Dedication, Preface - American Chemical Society

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Kekulé stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of the benzene formula. Issued during the centennial year by Germany and Belgium, the two countries in which he lived and worked.

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PREFACE TJerhaps it is fitting to begin this volume the same way the Kekulé celebration was begun—with a quotation by the man we honor: We all stand on the shoulders of our predecessors. Is it then sur­ prising that we can see further than they? If we follow the roads built by our predecessors and effortlessly reach places they have attained only after overcoming countless obstacles, what special merit is it i P we can penetrate further into the unknown? Kekulé spoke these words at the 25th anniversary of the formula that he proposed 100 years ago. Today we honor Kekulé, the giant on whose shoulders we now stand. The occasion for this celebration is not the centennial of his birth or death but the centennial of a particular concept. This is not the first benzene centennial celebration. Belgium has already celebrated Kekulé's benzene formula, using the occasion to an­ nounce the synthesis of some of the isomers of benzene. Coinciding with the American Chemical Society's Kekulé symposium, a Kekulé celebra­ tion was held in Bonn by the German Chemical Society. Kekulé had his vision of the benzene ring i n Belgium, but for many years he taught in Bonn. The American Chemical Society was officially invited to send a delegate to the German celebration, and Professor Saul Winstein of U . C . L . A . was appointed to bring the greetings of the American Chemical Society to its sister society i n Germany. The Kekulé celebrations, both in Bonn and Atlantic City, had his­ torical and contemporary facets. Papers were presented on historical subjects and on the current state of aromatic chemistry. The Atlantic City symposium was co-sponsored by the Divisions of History of Chem­ istry, Organic Chemistry, and Chemical Education. This volume presents only the historical papers. Special articles commemorating the benzene formula have appeared in Angewandte Chemie [77, 770 (1965)]; Chemical and Engineering News [43, 90 (June 25, 1965)]; Journal of Chemical Education [42, 266 (1965)]; Chemistry [38, 6 (January 1965)]. It is our hope that this volume w i l l contribute to the understanding by scientists of the conceptual history behind modern structural chem­ istry, the significance of the individual in the ongoing path of science, and the interaction of science, technology, and society. A

Richmond, Ind.

O . THEODOR BENFEY

January 1966 vii