The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is an international scholarly scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of chemistry. Formed in 1919, IUPAC is regarded by chemists as the preeminent authority on chemical nomenclature, measurements (e.g., atomic weights), and chemical physical constants.

In order to improve global communication among chemists, one of the principle aims of IUPAC is to standardize the terminology of chemistry. International standardization of chemical terms and standardization of names, symbols, and measures is important to foster cooperation and understanding among chemists working in many native languages.

IUPAC's role in standardizing chemical terminology has reduced the chaos of having different names for the same elements, molecules, or compounds. When new elements, for example, are discovered, they are reported to IUPAC so that they can be named according to the...