models to fission. Chapters 1 through 9, which constitute Part I of this volume, deal with fission phenomena a t low energy, i.e., spontaneous fission and fission induced by thermal neutrons. The phenomena associated with fission induced a t moderate energy, i.e., up to 50 Mev, and a t high energy, i.e., up to the several Gev range, are discussed in the remaining four chapters in Pert 11. Included in Part I1 are data. for the various ways of inducing fission by simple and complex charged particles, photom and mesons. Among the topics covered in Volume 3 are the history of the nuclear madela and theories of the fission reaction; orass sections; fission yields; ternary fission; distribution of charge; kinetic energy, velocity, range and angular distribution of fission fragments; velocity and angular distrihution of prompt neutrons; delayed neutrons; delayed neutron precurson and prompt gamma rays. A number of the experimental methods nsed in the study of, for example, fission fragments and fission neutrons are described in detail. As a reference work, this publication is certainly an important one for those actively engaged in research, teaching or graduate study in the fields of nuclear chemistry, nuclear physics and nuclear engineering. I n addition, one or mare of the volumes should he of value to others such its those concerned with nuclear geochemistry, with the utilization or potential utilization of the heavy elements because of their nuclear properties and with radiological health prahl e m associated with the heavy elements. HERBERTM. CLARK R m s e l a e r Polytechnic Institule
Troy, N m York
An Introduction to Chemical Nomenclature
R. S . Cahn, The Chemical Society, London. 2nd ed. Butterwort,hs, Washington, 1964. x 109 pp. Tables. 12.5 X 18.5cm. Paperbound, $2.50.
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This hook differs from the first edition (1959) only trivially in the original nine chapters, but i t includes a tenth chapter (13 pages) devoted to Exercises. Fifteen questions me proposed concerning the naming of hoth inorganic and organic compounds; answers are given. Dr. Cahn's experience equips him extraordinarily well to write authorits, tively in t,his field. He was Editor to The Chemical Society (London), in which ezpacity he devoted much time and study to the growing developments in nomenclature, and to erasing differences between British and American usage. Also, he is a distinguished member of the Commission on Nomenclature of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The chaoter titles reveal the scooe of
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Organic, Numbering; Organic, Building a. Name; Organic, Skeletal Types; Organic, Some Special Cases; Physicochemical Symbols; Exercises. The presentation is readable and the reeammendatians are cmefully considered. Although Cahn's treatment relates to British terminology, he frequently points out t,he differences from American practice. The differences are few and generally trivial. One wonders, however, who told the author that Americans prefer acetylamino over ace6 amido (p. 50), since C . A. does recommend the amido names (acetamido, henzamido, etc.). Some differences from U S . style, not mentioned by the author, are these: 1. sulphur instead of sulfur; 2. halogena (pp. 48, 49) instead of halo; 3. use of commas in hicyclo names instead of periods, which are used by Ring Index and by IUPAC, as hicyelo[3,2,l]actane instead of hicyclo[3.2.l]octane; 4. a hyphen to set off a complex substitutive prefix, &? 3-2'-hydroxyethylpentane-1,5-diol (p. 58). In the U.S. this would become 3-(2-hydroxyethyl>l,5-pentsnediol. The last name was listed as the correct one far CH(CH.CHXOH)~,as part of a discussion to show that the principle of "treating like things alike" is sometimes not feasible. I agree that this principle is not infrtllihle but suggest that this example would not need t,o be excluded if only the nomenclature Izwmakers would extend existing rules regarding conjunctive nomenclature (p. 77) to include acyclic structures. Then, just as 2CloHICHICHIOH is 2-naphthaleneethenol, so CH(CH.CHSOH)~would he methanetriethanol. In this way, all three C H r CH20H groups would he treated dike. Cahn mentions (pp. 37, 86) that it is Chemical Society practice to use hyphen3 "in composite class names, e.g., oxosteroids." In this category, however, he includes also keto-acids, chloro-ketones and amino-acids without mentioning that in the US. the hyphen is not nsed in such terms. When applied to ketone and acid, or to such other related t,erms as ester, ether, alcohol, sulfide, sulfone, snlfoxide, acetal, or glycoside, which are always written in complete names as separate words, it is onreitsonable to propose that absence of part of the first x,ord of these two-word nsmes justifies combining the residual parts. Thus, chloroacetic acid and ehlarosuecinie acid are h0t.h "chloro acids" and it would he irrational to refer to them as "ehlora-acids." Cahn emphasizes (p. 42) that in creating a name "the first thing to do is to seek out the functional groups: OH, NHz, C02H, S03H, ete.," and from them to select the principal one. "That group, and that alone, is written as suffix, the others become prefixes. The principal functional group sets the whole pattern of nomenclature and numbering, and it is vital to fix that group before anything else is done." This is indeed the heart of chemical nomencleture. This being so, many readers may find it diseoneert,ing to find that the author considers it permissible to ignore it with some amines and amides, ns 1-zminophenanthrene (p. 47) or NN'-diacetyl-o-phenylenedi&mine (p. 101). For these, however, he
does also list the dternstive nsmes phenanthren-1-amine and ~Vj\r'-u-phenylenehisacetamide, wibh the correct principal functions appearing a t the end of the names. Needless deviations from incorporating a. principal function at the end of a name should not be encouraged. As Cahn points out (p. 3 ) : "Tsmpering with it [general principles of nomenclature] merely makes life harder for the reader and far the searcher in indexer. I t is rarely good to call a spade a shovel, with or without a prefix." The hook chin= to he only an "Introduction." I t is that, hut it is more. I t is a thought-provoking presentation that is certain to he heloful to all ohemisbs on the subject of nomenclature regardless of their prior knowledge in this area. D. HVRD CHARLES Northwestern Unive~sll?~ Evanston, Illinois
Organic Name Reactions: A Conlribution to the Terminology of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, a n d Theoretical Organic Chemistry
Helmut K~aueh and Werner Kunz, with a foreword by Friedrich Richter. Translated from the 2nd rev. German ed. by John A{. Harkin. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1964. xxiii 620 pp. Figures. 16 X 23.5 rm. $16.
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At first glance, this hook appears to he exitctly what ibs publishers claim"an encyclopedic collection of all the mare important organic name reactions and their mechanisms as they are aecepted today.'' Upon investigation, however, the hook appears to be either too eneyelapedic or not exhaustive eno~rgh to make an outstanding contribution to the chemical literilture. Besides named reactions (both personal names and type names), the hook includes named hiological cycles, sueh ss the Calvin phatosym thetic cycle, named rules, such as the Fries double-bond mle, and named effects, sueh as the Baker-Nathan (hyperconjugatian) effect. The hook goes far out in a t least one case t o orovide a rule (Wood-
sist of several volumes and he far too unwieldy for the chemist's reference shelf. I t is thus not too difficult to find significant omissions, especially in the fields of natural products synthesis and biochemistry, which t,he authors purport to cover. This reference work cantsins 522 entries, including a. brief description of the reaction, cycle, rule or effect, its area of applicability, reaction mechanism and a selection of historical, general, m d recent references. An addendum evidently not in the German edition contains more references up through 1963. The inclusion of mechanisms is hoth a. service and a disadvantage. This feature may add to the information about the
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