The journal was jointly owned by the four chemical societies through the Publishing Association Acta Chemica Scandinavica.

During the turbulent years after World War II, it was difficult for Nordic scientists to publish results from fundamental chemical research in magazines with international recognition.

This was never realised, but when the Swedish Chemical Society during 1946 sent out an enquiry to the other Nordic countries for a co-operation in publishing a new scientific journal, the Danes were well prepared and immediately positive.

Gradually, the magazine became an internationally recognized scientific journal in the fields of physical, inorganic and organic chemistry and also in biochemistry.

Today, all articles from Acta Chemica Scandinavica are available for free for scientists and interested persons globally.

The manuscripts written in English, French or German were submitted to national editorial committees with representatives appointed by the chemical society in respective country.

The Editorial Secretary and a small secretariat were carrying out the technical editing, proofreading, linguistic corrections, offprints, invoicing and bookkeeping.

A degree of voluntary contributions remained in the way that neither editors, nor board or editorial committees, received remuneration for work carried out.

However, during the middle of the 1980s the business was yielding growing losses and it was decided to establish a co-operation with Munksgaard's Publishing House in Denmark and let them handle administration, printing and distribution.

In this situation, national chemical societies got increasing difficulties to maintain single scientific journals.

During the following years all their publishing activities of RSC were combined and managed from Thomas Graham House in Cambridge.