At least since the days of Robert Boyle (1627-1691) chemical scientists have been at the forefront of efforts to facilitate and expedite communication. As science has become ever larger and more complex and the technologies of information storage and retrieval more advanced, these scientists have had to develop and refine specialized information systems to meet their research needs.

This chronology presents, in colorful poster format, the major breakthroughs in chemical information science, from the founding of societies and journals; to the defining and refining of nomenclature; to the labor-saving features of mechanical sorters, electronic computers, and online databases; to the accessibility of the Internet.