The Portuguese Chemical Society (SPQ) was created on the 28th December 1911, and thus is now approaching its 100th anniversary. It is one of the major and more active Portuguese scientific societies, currently with more than 2000 members. Its mission is to promote and develop research and education in Chemistry and related sciences. Historically, the role of SPQ in Portuguese science goes behind Chemistry, as it also embraced Physics until 1974, when the Portuguese Physics Society became completely autonomous. SPQ is organized in eight Divisions (Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Catalysis and Porous Materials, Food Chemistry, Life Sciences and Chemical Education) and ten Groups (Free Radicals, Glucids, Photochemistry, History of Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Magnetic Resonance, Chromatography, Colloids, Polymers and Interfaces, Medicinal Chemistry and Young Chemists). The Medicinal Chemistry Group was created in 2006 and presently includes 128 members, mostly from academia.
The range of activities developed by SPQ is very broad, covering both science and education. For example, SPQ offers two major scientific prizes. The first one, the "Ferreira da Silva Prize", named in honour of the first President of the society, awards a Portuguese chemist with outstanding scientific activity or who gave a decisive contribution to the development of Chemistry in Portugal. Since 2002, SPQ has also awarded the "Vicente de Seabra Medal" to innovative and high-quality scientists aged under 40 developing their research in Chemistry in Portugal. The major scientific event promoted by SPQ is the biannual National Meeting that usually gathers more than 500 attendants and which attracts chemists from other European countries. These National Meetings cover all activities related to Chemistry, ranging from research in universities and industry to education in Basic and High Schools. In alternate years, each Division and Group organize their specialised meetings, which all together joined 1200 participants in 2007. The Medicinal Chemistry Meeting held the first Meeting in November 2008 gathering 230 participants.
SPQ actively participates in several international organizations, including the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), where it represents Portugal, International Chemistry Olympiads, European Association for Chemistry and Molecular Sciences (EuCheMS) and more recently, the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC). In 1997, SPQ terminated the publication of the Portuguese Chemistry Journal (Rev. Port. Chem.) and joined other major European scientific societies in publishing new high-quality and high-impact journals which include Chemistry - A European Journal, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, ChemPhysChem; ChemBioChem, ChemMedChem and ChemSusChem. The Society publishes four numbers a year of Química a bulletin that includes general purpose papers and information useful to the members.
SPQ is particularly focused on attracting young students to Chemistry, for example at the high-school level, and in the organization of the Chemistry Olympiads which usually involve ca. 3000 students from 250 public schools. The winners are then selected to the Iberoamerican Chemistry Olympiads. In addition, SPQ is also a partner of the Ministry of Education in the planning of national exams of Chemistry and in the supervision of the Chemistry program for high-school.
By Rui Moreira
