 Logo since 2019 | |
| Formation | 1980 (1980) (1841)[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | Burlington House London |
| Location |
|
| Membership | 50,000+[2] |
Official language | English |
| Charles III | |
President | Annette Doherty |
President-Elect | Robert_Mokaya |
Key people | Helen Pain (CEO) |
| Budget | £65.7M[2] |
| Website | www |
TheRoyal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is alearned society andprofessional association in theUnited Kingdom with the goal of "advancing thechemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of theChemical Society, theRoyal Institute of Chemistry, theFaraday Society, and theSociety for Analytical Chemistry with a new Royal Charter and the dual role of learned society and professional body. At its inception, the Society had a combined membership of 49,000 in the world.[3][4]
The headquarters of the Society are atBurlington House,Piccadilly,London. It also has offices in Thomas Graham House inCambridge (named afterThomas Graham, the first president of theChemical Society) whereRSC Publishing is based. The Society has offices in theUnited States, on the campuses of The University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, at theUniversity City Science Center inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, in bothBeijing andShanghai,China and inBangalore,India.[5]
The organisation carries out research, publishesjournals, books and databases, as well as hosting conferences, seminars and workshops. It is the professional body for chemistry in the UK, with the ability to award the status ofChartered Chemist (CChem) and, through the Science Council the awards of Chartered Scientist (CSci), Registered Scientist (RSci) and Registered Science Technician (RScTech) to suitably qualified candidates.
The designation FRSC is given to a group of electedFellows of the society who have made major contributions to chemistry and other interface disciplines such as biological chemistry. Prior to 2006, the names of Fellows were published each year inThe Times (London).Honorary Fellowship of the Society ("HonFRSC") is awarded for distinguished service in the field of chemistry.
The president is elected biennially and wears a badge in the form of a spoked wheel, with the standing figure ofJoseph Priestley depicted in enamel, mainly in red and blue, on a hexagonal medallion in the centre. The rim of the wheel is gold, and the twelve spokes are of non-tarnishable metals. The current president isAnnette Doherty (2024–2026). Past presidents of the society have been:
The RSC has its owncoat of arms. Two forms exist: the full coat of arms has lion and unicorn bearers, and theLatin motto "Pro scientia et humanitate" (For the sake of knowledge and for the benefit of mankind). The smaller version is similar to theRoyal Institute of Chemistry's arms.
The following are membership categories withpost-nominals (designatory letters):[21]
The qualificationGRSC (Graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry) was awarded from 1981 to 1995 for completion of college courses equivalent to an honours chemistry degree and validated by the RSC.[26]
The society is organised around nine divisions, based on subject areas, and local sections. There are thirty-five local sections covering the United Kingdom andIreland. Divisions cover broad areas of chemistry but also contain many special interest groups for more specific areas.
The society is anot-for-profit publisher: surplus made by its publishing business is invested to support its aim of advancing the chemical sciences. Subscriptions to the journals are available individually, or "all-in", under a provision called "RSC Gold".[27] In addition toscientific journals, including its flagship journalsChemical Communications,Chemical Science andChemical Society Reviews, the society publishes:
The Interactive Lab Primer is a site developed to provide tips to a variety of chemical experimentation skills.[29] The site covers basic lab safety tips, demonstrates primary lab techniques, introduces a couple common lab apparatus in lab, and provides other references. The society'sChemSpider is a database of chemicals and chemical properties. The society operates ablue plaque scheme, "Landmarks of Chemistry", erecting plaques at places associated with notable chemical events or people.[30]
 | |
| Established | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Location | Piccadilly,LondonW1, England |
| Website | www |
TheLondon offices of the Society are inBurlington House, Piccadilly. Events are hosted here for the public, RSC member groups and external organisations including regular lectures on the chemical sciences. The free lectures take an interesting look at the chemical aspects of a wide range of topics from curry to the enjoyment of music. The events have attracted notable science writers such asPhilip Ball,Antony John Williams, andJohn Emsley to give public lectures. The society has a large library covering mainly chemistry-based subjects, including online access for members, housed at the Chemistry Centre at Burlington House. It is part of the Chemistry Centre and is a resource for RSC members.
The Royal Society of Chemistry has been resident at Burlington House since 1857 (at which time it was known as the Chemical Society) – at the heart of which is the RSC's Library and Information Centre which itself dates back to 1842. Over the years, the library for the RSC has received many gifts from notable fellows includingMichael Faraday. The library became a centre for information on the chemical sciences during theWorld Wars when extensive use was made on the chemical reference material available.
The Chemists' Community Fund, the working name of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Benevolent Fund, supports the members and their families during difficult times, through advice and guidance, financial and volunteer support.[31] It dates back to 1920 when the Institute of Chemistry (later theRoyal Institute of Chemistry) established it as a memorial to its members who died in the First World War. It had an aim "to help necessitous persons who are, or have been, Fellows or Associates of the Institute, their wives or children, and the widows and dependent relatives of deceased Fellows and Associates" through voluntary contributions from members. The Fund's ethos of "members helping members" stems from the Institute of Chemistry's Council raising money for members in need from other members prior to the fund being formed.[32]
In 1960, the benevolent fund introduced a volunteer visitor system, where members were asked to visit applicants, beneficiaries, elderly and housebound members in their area. Each local section was also appointed a fund representative.[32] A major review of the fund to modernize it took place in 2003–2004, forming a new strategy document that is updated every three years. It underwent another review in 2014 with the aim to widen its reach to include the prevention of poverty and provide a more holistic support wider than financial assistance to Royal Society of Chemistry members and their families.[32] The Benevolent Fund Grants Committee, formed of volunteer members of the Royal Society of Chemistry, oversees the fund and meets every three months.[32]
The RSC awards a variety of prizes and awards each year that include awards for excellence in any area of chemistry, in specialist areas or for achievement at particular stages of a chemist's career.[33] Medals are awarded centrally by the RSC and by the divisions of the organisation. There are also awards that are administered by RSC interest groups. The centrally awarded medals include theHarrison–Meldola Memorial Prizes which are awarded to a British chemist who is under 32 years of age for promising original investigations in chemistry[34] and theCorday–Morgan medals which consist of three separate awards made for the most meritorious contributions to experimental chemistry (including computer simulation).[35] TheTilden Prize, previously known as the Tilden Lecture, consists of three awards annually to scientists in mid-career for advances in chemistry.
Previous winners of the Harrison–Meldola Prize (known as theMeldola Medal and Prize prior to its merger in 2008 with the Edward Harrison prize) includeChristopher Kelk Ingold (1921, 1922),Cyril Norman Hinshelwood (1923), R.H. Stokes (1946), D.H. Williams (1966), and J. Evans (1978). Corday–Morgan medal recipients includeDerek Barton (1949),Ronald Sydney Nyholm (1950),Frederick Sanger (1951),John Cornforth (1953),Rex Richards (1954), andGeorge Porter (1955). The Faraday Division annually awards theMarlow Award for contributions tophysical chemistry orchemical physics by members of the Faraday Division under the age of 32.[36] Recent recipients includeAndrew Orr-Ewing, (1999),Jonathan A. Jones, (2000),Helen Fielding (2001), Jonathan Essex (2002), Daren Caruana (2003), Jonathan Reid (2004),Julie Macpherson (2005), Fred Manby (2006), and Alessandro Troisi (2007).
The RSC operates an annual Twitter conference.[37][38][39] The event is held entirely online over 24 hours. The aim of its unique format is to remove the environmental and financial costs of attending a traditional scientific conference, and help researchers share their work and network across disciplines, wherever they are in the world.[40]
51°30′32″N0°08′20″W / 51.5089°N 0.1390°W /51.5089; -0.1390
