15
V O L U M E 2 4, N O . 2, F E B R U A R Y 1 9 5 2
the
A
ment...
analyst's column
P ) R E C I S E a n d u n a m b i g u o u s writing
is t h e hope of every scientific author, a n d t h e despair of most editors. T h e fact t h a t words change meaning through careless usage or are extended t o express more t h a n originally intended adds t o o u r difficulties. T h e occupant of this corner has oi necessity some experience with t h e problems of scientific nomenclature, a n d can appreciate the concern a n d impatience of those who wish t o do something about it. We are continually adding, of course, t o our knowledge, a n d so language m u s t change t o express our thoughts adequately. I t is à clumsy medium a t best, because r a t h e r t h a n coin a n e w word we a r e prone t o give added meanings t o older ones. Those who are continually coining n e w words hold t h a t t h e y have t h e best solution t o this age-old problem, a n d those who point out how illogical some definitions are, often convince u s of their logic b u t n o t always of t h e best way of correcting t h e definition. There are m a n y critical readers who are annoyed by multiple shades of meaning given t o certain wellknown a n d supposedly well-defined words. M o s t of u s m u t t e r t o ourselves a n d do nothing. B u t W m . Rieman I I I , professor of analytical chemistry a t Rutgers University, is disturbed about a word commonly used b u t beginning t o cover too much ground because of improper usage, a n d he h a s been thoughtful enough t o write us about it. I suggest that you put a plea in "The Analyst's Column" for uniformity in the use of the word "occlusion" as it pertains to coprecipitation. The use of this word in an unusual meaning in a recent article set me off on a search through all the important textbooks of quantitative analysis to see how the various authors treat this word. Eight of the books use occlusion to denote the phenomenon in which foreign ions are adsorbed by the growing crystals of the precipitate and subsequently trapped or buried beneath the (Continued on page 17A)
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