book reviews Graphic Representations of the Periodic System During One Hundred Years
Edward G . Mazurs. The University of Alabama Press, 1974. xii 251 pp. Figs. and tahles. $15.
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Are you interested in a logical and virtually complete compilation of approximately seven hundred oeriodic tahles. includine unusual types s i e h as a "psychobiologic" periodic table (Ransom, Dorothy, Seientif. 'Mont., 74, 358 (1952)) or a tahle with places for 342 elements (Baca-Mendoza, Oswaldo, Roletin de lo Sociedod Qu;rniea del Peru, Lima, 21.5-23 [1955])? Have I got a book for you! The hook under review is truly a labor of love t o which its author, now 81 years old, has devoted literally more than a score of years. Although a second edition, i t is still almost completely unknown because the first edition, entitled "Types of Graphic Representation of the Periodie System of Chemical Elements," was published as a paperback (price $2.50) by the author in La Grange, Illinois in 1957 and printed in Lincoln, Nebraska. Consequently, it was not reviewed in any of the standard journals. The hook has heen expanded from 158 pages t o xii 251 pages not only by the updating of references (the first edition covered the period 1787-1956: the second, 1787-1972) but also by the addition of much explanatory material, both textual and in the form of figures. It begins with two sections which provide an historical introduction-"Prehistory of the Periodic System" (5 pp.) and "Discovery of the Periodic Law" (8 pp.). The longest section of the book, "Classification of Periodic Tables Originated after Discovery of the Law of Octaves and the Periodic Law" (122 pp.), contains a survey and analysis of virtually every conceivable table yet devised-all logically and meticulously arranged into 146 categories according to an elaborate scheme involving three divisions (short, medium, and long tables), which are further divided into classes, types, and subtypes. Emphasis is now placed on more modem concepts by a new subdivision (IIIB, "Electronic Configuration Tables," 40 pp.), whieh the author designates as "the center of gravity of this hook." The organization has been considerably improved, making it much more convenient to use. Far example, the figures of charts (expanded from 95 to 1431, previously in the hack of the hook, are now included in the body of the text a t the points where they are discussed, while the references, previously in the body of the teat, are now relegated to a special extensive (73 pp.) bibliography, arranged chronologically according to table types and containing more than 1550 separate and complete items, with some duplication. The journals and books cited range from readily available sources such as the Journal of Chemical Education, one of the most fruitful repositories of tables, t o house organs, proceedings of obscure organizations, unpublished materials. and letters. All the maior and many minor languages are represented; the author's knowledge of English, Latvian,
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A436 / Journal of ChemicalEducation
German, French, Latin, and especially Russian have been invaluable in his work. The "Conclusion" section has been expanded from 2-8 pages and has been completely rewritten. The appendices include an "Outline of the History of Discovery of the Periodie System and of the Classification of Types of Periodic Tables" (8 pp.), whieh provides a useful bird's-eye view of the hook, "Element Blocks of Which the Tables Consist" (1 p.), and "Equations of the Periodic Table" (2 pp.). The hook concludes with a useful 24-page "Alphabetical Author Index," which refers t o year, type, and reference number. Considerine the complexity of the hook and the numerous references from a multitude of foreign languages, the number of errors is remarkably small. In one sense, this bonk is very much of a specialty item. In another, it is of wide applicability, for i t deals with the cornerstone of modern inorganic chemistry-a discovery that has brought order into what was once a bewildering array of diverse elements and that has had ramifications in theories of, for example, valency, affinity, and electronic structure. As such, it will he of great value to instructors of science courses, historians of science, and even practicing chemists with an interest in the history of their subject. I t occupies an undisputed position in the series of books initiated more than three quarters of a century ago by Francis P. Venahle's "The Development of the Periodie Law" (The Chemical Publishing Co., Easton, Pa. 1896). hut it is much more comprehensive in scope than any of its half-dozen or so predecessors. For the time span covered, it has no competitor, it is definitive, and i t is unlikely to be superseded. Mr. Mazurs and the University of Alabama Press deserve our thanks for making this gold mine of information readily available to us. Hopefully, i t will receive the attention denied to the first edition-attention that it so richly deserves. George 8. Kauffman Califmk State Universiry. Fresno Fresno, Califwnk 93740
Graphic Representationsof the Periodic System during One Hundred Years
variety of conceptual ingenuity displayed by a century of chemists. The author informs us that during the period since discovery of the periodic law, more than 700 different graphical representations, or periodic tables, have been proposed. Those interested in the historical development of chemistry will recognize the author's valuable service in bringing together these forms for comparison, and for collecting a comprehensive bibliography of about 1400 references that occupies 72 pages of this 250-page book. The book begins with chapters on the historical background and the discovery of the periodic law, and then describes the author's method of classifying different forms of the periodic tahle, which reduces the number of general types to 146. The tables of each type are then separately described, with 138 tables reproduced. (A good assignment for inorganic students would he to criticize one of these charts.) Offhand a chronological treatment might seem of greater historical interest, but probably no one who has never attempted this massive task of classification is eompetent to suggest how it should be done. A reader becomes impressed with two outstanding facts: (1) the ingenuity that has produced 700 different tables yet the great similarity of many of them, and (2) the chemical individuality that prevents the elements from fitting ideally into any reasonablv simole oattern. Anvone who rwognlzes the imperletliunj inherent In. In all penodic tables, and I ~ inI all renrhwc ,of rhcrn~strv,must apprer:ate the wisdom of openmindedness in the selection of a periodic table for the classroom and the folly of attempting to dictate a standard farm by internkional committee, as orderly minded persons have sometimes proposed. One might well expect such a dedicated student of periodic tables to formulate his own concept, and Mszurs has. His concept takes several forms that should he useful in the ela~sroom. Perhaps in the future, the editor of this Journal will he less flooded with "new" periodic tables if their originators will first study Mazur's hook t o see how ruthlessly their ideas have been anticipated by earlier authors. For this and more important reasons, this hook is a substantial contribution for which all chemists should be appreciative.
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Edward G. Marurs. University of Alabama Press, 1974. xii 251 pp. Figs. and tables. 18 X 26 cm. $15.
R. T. Sanderson Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona
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In 1957 Edward Mazurs distributed a private printing of his book, "Types of Graphic Representation of the Periodie System of Chemical Elements." The present work is a revised edition published, one hopes, with greater probability that it will hecome available to all those interested, for the earlier edition did not become as well known as it deserved. This is not intended as a hook on chemical periodicity. I t dms not, except for PIPCtnmic cun~igurationsand n v e n few graphs of physical properties, discuss the experimental observations or theoretical data whieh reveal the full significance of the periodic law. Rather, it concentrates on the formal arrangement of the elements in periodic tables, in accordance with the wide
The Study of Kinetics and Mechanisms of Reactions of Transition Metal Complexes
Ralph G. Wilkins, New Mexico State University. Allyn and Bacon, Ine., Boston, 1974. xii 403 pp. Figs. and tables. 15 X 23.5 cm. $17.95.
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This text represents a needed addition to the modest number of texts available for use in inuqanic mechanisms courses. The t m t ierlion ui thp hook, consisling of rhrw chnpter*, deal> w r h methods ft,r determining reaction mechanisms. I t is apparent from the length of this section, nearly 45% of the text, that the author considers a solid foundation in solution kinet-
