Comment: Integrity advances chemistry

The birthday gift I received from my parents when I turned seven was April Morning by Howard Fast. It has been one of my favorites since. On the surface, it is about a young Adam Cooper coming of age as the first salvos of the American Revolution unfold in Massachusetts, 250 years ago. I have grown to believe that this book is fundamentally about integrity, as it examines core principles and the actions that consequently arise from them. The story is set during the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Adam’s father challenged authority as one of the minutemen to defend his commitment to freedom and human decency, an act he and others paid for with their lives. Adam instantaneously passed from adolescence to adulthood as he witnessed the flash of a British musket fell his father. He begins to develop his own inner compass as the story unfolds, navigating the realities of responsibility and war, while developing a more mature self-knowledge. By the end of the book, Adam emerges with a nascent sense of integrity and the importance of being true to his core values. You may be asking what does this have to do with integrity and chemistry in 2026?

Have you ever been asked “How do you do chemistry” instead of “What is chemistry”? If so, you may answer with an explanation of the scientific method of inquiry. My answer would also include “with professional conduct and responsible practice” and evolve into a discussion about Empowering Trust, Honesty, and Integrity in Chemistry and Society (ETHICS); an important, sometimes overlooked, part of the conversation that would necessarily emphasize integrity and why it matters in the chemical sciences.

Integrity is a multistage process that requires constant reflection. In stage one, self-awareness catalyzes an inner compass (core values) in individuals and in communities. In stage two, actions honor and align with one’s core values. These actions are consistent, courageous, fair, honest, and transparent. They are the building blocks used to construct one’s integrity. In stage three, accountability maintains integrity.

The process of integrity is fully embedded in the chemistry enterprise—from the collection of data to its analysis and reporting. It runs through the development and marketing of everyday products to consideration of the consequences (good and otherwise) of research and inventions. Integrity empowers the trust that advances chemistry.

All humans follow some guiding principles. Chemists are taught to think in a rigorous manner that follows empirical logic and chemical-physical laws accepted as fact. For example, “Matter cannot be created or destroyed by ordinary means.” They are, hopefully, also mentored about the professional conduct and responsible practice of chemistry, and if so, emerge into their careers with foundational knowledge and growing integrity. The ACS Professional Code of Conduct and the Volunteer and Participant Code of Conduct are available to guide chemists as they build and maintain integrity. The ACS Committee on Ethics (ETHX) also provides help and resources to empower integrity.

This year, ACS celebrates its 150th anniversary. Closely echoing Charles Dickens, “It is the best of times, it is the worst of times,” as there is cause for great jubilation and tremendous trepidation. One hundred fifty years as the leading global voice for chemists and chemistry is worthy of joyful reflection and introspection but must be tempered by the ongoing hardships that chemistry and chemists face.

Like the characters in April Morning who remained constant to their principles, ACS now, more than ever, must show its integrity by remaining steadfast to our core values. These are passion for science, lifelong learning, inclusion and belonging, and sustainability. ACS has a duty to continue to act in the best interests of its members and the chemistry enterprise. Recent ACS actions to aid graduate students affected by sudden funding loss, meeting registration relief for chemists from emerging economies, and the establishment of the Committee on the Advancement of LGBTQ+ Chemists demonstrate ACS’s commitment to its core values.

Since 1876, ACS has consistently acted in alignment with its guiding principles to the benefit of chemistry and society. This year, ETHX also celebrates an anniversary: its 20th. Together, all of ACS, including ETHX, continues to have the imperative to empower integrity in chemistry and society as it launches into the next 150 years. After all, “Chemistry is Everything.”