The origins and impact of the International Congresses of Applied Chemistry, 1894–1912

The First International Congress of Applied Chemistry was organised by the Association of Belgian Chemists in 1894, the eighth and last was held in Washington and New York in 1912. These congresses, unlike the early congresses on pure chemistry, were very successful and held with the highest patronage in the host countries. The ninth planned for St. Petersburg in 1915 was not held due to the intervention of the First World War. The initiative passed to IUPAC but due to political and financial restraints the International Congresses of Pure and Applied Chemistry did not commence till 1934.