IUPAC (www.iupac.org ) has a proud history in development of nomenclature, curation of the periodic table, chemical education, and critical evaluation of data, among many other things. A century of achievement in these areas means that it can rightly claim to have provided the essential tools for the application and communication of modern chemical knowledge. The challenge for IUPAC, now, is to look forward to the next century, to identify critical needs for the discipline and to build international consensus around the standards and activities that are required to meet those needs. As Secretary General of IUPAC, I have significant input into the future direction of IUPAC and its work. I will present my perspective on what the future holds for the organisation, and highlight the importance of promoting cheminformatics as a critical field for growth, of facilitating cross-disciplinary and inter-organisational activities, and developing ways to involve more young chemists in IUPAC work. There will be some history, some explanations, some crystal ball-gazing, and a few long names (merely because I have to play up to expectations of someone still involved in nomenclature development – at least a little bit).

IUPAC and its next century: A secretary general’s perspective

2019 Spring National Meeting

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