A historical study of structures for communication of organic chemistry information prior to 1950

The evolution of the graphical structure diagram as a means of communication of chemical structure information is traced from its origins through to the mid-20th century. The impact of developments in structural theory on the representation of structures is discussed. A study of how structures were represented in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the Journal of the Chemical Society and its predecessors, the Journal of the American Chemical Society and United States patents was made, making use of electronic journal and patent archives. The problems associated with representing structures graphically are discussed.