ACS ACS History and Founding 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In what year was the American Chemical Society founded?
- 1847
- 1876 (Correct answer)
- 1890
- 1902
Correct answer: 1876
ACS was founded in 1876 in New York City, making it one of the world's oldest and largest scientific professional societies.
Question 2: Where was the American Chemical Society founded?
- Washington, DC
- Philadelphia, PA
- New York City, NY (Correct answer)
- Boston, MA
Correct answer: New York City, NY
ACS was founded at New York University in New York City on April 6, 1876, by 35 chemists.
Question 3: Who was the first president of the American Chemical Society?
- Charles F. Chandler (Correct answer)
- Ira Remsen
- Joseph Priestley
- Benjamin Silliman
Correct answer: Charles F. Chandler
Charles F. Chandler, a Columbia University chemistry professor, served as ACS's first president from 1876 to 1877.
Question 4: What event marked ACS's incorporation at the federal level in 1937?
- ACS received a congressional charter, making it federally incorporated (Correct answer)
- ACS merged with the American Institute of Chemists
- ACS moved its headquarters to Washington, DC
- ACS launched its first peer-reviewed journal
Correct answer: ACS received a congressional charter, making it federally incorporated
Congress granted ACS a federal charter in 1937, formally recognizing it as the authoritative scientific body for chemistry in the United States.
Question 5: What was the original name or common identity of the first chemistry journal ACS was associated with?
- The American Chemist
- Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) (Correct answer)
- Chemical Abstracts
- American Journal of Chemistry
Correct answer: Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS)
JACS was established in 1879, just three years after ACS's founding, and remains one of the world's most prestigious chemistry journals.
Question 6: What was the primary motivation for founding the ACS in 1876?
- To regulate chemical manufacturing in the US
- To create a professional society promoting chemistry, providing a forum for chemists, and advancing the science (Correct answer)
- To publish a competing journal to challenge European chemistry dominance
- To establish a certification exam for professional chemists
Correct answer: To create a professional society promoting chemistry, providing a forum for chemists, and advancing the science
ACS was founded to provide American chemists with a professional home, peer networking, scientific exchange, and advancement of chemistry as a discipline.
In what year was the American Chemical Society founded?