Chemistry
is among the last of the core natural sciences to embrace
preprints, namely, the publication of non peer-reviewed scientific
articles on the Internet. After a brief insight into the origins and
the purpose of preprints in science, we conducted a concrete analysis
of the concrete situation, aiming at providing an answer to several
questions. Why has the chemistry community been late in embracing
preprints? Is this in relation with the slow acceptance of open-access
publishing by the same community? Will preprints become a common habit
also for chemistry scholars?