The 19th century constituted a milestone in the history of modern chemistry with the recognition of atoms by John Dalton, the publication of Amadeo Avogadro’s principle, and the determination of atomic weights by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Jean-Baptiste Dumas, and others. However, these concepts and findings introduced confusion among chemists, particularly in the definition of the smallest particle of matter, the relationship between inorganic and organic compounds, and the representation and meanings of atoms and molecules. In 1860 August Kekulé took the initiative of proposing the first International Congress of Chemists, in which a common language of chemistry would be established. Together with Carl W. Weltzien and Charles-Adolphe Wurtz, he planned and organized the congress, which was held in Karlsruhe. On the occasion of the sesquicentennial of the congress, this article reviews the situation preceding it, the Congress itself, and its results.
Kauffman et al. (Mon,) studied this question.