American Chemical Society

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a United States-based nonprofit scientific membership organization dedicated to advancing chemistry and the broader chemical enterprise. Established in 1876, it serves researchers, educators, students, industry professionals, and other practitioners through a combination of scholarly publishing, scientific meetings, educational programming, professional development, public policy work, and community activities. ACS is best known internationally for ACS Publications, one of the largest portfolios of chemistry and related-science journals. Its publishing activities include journals, magazines, books, databases, and other information products covering fields such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, materials science, chemical biology, environmental science, energy, and interdisciplinary research. The organization also operates Chemical & Engineering News, a periodical covering developments in chemistry, the chemical industry, research policy, education, and the professional community. A second major activity is the organization of scientific meetings. ACS national meetings bring together researchers and professionals for technical presentations, poster sessions, networking, exhibitions, and career programming. The society also supports regional sections, local activities, technical divisions, student chapters, and international engagement, giving members opportunities to participate in chemistry communities at different levels. ACS provides educational and career services across the professional life cycle. Its activities include chemistry education resources, undergraduate and graduate student programming, teacher support, career advice, workforce development, awards, grants, fellowships, and recognition programs. The ACS Scholars Program and other initiatives seek to broaden participation in chemistry and support students from groups historically underrepresented in the field. The society also acts as a public voice for chemistry. Through policy and advocacy work, it communicates with government institutions and the public on scientific research, education, sustainability, chemical safety, innovation, and the role of chemistry in addressing social and technological challenges. Its professional standards and public-interest activities complement its commercial publishing and meeting operations. ACS is not a publicly traded company and is organized as a nonprofit membership society rather than a conventional consumer brand. Its brand is primarily institutional and professional: it represents scientific credibility, peer-reviewed communication, continuing education, professional identity, and the advancement of chemistry. Although rooted in the United States, its publications, conferences, memberships, citations, and educational resources have a global reach. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a United States–based nonprofit scientific society serving chemists, chemical engineers, educators, students, researchers, and professionals across the chemistry enterprise. Established in 1876, it is one of the world's largest professional organizations devoted to a single scientific discipline. Its work spans scholarly communication, scientific meetings, education, career support, public engagement, and advocacy for research and evidence-based policy. ACS is best known internationally for ACS Publications, its portfolio of peer-reviewed journals, books, reference works, and digital research services. Its journals cover broad and specialized areas including general chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, materials science, chemical biology, energy, environmental chemistry, and medicinal chemistry. The society also publishes Chemical & Engineering News, a news and analysis publication covering the chemical sciences, research institutions, industry, policy, and the careers of chemistry professionals. Another core activity is the organization of national and regional scientific meetings. ACS meetings provide venues for presenting research, recruiting, networking, professional development, and discussion of developments across academia, government, and industry. The society supports local sections, technical divisions, student chapters, international affiliates, awards programs, fellowships, and recognition of scientific achievement. Education is a major part of the ACS offering. The organization develops classroom resources, curriculum guidance, laboratory and safety materials, chemistry outreach programs, and professional learning opportunities. Through its education and career initiatives, ACS serves students and teachers as well as established scientists. It also provides career information, employment resources, mentoring, leadership development, and guidance on professional skills. ACS engages with the public and policymakers on issues affecting chemical research and the profession. Its policy work commonly addresses research funding, science education, chemical safety, sustainability, workforce development, and the responsible use of chemistry. The society's public-facing programs seek to improve understanding of chemistry and connect chemical science with societal challenges such as health, energy, food, climate, and materials. The organization operates through a member-based structure that includes national governance, technical divisions, local sections, student chapters, and affiliated communities. Although rooted in the United States, its journals, conferences, digital products, authors, reviewers, members, and collaborators are international. ACS is therefore both a professional membership society and a substantial scholarly publishing and scientific-information organization. It is not a listed company and does not operate as a conventional consumer brand; its brand is associated primarily with scientific credibility, professional networking, research dissemination, and chemistry education. The society also acts as a public voice for chemistry, engaging in advocacy for research and evidence-based policy, science education, chemical safety, sustainability, and the conditions needed for a strong technical workforce.

The American Chemical Society was founded in 1876 during a period when chemistry in the United States was becoming more organized as an academic and professional discipline. Its creation provided chemists with a national forum for exchanging research, developing professional networks, and building a shared institutional identity. The society was established as a nonprofit scientific organization rather than as a commercial chemical manufacturer, and its long-term role has centered on serving the chemistry community. Publishing became one of ACS's defining activities. The society developed journals and other scholarly communication channels through which chemists could report research, evaluate new findings, and preserve the expanding literature of the discipline. Over time, ACS Publications grew into a substantial portfolio spanning core chemistry and neighboring fields. Its publishing operations later expanded into digital platforms, books, databases, author services, and research-information products. The portfolio's importance reflects the central role of peer-reviewed literature in chemistry, where experimental methods, analytical data, synthesis procedures, materials characterization, and safety information are essential to subsequent work. ACS also built a strong convening role through national meetings, regional sections, technical divisions, and local programming. These activities created a recurring structure for scientific exchange across universities, government laboratories, industrial research organizations, and educational institutions. Meetings combine technical sessions with exhibitions, networking, awards, student activities, and career programming. Regional sections and student chapters extend the society's presence into local communities and campuses. During the twentieth century, ACS broadened its work beyond research publication and meetings. It developed educational materials, programs for teachers and students, professional standards, awards, fellowships, and career resources. The society became an important participant in discussions about chemistry education, workforce preparation, research support, chemical safety, and the public understanding of science. Chemical & Engineering News added a news and analysis function, covering research, education, policy, business, and professional matters affecting the chemistry community. The society's modern activities reflect changes in the way science is conducted and communicated. Digital publishing, online meetings and learning, research data, preprints, open-science practices, interdisciplinary collaboration, and global participation have become increasingly important. ACS has responded through online information services, digital journal platforms, educational resources, professional programming, and initiatives designed to improve the accessibility and reach of chemistry research. ACS also emphasizes inclusion and the development of the future chemistry workforce. Student chapters, scholarships, mentoring, awards, teacher programs, and outreach initiatives support participation at different stages of education and employment. Programs such as the ACS Scholars Program are intended to provide financial and professional support to students from groups underrepresented in chemistry. Today, ACS remains a nonprofit membership society headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its activities combine the functions of a learned society, scholarly publisher, professional network, education provider, meeting organizer, and policy advocate. It does not operate as a publicly traded consumer corporation. Its influence derives from the scale of its chemistry community, the reach of its publications and conferences, the reputation of its awards and professional programs, and its continuing role in representing chemistry in public and scientific discussions. The American Chemical Society was established in 1876 during a period when chemistry in the United States was becoming more organized as a profession and academic discipline. Its creation provided a national framework through which chemists could exchange research, develop professional standards, support education, and build a collective voice for the chemical sciences. The society subsequently developed a membership structure that combined national governance with local sections, technical divisions, student chapters, and other professional communities. Scientific communication became one of ACS's defining functions. The society built a substantial publishing program focused on peer-reviewed chemistry research and later expanded into books, reference materials, and digital information products. Its publications became important channels for disseminating work in fields ranging from fundamental chemistry to materials, energy, environmental science, chemical biology, and medicine. The ACS publishing portfolio also evolved with changes in research practice, including electronic distribution, online manuscript submission, searchable archives, data-intensive research, and growing expectations around public access to scientific results. ACS also developed a broad meeting and professional-services ecosystem. National meetings and regional activities gave researchers opportunities to present findings and created links among universities, government laboratories, and chemical companies. Technical divisions helped organize communities around specialized areas of chemistry, while local sections and student chapters extended the society's reach into communities and educational institutions. Awards, fellowships, leadership programs, and career services reinforced the organization's role in professional development. Education and public engagement became increasingly prominent parts of the ACS mission. The society has produced teaching materials, curriculum resources, laboratory guidance, safety content, outreach activities, and professional learning programs for educators and students. These initiatives position chemistry not only as a research discipline but also as a practical tool for understanding health, materials, food, energy, the environment, and industrial technology. Through Chemical & Engineering News and related communications, ACS has also covered developments in research, higher education, industry, regulation, public policy, and the chemistry workforce. Its policy and advocacy activities have addressed support for scientific research, science education, chemical safety, sustainability, and the conditions needed for a strong technical workforce. These activities give ACS a role in conversations extending beyond journal publishing and meetings. In the digital era, ACS has continued to integrate publishing, conferences, education, careers, member services, and public-facing science communication. The society has also responded to major changes in scholarly publishing, including open-access models, author rights, funder requirements, research integrity expectations, and the increasing importance of electronic research infrastructure. Today, ACS remains a nonprofit, membership-based organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a United States institutional base and an international community of authors, readers, members, reviewers, educators, and research partners.

• 2020

  ACS expands virtual meeting activity

  [13]ACS Meetingsacs.org

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, ACS shifted meeting activity toward virtual formats and digital participation, illustrating the broader transition of scientific conferences to online delivery.

• 2016

  ChemRxiv preprint service introduced

  [4]ChemRxivchemrxiv.org

  ACS and partner organizations introduced ChemRxiv, a preprint platform intended to allow researchers to share chemistry research before formal peer review and publication.

• 1965

  ACS Scholars Program launched

  [6]ACS Scholarshipsacs.org

  ACS created the ACS Scholars Program to provide scholarship support and encouragement for students from groups historically underrepresented in the chemical sciences.

• 1924

  Chemical & Engineering News established

  [3]Chemical & Engineering Newscen.acs.org

  Chemical & Engineering News was established as a publication serving the chemistry profession with reporting and analysis on research, education, policy, industry, and professional affairs.

• 1907

  Journal of the American Chemical Society begins publication

  [16]Journal of the American Chemical Society begins publicationpubs.acs.org

  The Journal of the American Chemical Society became a central ACS research journal and developed into one of the society's principal scholarly publications.

• 1907

  Chemical & Engineering News begins publication

  [12]Chemical & Engineering News about pagecen.acs.org

  ACS launched its news publication, which became a major source of reporting and analysis about chemistry, chemical engineering, science policy, education, and industry.

• 1876

  American Chemical Society established

  [1]About ACSacs.org

  The American Chemical Society was founded as a national nonprofit scientific society to support chemistry research, professional exchange, and the development of the chemistry community in the United States.

A leading nonprofit professional society and information provider for chemistry, combining scholarly communication, scientific convening, education, career development, and public policy advocacy. A globally oriented, member-based scientific society and scholarly communications organization serving the chemistry profession.

• Scholarly publishing

  ACS Publications

  ACS Publications is the society's portfolio of peer-reviewed journals, books, reference resources, and related scholarly information products. It covers chemistry and numerous adjacent disciplines, including materials, energy, chemical biology, environmental science, medicinal chemistry, and nanoscience. The portfolio supports authors, reviewers, researchers, institutions, and libraries through research articles, reviews, editorial content, digital discovery tools, and publishing services, and includes both subscription and open-access publishing pathways depending on the publication and arrangement. ACS Publications is the society's scholarly publishing program. It includes peer-reviewed journals, books, reference resources, and digital services covering broad and specialized areas of chemistry and related sciences. The portfolio serves researchers, institutions, educators, and industry users, and includes both subscription and open-access publishing pathways depending on the publication and arrangement.

• Scientific conferences

  ACS National Meetings

  ACS national and regional meetings are large scientific gatherings featuring technical presentations, poster sessions, exhibitions, networking, recruitment, awards, student programming, and professional development. They bring together academic, government, industrial, and student participants across chemistry and related fields. Meeting programs provide a venue for presenting new research and building collaborations. ACS national and regional meetings provide technical programming, research presentations, poster sessions, exhibitions, networking, recruitment, and professional-development activities. The meetings bring together academic researchers, students, educators, government scientists, and industry professionals across many chemistry specialties.

• Professional publication · 1924

  Chemical & Engineering News

  Chemical & Engineering News is ACS's news and analysis publication for the chemistry community. It covers scientific discoveries, chemical business, education, policy, careers, research institutions, regulation, and professional issues. Its editorial coverage serves both practicing chemists and readers following the wider chemical enterprise, rather than functioning as a peer-reviewed research journal. Chemical & Engineering News is ACS's news and analysis publication. It reports on chemistry research, chemical engineering, industrial activity, policy, education, regulation, scientific careers, and the broader chemistry enterprise. It serves ACS members and the wider scientific and technical community rather than functioning as a peer-reviewed research journal.

• Preprint repository · 2016

  ChemRxiv

  ChemRxiv is a chemistry preprint service that enables researchers to share manuscripts publicly before peer review and formal journal publication. It is designed to accelerate communication of research while making clear that posted manuscripts have not necessarily undergone the evaluation applied to published journal articles.

• Education services

  ACS Education

  ACS education activities support chemistry teaching and learning from school through higher education. Resources and programs address curriculum development, laboratory instruction, teacher support, student engagement, assessment, safety resources, and the public understanding of chemistry. ACS Education develops resources and programs for chemistry teachers, students, departments, and outreach organizations. Its work includes classroom materials, curriculum guidance, laboratory and safety resources, educator development, student support, and public engagement intended to improve chemistry learning and understanding.

• Professional development

  ACS Career Services

  ACS Career Services provides career information, employment resources, advice, workshops, mentoring, and professional development for chemistry students and practitioners. The offering addresses career planning, job searches, resumes, interviewing, networking, leadership, and transitions across academic, industrial, government, and other chemistry-related careers.

• Career and professional development

  ACS Careers

  ACS Careers provides employment information, job-search resources, career guidance, professional development, mentoring, and workforce content for chemists and related professionals. It supports people at multiple career stages, including students, early-career scientists, academics, and industry practitioners.

• ACS Scholars Program

  United States

  A scholarship and support initiative intended to increase participation in chemistry and related disciplines among students from groups historically underrepresented in the chemical sciences. The program continues to provide financial assistance and professional encouragement to eligible students.

  Outcome. The program continues to provide financial assistance and professional encouragement to eligible students.

  Source
• Chemists Celebrate Earth Week

  United States · Global

  An annual public-outreach initiative that uses chemistry-related activities and educational materials to connect communities with environmental themes and the role of chemistry in understanding and protecting the Earth. The program links chemistry education with environmental literacy and public engagement through educational activities, public events, and resources for students and communities. An ACS outreach program connecting chemistry with environmental topics and sustainability through educational activities, public events, and resources for students and communities.

  Outcome. The initiative provides recurring educational programming and local engagement through ACS sections, schools, and community participants. The program links chemistry education with environmental literacy and public engagement.

  Source
• National Chemistry Week

  United States

  An annual public-engagement initiative that promotes awareness of chemistry through local events, demonstrations, educational materials, and community activities organized with ACS sections and volunteers. A nationwide outreach effort coordinated through ACS and its local sections to promote public interest in chemistry through demonstrations, educational materials, school activities, and community events. The campaign remains a recurring public-engagement program associated with ACS sections and chemistry educators.

  Outcome. The campaign remains a recurring public-engagement program associated with ACS sections and chemistry educators. It provides a recurring framework for chemistry outreach and informal science education.

  Source

• 2020

  Move meeting activity toward virtual participation during the pandemicOther

  Background

  COVID-19 restrictions disrupted in-person scientific conferences and international travel.

  Action taken

  ACS used virtual and digital formats to continue scientific programming and member participation when in-person meetings were constrained.

  Aftermath

  The experience contributed to the broader adoption of digital and hybrid approaches in scientific conferencing.

  Source

• 2016

  Launch of ChemRxivProduct launch

  Background

  Researchers increasingly used preprint services to distribute scientific findings rapidly, while chemistry lacked a widely established community preprint platform.

  Action taken

  ACS and partner organizations launched ChemRxiv as a chemistry-focused preprint service for sharing manuscripts before peer review and journal publication.

  Aftermath

  ChemRxiv became part of the chemistry research communication ecosystem and provided an additional route for early dissemination of manuscripts.

  Source

• Expansion of digital scholarly communicationStrategy

  Background

  Scientific publishing and professional communication shifted from print-centered distribution toward digital platforms, online discovery, data services, and broader research-access models.

  Action taken

  ACS expanded its digital publishing, information, educational, meeting, and author-support infrastructure through ACS Publications and related services.

  Aftermath

  The society now delivers much of its publishing, research communication, education, and professional engagement through online platforms alongside print and in-person activities.

  Source

• Develop open-access and transformative publishing pathwaysStrategy

  Background

  Research funders, universities, and authors have increasingly sought broader access to publicly funded and scholarly research, placing pressure on traditional subscription publishing models.

  Action taken

  ACS Publications has developed open-access options and institutional publishing arrangements alongside its subscription journals.

  Aftermath

  The society now operates a mixed publishing model whose details vary by journal, author choice, funder requirements, and institutional agreement.

  Source

• ACS expands open-science and research communication activities[18]Expansion of digital scholarly communicationpublishing.acs.org

  Other

  ACS has continued developing open-science, research-sharing, data, and publishing initiatives through ACS Publications and related services. Specific programs and policies have changed over time, so individual announcements should be checked against the society's current publication-policy pages.

• ACS continues advocacy on federal science and chemistry policy[5]ACS Policyacs.org

  Regulation

  Through its policy and advocacy programs, ACS engages with public institutions on research funding, science education, workforce development, sustainability, and issues affecting chemistry professionals.

• ACS maintains a major international chemistry publishing and meetings portfolio[1]About ACSacs.org

  Other

  The society's journals, digital information services, and scientific meetings continue to serve researchers and professionals beyond the United States, making ACS one of the most visible institutional brands in chemistry.

• ACS continues expansion of open-access publishing options[11]ACS open-access publishing informationpublish.acs.org

  Other

  ACS Publications provides multiple open-access routes and transformative publishing arrangements as scholarly communication shifts toward wider public availability of research. Specific program terms vary by journal and agreement.

• ACS meetings remain a central forum for chemistry research and professional networking[13]ACS Meetingsacs.org

  Other

  The society's recurring national meetings bring together researchers, educators, students, and industry participants for technical presentations, exhibitions, career activities, and professional development.

1. 1About ACSacs.org
2. 2ACS Publicationspubs.acs.org
3. 3Chemical & Engineering Newscen.acs.org
4. 4ChemRxivchemrxiv.org
5. 5ACS Policyacs.org
6. 6ACS Scholarshipsacs.org
7. 7National Chemistry Weekacs.org
8. 8Wikipedia: American Chemical Societyen.wikipedia.org
9. 9ACS history and organizational backgroundacs.org
10. 10American Chemical Society official websiteacs.org
11. 11ACS open-access publishing informationpublish.acs.org
12. 12Chemical & Engineering News about pagecen.acs.org
13. 13ACS Meetingsacs.org
14. 14ACS Education and outreachacs.org
15. 15ACS Careersacs.org
16. 16Journal of the American Chemical Society begins publicationpubs.acs.org
17. 17Chemists Celebrate Earth Weekacs.org
18. 18Expansion of digital scholarly communicationpublishing.acs.org
19. 19ACS partners with University of Campinas in first open access agreement in Latin Americamiragenews.com