is the official monthly journal of IUPAC. This journal first debuted in 1960. The goal statement for Pure and Applied Chemistry is to "publish highly topical and credible works at the forefront of all aspects of pure and applied chemistry." The Journal itself is available by subscription, but older issues are available in the archive on the IUPAC website. Pure and Applied Chemistry was created as a central way to publish IUPAC endorsed articles. Before its creation, IUPAC didn't have a quick, official way to distribute new chemistry information. Its creation was first suggested at The Paris IUPAC Meeting of 1957. During this meeting the commercial publisher of the Journal was discussed and decided on. In 1959, the IUPAC Pure and Applied Chemistry Editorial Advisory Board was created put in charge of the journal. The idea of one journal being a definitive place for a vast amount of chemistry was difficult for the committee to grasp at first. However, it was decided that the journal would reprint old journal editions to keep all chemistry knowledge available.
Compendium of Chemical Terminology	Cover of Compendium of Chemical Terminology The Compendium of Chemical Terminology, also known as The Gold Book, was originally worked on by Victor Gold. This book is a collection of names and terms already discussed in Pure and Applied Chemistry. Compendium of Chemical Terminology was first published in 1987. The first edition of this book contains no original material, but is meant to be a compilation of other IUPAC works. The second edition of this book was published in 1997. This book made large changes to the first edition of The Compendium of Chemical Terminology. These changes included updated material and an expansion of the book to include over seven thousand terms. The second edition was the topic of an IUPAC XML project. This project made an XML version of the book that includes over seven thousand terms. The XML version of the book includes an open editing policy, which allows users to add excerpts of the written version.
IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (Online Publication)	IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (publication), also known as The Blue Book, is a website published by Advanced Chemistry Department Incorporated with the permission of IUPAC. This site is a compilation of the books A Guide to IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Compounds and Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry.

International Year of Chemistry

IUPAC and UNESCO are the lead organizations coordinating events for the International Year of Chemistry, which will take place in 2011. The International Year of Chemistry was originally proposed by IUPAC at the General Assembly in Turin, Italy. This motion was adopted by UNESCO at a meeting in 2008. The main objectives of the International Year of Chemistry is to increase public appreciation of chemistry and gain more interest in the world of chemistry. This event is also being held to encourage young people to get involved and contribute to chemistry. Another reason this even is being held is to honor how chemistry has made improvements to everyone's way of life.

Current Projects

IUPAC Current project list

• Project Number 2009-032-1-100: Categorizing Halogen Bonding and Other Noncovalent Interactions Involving Halogen Atoms
  • The objective of this project is to give a modern definition to the term halogen bonding and to examine and classify halogens as electrophilic species and their intermolecular interactions.
• Project Number 2009-048-1-600: Guidance for substance-related environmental monitoring strategies regarding soil and surface water
  • The objective of this project is to identify new pollutants and their hazards and to monitor less investigated pollutants. Also, this project will provide strategies for how pollutants should be monitored. The advantages and disadvantages of each monitoring technique will be discussed.
• Project Number 2009-034-2-700: Risk Assessment of Effects of Cadmium on Human Health
  • The objective of this project is to identify the risks and effects of exposure of humans to Cadmium, which is classified as a carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Also, the objective includes researching how Cadmium enters into the human body.
• Project Number 2009-019-2-400: Data Treatment in SEC and Other Techniques of Polymer Characterization. Correction for Band Broadening and Other Sources of Error
  • The objective of this project is to provide practical alternatives for improving the accuracy of polymer characterization and measurements. This would allow manufacturers of equipment, such as Size Exclusive Chromatography (SEC) and other polymer characterization techniques, to sell a product that is more accurate and precise.

See also

• CAS registry number
• Element naming controversy
• International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB)
• International Chemical Identifier (InChI)
• Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry nomenclature
• European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences

External links

• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
• "Recommendations for nomenclature and tables in biochemical thermodynamics G. P. Moss, 1994"