Heterogeneous Catalysis - American Chemical Society

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36 A Society of Catalytic Chemists and Engineers

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HEINZ HEINEMANN University of California, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720

While catalysis is an old art and a fairly old science, until the second quarter of this century, it has functioned essentially as a part of various branches of chemistry (physical, organic, inorganic), physics, and engineering (reactor engineering, modeling). The first international meeting primarily devoted to catalytic research was held by the Faraday Society in 1949. Annual Research Conferences on Catalysis in the U.S.A. started in 1943 as one of the Gibson Island Conferences, and moved to Colby Junior College in New Hampshire in 1947 as one of the Gordon Research Conferences. A whole generation of catalytic scientists has attended these prestigious and pleasant meetings restricted to about 100 persons. In 1949, a group of seven scientists gathered in Philadelphia to discuss the possibility of holding regular local meetings in the field of catalysis. They were A. Farkas, F. G. Ciapetta, R. Hansford, H. Heinemann, R. Kennedy, K. A. Krieger, and A. G. Oblad. These men started the Catalysis Club of Philadelphia, which from that time on held monthly meetings. All of the founders served as chairmen of the Club in its early years. Early meetings were held at the University of Pennsylvania, and attendance at the meetings rapidly increased from about 15 to 80-100 persons. Men prominent in the field like D. A. Dowden, P. H. Emmett, and Otto Beeck, were among the first speakers. Beginning in 1951 an annual all-day symposium was held—a custom that s t i l l prevails. The first symposia were on Saturdays at Swarthmore College, then at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, and later in Princeton, New Jersey, and in Chester, Pennsylvania. Membership of the Philadelphia Club rapidly increased to above 200 and has remained at that level. A Chicago Catalysis Club was founded a few years later, followed by the New York Club—whose founders were charter members of the Philadelphia Club. Within the next 20 years, catalysis clubs were formed in California, New England (Boston), Pittsburgh,

0097-6156/83/0222-0519$06.00/0 © 1983 American Chemical Society Davis and Hettinger; Heterogeneous Catalysis ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1983.

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Houston (Southwest C a t a l y s i s Club), Michigan, and also i n Canada. In 1979, the T r i - S t a t e C a t a l y s i s S o c i e t y joined the group. In 1954, Rudolf B r i l l and Heinz Heinemann suggested to the P h i l a d e l p h i a Club that an I n t e r n a t i o n a l Congress on C a t a l y s i s should be held, and the Club under i t s 1954 Chairman, G. A. M i l l s , e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y agreed to sponsor the F i r s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l Congress on C a t a l y s i s i n P h i l a d e l p h i a i n 1956. In 1956, Charles A. Plank was Chairman of the P h i l a d e l p h i a Club. P. H. Emmett, E r i c R i d e a l , and Eugene Houdry were honorary chairmen, and Heinz Heinemann was executive secretary of the F i r s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l Congress on C a t a l y s i s with r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r the o v e r a l l o r g a n i z a t i o n . Numerous committee chairmen worked hard to make the Congress a success and they, as w e l l as the sponsors who contributed $43,000 to the Congress, are l i s t e d i n Volume 9 of ADVANCES IN CATALYSIS that contains the proceedings of the meeting. The Congress was attended by over 600 persons, many of whom came from abroad with support furnished by part of the funds r a i s e d f o r the event. During preparations f o r the meeting, the " I n t e r n a t i o n a l Congress on C a t a l y s i s " was incorporated i n the U.S., and at the meeting i t was decided to hold such Congresses once every four years i n a country o f f e r i n g an i n v i t a t i o n . Heinz Heinemann was elected president of the o r g a n i z a t i o n f o r the period 1956-1960 and through the second Congress held i n P a r i s i n 1960. He was succeeded as president by A. Farkas (1960-1964), F. G. Ciapetta (1964-1968), and V. Haensel (1968-1972). The T h i r d Congress was held i n Amsterdam i n 1964, the fourth i n Moscow i n 1968, the f i f t h i n Palm Beach, F l o r i d a i n 1972, the s i x t h i n London i n 1976, and the seventh i n 1980 i n Tokyo. The eight i s scheduled f o r B e r l i n i n 1984· A l l Congresses a f t e r the f i r s t f i v e were attended by at l e a s t 1,000 p a r t i c i p a n t s , and proceedings have been published f o r a l l of them. The Second Congress was cosponsored by IUPAC, and subsequent ones were j o i n t e n t e r p r i s e s . A f t e r the success of the Second Congress, a t r u l y i n t e r n a t i o n a l o r g a n i z a t i o n was e s t a b l i s h e d with a board comprising two representatives from each member country. Local organizing committees did most of the work. By 1965, the i n d i v i d u a l C a t a l y s i s Clubs i n the United States f e l t the need f o r c l o s e r a f f i l i a t i o n , and the C a t a l y s i s S o c i e t y of North America was e s t a b l i s h e d , which comprised the membership of a l l C a t a l y s i s Clubs that were renamed " C a t a l y s i s Society of C a l i f o r n i a , " etc. The o r g a n i z a t i o n of the C a t a l y s i s Society and i t s f i r s t n a t i o n a l meeting i n A t l a n t i c C i t y i n 1969 were financed with funds remaining from the F i r s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l Congress on C a t a l y s i s . N a t i o n a l meetings of the S o c i e t y have been held every two years i n odd-numbered years i n A t l a n t i c C i t y , Houston, San F r a n c i s c o , Toronto, P i t t s b u r g h , Chicago, and Boston. A l l have been attended by hundreds of p a r t i c i p a n t s and p a r a l l e l s c i e n t i f i c sessions have been required. The S o c i e t y i s administered by a

Davis and Hettinger; Heterogeneous Catalysis ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1983.

Downloaded by NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV on January 1, 2018 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 3, 1983 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1983-0222.ch036

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Board of D i r e c t o r s elected by the member s o c i e t i e s and the membership a t - l a r g e . The Board i n turn e l e c t s a president, or v i c e - p r e s i d e n t , secretary, and t r e a s u r e r . In 1967, the C a t a l y s i s S o c i e t y of North America proposed the establishment of two p r e s t i g i o u s awards to be given once every two years. A committee comprised of A. H. Weiss and Heinz Heinemann obtained sponsorship f o r the "Paul H. Emmett Award" i n fundamental c a t a l y s i s and the "Eugene J . Houdry Award" i n applied c a t a l y s i s — t h e former to carry a $2,000 p r i z e , and the l a t t e r a $2,500 p r i z e . Emmett Award has been sponsored since i t s i n c e p t i o n by the Davison D i v i s i o n of W. R. Grace & Company; the Houdry Award was o r i g i n a l l y sponsored by the Houdry Process Corporation, Sun O i l Company, Oxycat Corporation, and the Houdry f a m i l y . More r e c e n t l y , A i r Products and Chemicals Corporation has taken over the sponsorship. Award winners f o r the f i r s t ten years were: Emmett Award R. Kokes J . H. S i n f e l t J . Lunsford G. A. Somorjai G. E r t l P. Jacobs

Houdry Award H. Bloch C. Plank H. Heinemann V. Haensel A. Farkas H. Pines

C a t a l y s i s Clubs have also prospered i n other countries. There are now such groups i n Hungary, Japan, and Holland. The Gordon Conferences found a European equivalent i n the Roermond Conferences held i n Holland once every four years. RECEIVED October 29,

1982

Davis and Hettinger; Heterogeneous Catalysis ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1983.