The Royal Netherlands Chemical Society (In Dutch: ''Koninklijke Nederlandse Chemische Vereniging'', abbreviated: KNCV) is a

learned society A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

and

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

founded in 1903 to represent the interests of

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

s and

chemical engineer A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of Product (chemistry), products and deals with ...

s in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Currently the organisation has approximately 7,400 members. The organisation supports the professional development of its members who are involved in the fields of

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...

and process technology. The organisation is actively involved in protecting the interests of its members. Furthermore, its supports the development and spread of knowledge and inspiration in the field of chemistry. It publishes journals, books and databases, as well as hosting conferences, seminars and workshops.

History

In the years of 1896 and 1897, two Dutch chemists Willem Paulinus Jorissen and Johannes Rutten made plans to found an Association of Dutch Chemists. Rutten (1873-1946) had obtained the degree of technologist at the Polytechnic School in Delft (now

Delft University of Technology The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft; ) is the oldest and largest Dutch public university, public Institute of technology, technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. It specializes in engineering, technology, computing, design, a ...

) in 1896 and was appointed chemist at the former Central Guanofabrieken (now

AkzoNobel Akzo Nobel N.V., stylised as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational corporation, multinational company which creates paints and performance coatings for both industry and consumers worldwide. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities ...

) at Kralingseveer in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

. Jorissen obtained his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degree at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

on 21 oktober 1896 with Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom as supervisor. Rutten and Jorissen became friends and discussed the possibilities of organizing the Dutch chemists. There were already chemical associations in neighboring countries for a long time: the

Chemical Society The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation. ...

in London was founded in 1841, the Société chimique de France in 1857, the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft zu Berlin in 1867 and the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

in 1876.

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

followed in 1879,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in 1883, Finland in 1891 and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

in 1893, while the Société Chimique de Belge was established in Brussels in 1887. In order to successfully establish a Dutch chemical association, it was first of all necessary to find out whether a sufficient number of members could be counted on. Following the medical yearbook for the Netherlands published since 1882, the two friends published a chemical yearbook in 1898 that contained an address list of Dutch chemists at home and abroad. The editors consisted of Jorissen, Rutten, the Amsterdam pharmacist and chemist Bernardus Adrianus van Ketel (1862-1928), H.C. Prinsen Geerligs (born 1864), director of the sugar cane testing station in Kagok, Tegal (

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

), and Dr. Lodewijk Theodorus Reicher (1857-1943), chemical mechanic at the Municipal Health Service in Amsterdam and chief of the associated chemical laboratory. The second volume appeared in 1901; the third in 1902. The editorial board was expanded with Dr. Albert Jacques Joseph van de Velde (1871-1956), director of the city laboratory in Ghent. The title therefore became: ''Scheikundig Jaarboekje voor Nederland, België en Nederlands Indië'' ( English: Chemical Yearbook for the Netherlands, Belgium and the Dutch East Indies). In the meantime, the Journal of Applied Chemistry and Hygiene was founded in 1897 of which Jorissen became co-editor. The chemical yearbook and the journal would play a major role in the founding of the Dutch Chemical Association. The society was founded on 15 April 1903 as the "Algemene Nederlandsche Chemische Vereeniging" ( English: General Netherlands Chemical Society), and renamed on 4 July of the same year as "Nederlandsche Chemische Vereeniging" (English: Netherlands Chemical Society). At the jubilee of 1953, the organisation was granted a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

(with the designation " Koninklijke") by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and thereby became the "Koninklijke Nederlandse Chemische Vereniging" ( English: Royal Netherlands Chemical Society).

Membership

Membership is open to anyone who works or studies in the chemistry, life sciences or process technology, and endorses the core values for chemists. The board decides on the admission of the members. The society does have the following categories of membership: *''Student Member'': Student membership is available for a reduced rate to those who are enrolled at a Dutch college or university as bachelor or master student in chemistry, life sciences or process technology. *''Member'': Ordinary membership is open to those working in the fields of chemistry, life sciences or process technology, or/and have graduated in these areas from a Dutch college or university. *''Honorary Member'': During anniversary years or in special occasions, the society may grant the honorary membership as reward to persons who have rendered special service to the KNCV, to the chemistry community in the Netherlands or Europe, or to chemical sciences in general. *''Member of Special Merit'': Members who have made special contributions to the society through exceptional service or distinctive merit displayed over several years can be appointed ‘member of special merit’ on recommendation by the Board. *'' European Chemist'' (EurChem): The KNCV is one of the member societies of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) and can as such grant this designation to chemists.

Sections and associations

The society is organised around 17 sections and associations that are based on subject areas, work groups, and local circles across the Netherlands. The sections and associations cover broad areas of chemistry but also contain many special interest groups for more specific areas:Sections and associations
- website of the KNCV * ''Section Analytical Chemistry'': for

analytical chemistry Analytical skill, Analytical chemistry studies and uses instruments and methods to Separation process, separate, identify, and Quantification (science), quantify matter. In practice, separation, identification or quantification may constitute t ...

and promoting the interests of the analytical-chemical stakeholders and interested parties in the Netherlands. * ''Section Catalysis'' (also named 'Dutch Catalysis Society'): representing those active in the field of

Catalysis Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

in the Netherlands. * ''Section Chemistry Education (SSO)'': for those active in the areas of

chemistry education Chemistry education (or chemical education) is the study of teaching and learning chemistry. It is one subset of STEM education or discipline-based education research (DBER). Topics in chemistry education include understanding how students learn ...

. * ''Section Environmental Chemistry'': representing those working in the area of

environmental chemistry Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places. It should not be confused with green chemistry, which seeks to reduce potential pollution at its source. It can be defined as ...

. * ''Section Macromolecules'': representing those active in the field of

polymer science Polymer science or macromolecular science is a subfield of materials science concerned with polymers, primarily synthetic polymers such as plastics and elastomers. The field of polymer science includes researchers in multiple disciplines inclu ...

. * ''Section Medicinal Chemistry'': for everyone involved in

medicinal chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with drug design, designing and developing pharmaceutical medication, drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, ...

research. * ''Section Nanostructures and Self-Assembly (NSA)'': for those active in the field

nanostructure A nanostructure is a structure of intermediate size between microscopic and molecular structures. Nanostructural detail is microstructure at nanoscale. In describing nanostructures, it is necessary to differentiate between the number of dimen ...

s and investigating self-assembly of nanoparticles. * ''Section Nuclear Chemistry'': for everyone involved in the field of radiochemistry. * ''Section Organic Chemistry (SOC)'': representing those active in the field of

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

. * ''Dutch Association for Crystal Growth (NVKG)'': for those in the field of

crystallography Crystallography is the branch of science devoted to the study of molecular and crystalline structure and properties. The word ''crystallography'' is derived from the Ancient Greek word (; "clear ice, rock-crystal"), and (; "to write"). In J ...

and researching

crystal growth Crystal growth is a major stage of a crystallization, crystallization process, and consists of the addition of new atoms, ions, or polymer strings into the characteristic arrangement of the crystalline lattice. The growth typically follows an ini ...

. * ''Dutch Biotechnology Association (NBV)'': the professional association for all professionals in the field of applied

. * ''Dutch Crystallographic Society (NVK)'': for anyone in (or from) the Netherlands and Flanders who is interested in

. * ''Netherlands Ceramics Society (NKV)'': aimed at the transfer of knowledge and experience in the field of scientific, technical and economic issues concerning ceramic materials and products. * ''Netherlands Proces Technologists (NPT)'': community in the Netherlands in the field of

process engineering Process engineering is a field of study focused on the development and optimization of industrial processes. It consists of the understanding and application of the fundamental principles and laws of nature to allow humans to transform raw mate ...

. * ''Netherlands Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NVBMB)'': representing those working in the area of

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

and

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

. * ''Netherlands Society for Mass Spectrometry'': the association in the Netherlands for everyone involved in

mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a ''mass spectrum'', a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is used ...

. * ''Network For Food Experts (NVVL)'': professional association for food experts in the Netherlands and everyone working in the field of

food science Food science (or bromatology) is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing ...

s. There are six local circles covering the Netherlands, i.e. that of

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Zwolle Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

, and

References

External links

Official site of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society
{{authority control Chemical industry in the Netherlands Chemistry societies Organisations based in the Netherlands with royal patronage Scientific organizations established in 1903 1903 establishments in the Netherlands Scientific organisations based in the Netherlands