Although there was an American scientific society at that time (the American Association for the Advancement of Science, founded in 1848), the growth of chemistry in the U.S. prompted those assembled to consider founding a new society that would focus more directly on theoretical and applied chemistry.
雖然當時有一個美國科學學會（美國科學促進會，成立於1848年），但美國化學的發展促使那些聚集在一起考慮建立一個更加直接關注理論和應用的新社會。