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CORRESPONDENCE “Lost Data“ Revisited
I have just reread the editorial “Lost Data” by Dr. Jenny Glusker (April issue). As the current Chairman of the National Research Council’s Numerical Data Advisory Board, I’d like to commend her enthusiastically for her very well-articulated criticism of one aspect of the problem we chemists now confront regarding scientific data. Dr. Glusker is absolutely right to be as concerned as she is, that data of considerable value are, not infrequently, generated and then lost, for want of a repository from which they can conveniently and economically be retrieved. These are usually data generated with public funds, so there is a responsibility to make them publicly available. She may find some consolation or encouragement in learning that the ACS Committee on Science has set up a subcommittee to examine the problems concerning data generation, evaluation, reporting and dissemination-and that this group, chaired by Professor Richard Schwendeman of Michigan State University, had its first meeting in May. I hope that Dr. Glusker has an opportunity to disc:iw the problem of lost data with that group. R. Stephen Berry University of Chicago Om mani padme h u m How does the following information modify your understanding of a typical synthetic paper where it may have appeared? “Melting points were determined with a Thomas-Hoover Cni-Melt apparatus and are uncorrected, as are boiling points. IR spectra were taken with Perkin-Elmer 727I3, 1320, or 180 IR spectrometers. ‘H NMR spectra were recorded at 60. 79.5, and 90 MHz with Varian T60A,
0001-4842/85/0118-0260$01.50/0
CFT-20, and EM-390 spectrometers, respectively, and at 100 MHz with a Varian XL-100 or a JEOL JNM-PS-FT100 spectrometer, utilizing CDC13 (SiMe,) as the solvent. 13CNMR spectra were recorded at 20 and 25.16 MHz with Varian FT-80A and XL-100 spectrometers, respectively, utilizing CDC13as solvent unless otherwise specified. Lowand high-resolution mass spectra were determined with Varian CH-5 and MAT 312 spectrometers, respectively. Data for the single-crystal X-ray structure determination ...were collected with a Syntex Model P21 automatic X-ray diffractometer. Elemental analyses were carried out with a Perkin-Elmer 240 elemental analyzer (C, H, N) and an American Instrument Co. chloride titrator.” A casual check of a recent issue of T h e Journal of Organic Chemistry showed that papers with an introduction of their experimental section like the above outnumber others roughly 2:l. Obviously, the information given above has no bearing whatsoever on the interpretation or reproducibility of the experimental data of a synthetic paper. Present-day synthetic chemistry including accessories such as spectroscopy and the presentation of spectroscopic data etc. are so standardized that description of standard commercial apparatus etc. does not add anything of value to an experimental report. It may be a moot point whether this archaic practice has ever had a rational basis, but today its function resembles most of all that of a Tibetan prayer wheel as indicated in the title of this letter. The information explosion could be somewhat contained if editors discouraged continued dilution of scientific lore with this type of noninformation. Alexander Senning Aarhus University Denmark
0 1985 American Chemical Society
