ACS donates $10,000 to anti-chemical weapons center

The American Chemical Society has contributed $10,000 (€8,202) to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to help build the intergovernmental group’s new Centre for Chemistry and Technology. The OPCW implements the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which aims to rid the world of chemical weapons. The group’s current laboratory was established in 1996 to support demilitarization activities, industrial facility inspections, and international cooperation. That work has expanded over time to include development of new tools and capabilities needed to address emerging chemical weapons threats—which necessitates more space and upgraded infrastructure, the OPCW says. The new facility, located in the Netherlands, is expected to cost €50 million ($61 million) and to open at the end of 2022. The OPCW has raised €33.4 million so far, including €8.1 million from the European Union, €6.6 million from Canada, and €6.2 million from the US. ACS is “honoured to support the new OPCW ChemTech Centre and its mission to train scientists and policymakers to protect humanity from future chemical weapon threats,” ACS CEO Tom Connelly says in a statement (ACS publishes C&EN).