DEXTER AWARD IN HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY TO RALPH E. OESPER
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THE first presentation of the Dexter Award in the History of Chemistry was made to RALPHE. OESPERa t the 130th Meeting of the A.C.S. a t Atlsntio City in September, 1956. This choice by the Division of the History of Chemistry for this honor comes as no surprise to friends of THE JOURXAL.The quality and quantity of Dr. Oesper'~contributions have been the delight of readers for 30 years. His advice and counsel have heen the support of all of its editors. The accompanying account of Dr. Oeaner's life and work incornorates the remarks hv Dr. Denis I. Duveen a t the time of the award presentation and portions of a paper read before the Division at the Cincinnati Meeting of the A.C.S. (spring, 1955) by Professor Robert 1). Billinger of Lehigh University. ~~~
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CINPINKATI is the home of one of America's industrious biographers. He is a native son, trained in her schools and university. World traveler and friend of scientists in many countries, Ralph Edward Oesper has been publishing a continuous series of papers on history of chemistry for over three decades. I t is very evident t,hat an around-the-world trip made with his family almost exactly three decades ago stimulated him especially and provided basic material that was t o illuminate and delight readers of the JOURNAL OF CKEMICAL EI)UCATION during the following years. The Oespers took the opportunity t o visit numerous eminent contemporary chemists and pay homage to those who had gone before by visiting and photographing the scenes of their act,ivities and their tombs. An unusually long paper of some 50 pages accompanied by about 60 illust,rations and titled "What a Chemist May See in EuropetJ1was one of the most charming and instructive results of the journey. The original version of this chemist's guide t o Europe was referred t o as "unusually long" because of the fact that the prizewinner has manifested the exceptional virtues of succinctness and brevity to an unusual degree. H e has specialized in compact, yet informative and accurate biographical sketches. This is well attested by the inclusion in the Encyclopedia Aritannica of 24 biographies of renowned chemists wit,ten by him. From this adept biographer we can get an excellent summary of the scientific advances made by some of the masters of the past. Among those are: Armstrong, Arrhenius, Crookes, Dumas, Fresenius, Glauher, Graham, Haber, Henry, Hofman, Kolhe, LeRel, Mitscherlich, Nernst, Nobel, Ostwald, Perkin, Priestley, Raoult, Richards, Werner, Wislicenus, Wohler, and Wollaston. It is axiomatic that none who has not a strictly chemical education and background can hope to contribute fruitfully to the history of our science. Ralph Oesper's main field of interest in this direction has been analytiral chemistry which he taught for many years. I n fact the reagent ferrous ethylene diamine sulfate, which can replace the less stable ferrous ammonium sulfat,e, is marketed under the name of "Oesper's Salt."2 OESPER,R. E., J. CHEM.EDUC.,6, 195 (1929). J. CHEM.EDUC.,24, OESPER,R. E., A N D K. P. CARAWAY, 235 (1947). 106
To keep abreast of his major field, and to aid others likewise, Oesper translated from the German "Newer Methods of Volumetric Analysisna by Brennecke, et al. A much more ambitious translation was the extensive treatise (740 pages) written by Feigl, entitled "Chemistry of Specific, Selective and Sensitive Rea~tions."~This labor cemented a friendship between author and translator which grew constantly as each valued the ability of the other. Reviewers have described these translations as "admirably done" and noted for "painstaking care." Much of Oesper's historical work has been roncerned with foreign chemists, and in a number of cases he has either translated their work or rollaborated with them in the preparation of English language editions. This aspect of his labors has had a two-fold effect. It has made available to English-speaking students and scholars important material they would otherwise not have had the opportunity of consulting. A second, probably more important, effect is that it has fostered international goodwill and helped dispel the false illusion, still held in certain quarters abroad, that Americans are solely interested in things of material and not of cultural or humanistic import. In addition to the furthering of international good will by his prolific writing, Oesper has been helpful in personal and material ways. Through his influence foreign students have been aided in coming to American universities; countless CARE packages have been shipped abroad, and European friends have received small stipends for technical articles or translations. I n 1951, the year in which he retired from active teaching, Oesper was chosen as one of a group of American chemists to welcome and guide visiting foreign delegates who came to the International Congress of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Dr. Oesper has served as secretary, and chairman, and trustee of his local section of the A.C.S., and also has been secretary and counselor, and active member of the Division of History of Chemistry in the national organization. He was chosen Eminent Chemist of the Cincinnati Section of A.C.S. for 1953-54. 8 BRENNECBE, E., K. FAJANS,N. H. FURXAN, R. LANG,A N D H. STAMM,"Newer Methods of Volumetric Analysis," D. Van Kostrand Co., Inc., 1938. FEIGL,FRITZ,"Chemistry of Specific, Selective, and Sensitive Reactions," Academic Press, New York, 1949.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
REFERENCE BOOKS FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHEMISTRY COURSES
ONEof the very significant recent educational developments is the acknowledgment by certain high schools of a responsibility to provide more solid educational fare for students of greater than average ability and motivation in preparation for college. These high schools make provision for work in as many as 12 areas, which goes considerably beyond what is normally expected in preparing for college. These areas include English composition, literature, European history, American history, French, German, Latin, Spanish, mathematics, biology, physics, and chemistry. Students in these courses, by passing The Advanced Placement Tests of the College Entrance Examination Board, become eligible for consideration for advanced placement in colleges. These tests meet a long-recognized need-they provide a reliable measuring tool to measure the competence of a superior student in terms of the point a t which he should begin college studies. During the past year there has been a sharp increase in the number of secondary schools offering courses for advanced placement. For example, about 38 schools provided about 900 candidates for the C.E.E.B. Advanced Plac6ment Tests in 1955. This increased to about 110 schools which provided about 2300 candidatesin 1956. Chemistry is one of the fields in which Advanced Placement Tests are being prepared on an annual basis. A report on the operation of this program will he found in mrs JOURNAL.'The College Entrance Examination Board-Brown University Con-. ference in June 1956 mas devoted to the Advanced Placement Course in Chemistry. The high-school teachers present pointed out the need for reference books in chemistry that u~ouldreflect modern viewpoints in chemistry and yet could be used by highschool students. The conference authorized the appointment of a committee2 to prepare and submit an annotated bibliography of reference books that should be especially helpful to students and teachers in high schools offering a course for advanced placement in chemistry. The recommendations of the committee follow herewith. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF REFERENCE BOOKS FOR HIGH-SCHOOL LIBRARIES BENSON, S. W., "Chemical Calculations," John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1952. A book on solving problems in inorganic chemistry. Presents solutions which emphasise a n analytical approach. Stresses male method. "Essential Principles of Organic Chemistry," CASON,JAMES, Prentice-Hall, h e . , Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1956. An elementary textbook presented with the idea that theories and principles of organic chemistry should predominate over the systematic study of functional groups. , "Organic Chemistry," 3rd ed., FIESER,L. F., A N D F I E ~ E RM., D. C. Heath and Co., Boston, Massachusetts, 1956. A large one-volume text on csrhon ohemistry and its applications to chemical technology, biology, and medicine. Up-to-date infar-
' NORTON,B. M., Ji CHEM.EDUC.,33, 232, 237 (1956).
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The committee: Conrad E. Ronneherg (Chairman), Denison University; Edward L. Haenisch, Wabash College; Bayes M. Norton, Kenyan College; Leallyn B. Clapp, Brown University; Samuel P. Msssie, Fisk University.
VOLUME 34. NO. 3. MARCH, 1957
mation on structures of vitamins, alkaloids, natural products and their syntheses. GLASSTONE. 8.. 'iSource Book on Atomic Enerev." D. Van
forces, fission, nuclear strtteture, and uses of nuclear energy. GOULD,E . S., "Inorganic Reactions and Structure," Henry Holt and Co., New York, 1955. A text of inorganic chemistry just beyond the scope of the first year of general colloge e h m istry. Emphasis on structure as implied in the title. "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics," Chemical Rubhrv Publishing Co., Cleveland, Ohio. An annual puhblicatian. OP
LANGE,N. A,, "Handhook of Chemistry,'' Handhook Publishers, Inc., Sandnskp, Ohio. Ninth edition now current. Handbooks of physical constants of inorganic and organic compounds and mathematical tables. "Henley's Twentieth Centlny Book of Formulas, Processes and Trade Secrets," edited by G. D. Hrscox, Norman W. Henley Publishing Co., New York, 1945. A book of reoipes and formulas for making industrial products from adhesives to inks to process cheese to shaving lotion to shoe polish. "Inorganic Syntheses," various editors, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, 1939-1953, 4 volumes. An advanced laboratory manual. Directions for many inorganic preparations originate in one laborstory and are tried and approved in another before they are acceptable for these volumes.
JOEL H., "Reference Book LATIMER,W. M., A N D HILDEBRAND, of Inorganic Chemistry," 3rd ed., The Mrtcmillan Co., S e w York, 1951. The essential facts of chemistry tiystematically and briefly presented and related to tlieories and principles. MOELLER, T., "Inorganic Chemistry," John Wiley & Sons, Ine., New York, 1952. Part I contains a theoretical hsekground for understanding principles of inorganic chemistry. Part I1 is the descriptive chemistry of the elements by groups (almost in reverre order of the Periodic Table). PAULING, I,., "Nature of the Chemical Bond," 2nd ed., Cornell University P~.ess,Ithsce, N. Y., 1940. Treatment of the structure of molecules, crystals, and metals based on a qualitative discussion of quantum mechanics. The unifying idea in the hook is the theory of resonance. Requires a minimum of mathematics to understand. READ,W. T., "Indnst~.ialChemi~try,"3rd ed., John Wiley & Sans, Inc., New York, 1943. Emphasis is an important industrial applications of chemistry. SIDGWICK, N. V., "The Chemical Elements and Their Compounds," Clarendon Press, Oxfo~d,Toronto, Canada, 1950, 2 volumes. A treatiso describing the chemistry of the elements in modern terms of atomic and molecular structure with an attempt a t correlation of properties. Contains a desoription of their more important compounds, evidence of structure, variations in properties within a gmnp and between groups. Documented to 1948. WEEKS, MARYE., ''1hcovet.y of the Elements," 6th ed., Journal of Chemical Education, Easton, Pennsylvania, 1956. A description in narrative style of the discovery of the elements, anecdotes about the chemists who made the discoveries, and some of the controversy of rival claims. Edition 6 has up-to-date information on the discovery of elements beyond 92.
JOURNALS Chemical and Engineering N m s , 1155 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington 6, I). C. Journal o j Chemical Educalion, Easton, Pennsylvania. Scientific American, 2 West 45th Street, New York 36, S. Y. Scientific Monthly, American Association for Advancement of Science, 1515 Massnchrmetts Avenue, Wa~hington5, 1). C.
