The scientific work of IUPAC is conducted largely through a formal Project System in which proposals from chemists around the world are peer-reviewed. Traditional projects include the international standardization of nomenclature and terminology, publication of glossaries in particular fields, setting standards for presentation of spectral and other data, establishing uniform scales for quantities such as pH, forging agreement on analytical methods, and a host of similar matters. Other IUPAC projects are directed at compilation and evaluation of quantitative (usually numeric) data in areas where there are international needs, such as thermodynamics, kinetics, metabolism, etc. Once a proposal is reviewed in detail and approved by a Division Committee, funds are made available to the task group formed to carry out the project. Projects often result in the publication of a Technical Report, a Recommendation, tables of evaluated data, and other outputs. The Project System allows IUPAC to address problems quickly, to provide funds where needed to expedite completion of a project as expeditiously as possible, and -perhaps most important- to engage the active participation of chemists throughout the worldwide chemistry community who volunteer their ideas and expertise to address the problems of greatest importance that are within IUPAC’s scope.
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