Nineteenth-century French chemist Marcellin Berthelot and novelist Jules Verne had different visions of science in the year 2000. Berthelot optimistically prophesied that it would provide cheap solar and geothermal energy, synthetic food and the means to create a utopia. Verne darkly predicted that art would dominate science and that the works of Victor Hugo and Balzac would disappear.

These divergent visions and their link to the 19th century view of chemistry will be presented by historian Alan J. Rocke at the 219th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, in San Francisco, Calif., March 26-30. The theme of the meting is the future of chemistry, but a number of symposia will focus on the accuracy of 19th century predictions about the 20th century.

WHO: Alan J. Rocke, Bourne Professor of History, Case Western Reserve University

WHAT: Symposium on the History of Futurism in Chemistry, ACS Division of the History of Chemistry

WHEN: Tuesday, March 28, 2000, 3:20 p.m.

WHERE: Grand Hyatt Hotel
345 Stockton Street
Portrero Room

A nonprofit organization with a membership of 161,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society (www.acs.org ) publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.