Croatian Chemical Society

The Croatian Chemical Society (Croatian: Hrvatsko kemijsko društvo, HKD) is a professional association that brings together chemists and works for the development of chemistry in the Republic of Croatia. Its stated core aim is to develop and promote scientific, professional and teaching activity across all areas of pure and applied chemistry. The society traces its tradition of promoting chemistry in Croatia back to 1926, and it operates as a non-profit membership association under Croatian law. The HKD is organised through five regional branches: Rijeka (established 1958), Split (1967), Osijek (1979), Varaždin (1997) and Pula (2012). Within the society, specialised sections and sub-sections carry out professional work. These include a Section for Chemical Nomenclature and Terminology (jointly with HDKI), a Section for Education, a Section for Organic Chemistry, a Section for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, a Student Section, a Section for Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, a Section for Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy, and a Section for Supramolecular Chemistry. There is also a Section of Young Chemists of the HKD. Publishing is a central activity. The society maintains a publishing programme and is described in external metadata as an academic publisher based in Croatia. It also runs and supports a broad set of educational and competitive activities: the State Competition in Chemistry, the International Chemistry Olympiad, the EU Science Olympiad, the International Young Naturalists' Olympiad, and the International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad, with pages documenting successive IMChO editions. It is affiliated with EuChemS, the European Chemical Society. The society recognises achievement through awards, most prominently the Lavoslav Ružička Award, named after Lavoslav (Leopold) Ružička, the first Croatian winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1939), whose work on terpenes, higher-membered rings and sex hormones left a lasting mark on twentieth-century organic chemistry. The award is given to young scientists for outstanding achievements in chemistry. The HKD is governed by a Statute adopted by its Assembly, and its leadership includes a presidency and a society office. The office lists an administrator and officers responsible for IT and social media. Membership is open, and the society actively recruits members and maintains a register of active members. As a membership association rather than a commercial company, the HKD does not sell products in the conventional sense; its 'offerings' are scholarly publishing, professional standards, terminology work, conferences and assemblies, educational competitions, and awards. It remains an active and central institution in Croatian chemistry.

The Croatian Chemical Society (Hrvatsko kemijsko društvo, HKD) presents itself as carrying a tradition of promoting chemistry in Croatia since 1926. It is a professional association that gathers chemists and concerns itself with the development of chemistry in the Republic of Croatia, with the fundamental goal of developing and promoting scientific, professional and teaching activity in all fields of pure and applied chemistry. Over the decades the society expanded its territorial reach through regional branches. The Rijeka branch was founded in 1958, followed by Split in 1967, Osijek in 1979, Varaždin in 1997 and Pula in 2012. Alongside this geographic growth, the society developed specialised sections and sub-sections to carry out professional work more effectively. These currently include a Section for Chemical Nomenclature and Terminology (jointly with HDKI), a Section for Education, a Section for Organic Chemistry, a Section for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, a Student Section, a Section for Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, a Section for Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy, and a Section for Supramolecular Chemistry, as well as a Section of Young Chemists. The society's governance is defined by a Statute. The Assembly of the Croatian Chemical Society adopted the current Statute at a session held on 10 June 2015, under Article 13 of the Croatian Law on Associations (Narodne novine 74/14). The Statute regulates the society's name, seat and representation; its seal; its goals and fields of activity; the manner of ensuring publicity of its work; conditions and procedures for membership and termination of membership; members' rights, obligations, responsibilities and disciplinary accountability; the keeping of the members' register; the society's bodies, their composition and the convening of sessions; election, recall, powers, decision-making and term lengths; the convening of the Assembly if terms expire; and the appointment and recall of a liquidator and the cessation of the society's existence. Publishing has been a continuing activity, and external metadata describes the organisation as an academic publisher based in Croatia. The society also built a strong educational and competitive profile. It runs the State Competition in Chemistry and supports Croatian participation in the International Chemistry Olympiad, the EU Science Olympiad, the International Young Naturalists' Olympiad and the International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad, maintaining pages for successive IMChO editions. It is associated with EuChemS, the European Chemical Society. Recognition of scientific excellence is another long-standing strand. The society confers awards, notably the Lavoslav Ružička Award, named after Lavoslav (Leopold) Ružička, the first Croatian Nobel laureate in chemistry (1939), whose research on terpenes, higher-membered rings and sex hormones durably shaped twentieth-century organic chemistry. The award is given to young scientists for outstanding achievements in chemistry; in 2026 it was presented to Dr. sc. Milena Mlakić of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb. The society maintains a society office with an administrator and officers for IT and social media, and it continues to recruit members and update its register of active members.

• 2026

  Lavoslav Ružička Award presented to Dr. sc. Milena Mlakić.

• 2015

  Current Statute adopted by the Assembly on 10 June 2015.

• 2012

  HKD - Pula branch established.

• 1997

  HKD - Varaždin branch established.

• 1979

  HKD - Osijek branch established.

• 1967

  HKD - Split branch established.

• 1958

  HKD - Rijeka branch established.

• 1926

  Tradition of promoting chemistry in Croatia begins, as dated by the society.

National professional association and scholarly publisher for chemistry in Croatia.

• Publishing programme

  Scholarly and professional publishing; the organisation is described as an academic publisher based in Croatia.

• State Competition in Chemistry

  National chemistry competition organised by the society.

• International Chemistry Olympiad participation

  Support and documentation of Croatian participation, with pages for successive IMChO editions.

• Lavoslav Ružička Award

  Award for young scientists for outstanding achievements in chemistry.

1. 1Početnahkd.hr
2. 2O društvuhkd.hr
3. 3Ured društvahkd.hr
4. 4Statut Hrvatskog kemijskog društvahkd.hr
5. 5Croatian Chemical Societywikidata.org