Journal of the American Chemical Society

Journal of the American Chemical Society
source
Title	Journal of the American Chemical Society
Discipline	Chemistry
Abbreviation	J. Am. Chem. Soc.
Publisher	American Chemical Society
Country	United States
History	1879–present
Frequency	Weekly
Impact	20+ (varies by year)

Journal of the American Chemical Society is a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Chemical Society that reports original research across the chemical sciences. Founded in the late 19th century, the journal has published influential articles by figures associated with institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, and Stanford University. Its pages have featured work connected to laboratories and researchers linked to Royal Society of Chemistry, Max Planck Society, National Institutes of Health, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

History

The journal was established in 1879 under the auspices of the American Chemical Society during a period when institutions like Smithsonian Institution, Columbia University, and Yale University were expanding scientific publication. Early editorial leadership included chemists affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and Princeton University, and the journal chronicled developments tied to figures such as Joseph Priestley-era chemistry historians and contemporaries related to the legacy of Dmitri Mendeleev and August Kekulé. Throughout the 20th century the journal reflected research trends from centers including Bell Laboratories, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of California, Berkeley, publishing landmark studies near events like the rise of World War II-era research mobilization and the postwar expansion associated with the Atomic Energy Commission. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the journal adapted to digital platforms alongside publishers such as Wiley-Blackwell and competitors like Nature Publishing Group and Science (journal), while maintaining ties to professional societies including American Physical Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Scope and Content

The journal covers experimental and theoretical work spanning subfields associated with institutions such as Columbia University, University of Oxford, University of Tokyo, and ETH Zurich. Typical topics connect to research programs at centers including Argonne National Laboratory, Scripps Research, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and address themes relevant to entities like Nobel Prize-winning laboratories and awardees such as those honored by the Priestley Medal and the Wolf Prize. Content ranges from studies in organic chemistry linked to groups at California Institute of Technology and Cornell University to inorganic and physical chemistry work associated with California Institute of Technology and University of Chicago, plus interdisciplinary contributions tied to MIT Media Lab-adjacent efforts, biotechnology efforts at Genentech, and materials science programs at Bell Labs and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

Editorial oversight is provided by an editor-in-chief drawn from academia and patrons including faculty from Harvard Medical School, Yale School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, or national laboratories such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The journal operates an editorial board composed of associate editors with research affiliations spanning Imperial College London, University of California, San Diego, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Georgia Institute of Technology. Peer review follows protocols comparable to those used by Nature (journal), Science (journal), and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reliant on external referees recruited from universities and institutes including Princeton University, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, and industrial research groups like DuPont and IBM Research. Editorial decisions reflect consultation with subject-area specialists connected to societies such as Royal Society and adjudication practices analogous to committees in organizations like National Science Foundation.

Publication and Access Model

Historically distributed in print through the American Chemical Society's publishing division, the journal transitioned to digital dissemination coordinated with platforms operated by scholarly publishers and library consortia including JSTOR-style archives and services used by Oxford University Press subscribers. The publication schedule is weekly, and access models have evolved from subscription packages accessed by university libraries at Harvard University and University of California campuses to hybrid and open-access options paralleling policies adopted by funders like the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Wellcome Trust, and European Research Council. The journal’s article types include full research articles, communications, and perspectives that are indexed in citation databases maintained by organizations such as Clarivate, Scopus (Elsevier), and institutional repositories at National Institutes of Health.

Impact and Reception

The journal is widely cited across chemistry and allied fields, influencing work at institutions including MIT, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and Princeton University. Its impact has been measured against metrics produced by entities such as Clarivate Analytics and compared with journals like Angewandte Chemie, Chemical Science, and Accounts of Chemical Research. Community reception has been shaped by debates involving funders and institutions like the National Institutes of Health, European Commission, and advocacy groups concerned with open access, mirroring broader discussions involving publishers such as Elsevier and societies such as the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Notable Papers and Contributions

The journal has published influential papers by scientists affiliated with Harvard University, MIT, Caltech, Stanford University, and University of Chicago that contributed to discoveries recognized by the Nobel Prize, Priestley Medal, and National Medal of Science. Landmark contributions include foundational reports in organic synthesis, catalysis, materials science, and spectroscopy connected to laboratories like Bell Labs, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory, and to researchers associated with awards from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Papers have driven advances utilized by corporations and institutions such as Pfizer, Merck & Co., Intel Corporation, and General Electric and have informed policy discussions at agencies including the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy.

Category:Chemistry journals Category:American Chemical Society publications