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IXDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Vol. 18, No. 3
Meetings of the International Nomenclature Committees Paris, October, 1925 By Austin M. Patterson XENIA,Orno
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H E international working committees on inorganic and on organic chemical nomenclature each held a series of sessions in Paris during October 3 t o 7 , and it may be of interest to note the chief features of the results so far attained. It cannot be too strongly emphasized t h a t i t is the policy of the committees t o consider all their decisions as tentative and t o submit them to the criticisms of the general international committees, the national committees, and chemists generally, before final adoption. The present report is a n informal and unofficial one. The writer attended the sessions of both committees and had previously conferred individually with a number of the members in their places of residence. In addition he made a n unofficial visit to Hofmannhaus, Berlin, where he had the pleasure of meeting with several chemists who are interested in nomenclature. The Germans, being as yet unrepresented in the Union, are working through their own national committees; but as individuals they cooperated cordially and their purely personal opinions were later given due attention in the international Committee sessions-as were those also of other chemists, for example, Professor Grignard. I n inorganic nomenclature, particularly, the international and the German committees are working along closely parallel lines, and the prospect for future accord seems good. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry has general committees on inorganic, organic, and biological chemical nomenclature, each consisting of one representative from each nation in the Union. These committees are, however, too large for constructive work and the latter is intrusted t o small working committees. The inorganic and organic working committees consist of six members each, representing leading journals in six different countries. A joint picture of the two working comJOURNAL, 17, 1245 (1925). mittees in Paris appeared in THIS
The I n o r g a n i c C o m m i t t e e The following persons were present a t the October session in Paris: W. P. Jorissen of Leiden (chairman), representing the Recueil des travaux chimipues des Pays-Bas; M. Delitpine, Paris, Bulletin de la Socikte‘ chimique de France; Fr. Fichter, Basel, Helvetica chimica acta; A. J. Greenaway, London, Journal of the Chemical Society; and A. M. Patterson (substituting for E J. Crane), Chemical Abstracts. No representative of the Gazzetta chimica italiana was present. The work of the committee was based upon a comprehensive report of Professor Delepine, which had been circulated in advance. Briefly, the main decisions are as follows: For formula indexes, the system used by ChemicaZ Abstracts (Hill system) is favored. With reference t o conflicting names and symbols of eZementse. g., Be versus G1-a subcommittee was appointed, in which t h e international committee on atomic weights is t o be represented. I n naming compounds, t h e lingual difference between such names as “copper sulfate” and “sulfate de cuivre” is recognized, a s also the corresponding difference between ordinary formulas (CuS04 and SO4Cu). However, consistency should be observed in each language. For indexing purposes it is advisable t o give the more positive member first in any case-as “Cuivre, sulfate.” Such words as ferric, ferrous, and manganic have t h e disadvantage t h a t they indicate relative valence only; on t h e other hand, a system of characteristic endings for all the stages of valence is difficult to remember. The committee prefers the
two following systems, either of which may be used according t o circumstances: (1) A numerical system based on valence, using Roman numerals. For example, ferric oxide would be “iron (111) oxide” or “iron-111-oxide” (pronounced “iron-three-oxide”). (2) A system based on formulas. For example, ferric oxide would be “diiron trioxide” (in indexes “2-iron 3-oxide”). The names of oxygen acids are not very systematic. Professor Delitpine proposes t o discard t h e prefixes “ortho,” “meta,” and “pyro,“ and t o use “anhydro” and “aquo.” Thus, would be phosphoric acid; HPO,, anhydrophosphoric a a d ; HaP207, anhydrodiphosphoric acid; and HbPOs, aquophosphoric acid. The question will be studied further. The committee favors naming acid salts as follows: KHSOI, potassium hydrosulfate; NaH2P04, sodium dihydrophosphate; KHF2, potassium hydrodifluoride; and so on. This would of course necessitate avoiding names for polybasic acids that begin with “hydro”-for example, hydrosulfurous acid. Such expressions as “dibasic acid” and “diacid base” are t o be avoided as contradictory. Instead, one might say, “a diacid” or “a dihydric acid,” “a dibase” or “a dihydroxy base,” or “a dihydric base.” “Hydrate” should not be used as a synonym for “hydroxide.” For complex salts a modification of the Wernerian names is proposed but is not yet completely worked out. According to it the term “ammino” would become “ammonio,” the valence suffixes of Werner would be replaced by Roman numerals (see above) and the name of the principal element in t h e complex radical would come a t t h e beginning of its name instead of the end-for example, potassium chromium-111-diammonio-tetranitrite. For sulfur analogs of oxygen compounds, t h e terminology already adopted by the organic committee was approved; thus, S: P(OH)3 would be called thionophosphoric acid; 0:P(OH),SH, thiolphosphoric acid; HaPS4, tetrathiophosphoric acid. The names dithionic, trithionic, etc., are retained.
The Organic C o m m i t t e e The following were present: A. F. Holleman of Amsterdam (chairman), representing Recueil des travaux chimiques des PaysBas; C. S. Gibson, London (substituting for A. J. Greenaway). Journal of the Chemical Society; R. Marquis, Paris, Bulletin dc la Societe‘ chimipue de France; A. Pictet, Geneva, Helvetica chimica acta; and A. M. Patterson, Chemical Abstracts. A. Peratoner, Rome, Gazzetta chimica italiana, was absent on account of illness. The work of the committee has been based on the rules of the Geneva Congress of 1892 [for a statement of these see Arch. sci. phys. nut., [3]27, 485 (1892); Ber., 26, 1595 (1893)l. Professor Pictet, by the way, was secretary of t h a t congress. The Geneva rules form a logical system so far as they go and, in the opinion of some, are suitable as a whole for certain systematic works such as Beilstein. They are suitable only in part for general use and the committee felt t h a t this fact must be recognized. It has no thought of constructing a rigid system with one name only for every compound, b u t hopes t o systematize present ussge along correct lines with as few changes as possible. Chemists will not be expected t o give up names sanctioned by usage in favor of the recommended ones unless they choose t o do SO. The attitude of the committee on some of the principal points is at present as follows: The Geneva names for the normal parafins and olefins are retained, but for the acetylene series the ending -yne is proposed as a substitute for -ine (which is reserved for bases). Thus we have ethyne, propyne, butyne, butadiyne, etc. (the yne is pronounced. in English, like i n e in m i n e ) . For saturated branched hydrocarbons, the Geneva principle of
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choosing the longest chain as the fundamental one is retained; but for the unsaturated ones it is made subordinate to the position of the double and triple bonds; t h a t is to say, the chain containing as many as possible of the unsaturated linkages will be chosen as the fundamental one, even if it is not the longest in the molecule. The same principle holds true for junctional derivatives of hydrocarbons; for example, in the case of a n alcohol, the fundamental chain will be chosen so as to include as many of the hydroxyl groups as possible. In other words, the committee records what appears t o be the general preference of chemists t o regard the position of functional groups and double bonds as of more importance in naming than that of methyl or similar radicals. The Geneva plan of numbering the main chain with Arabic numerals is retained. The Geneva numbering of side chainse. g., 22, 2*’-has nol: met with general acceptance, however. Side chains are numbered from the point of attachment, either 1,2,3, etc., or ru,P,r, etc., as is now usually done-e. g., 2-chloroethyl or P-chloroethyl. In numbering the main chain the lowest possible numbers are given by preference t o the most important function present, then to triple and double bonds, rand lastly t o substituents such as chlorine or methyl. No order of precedence of prefixed radical names, either for numbering or for forming the names of compounds, is prescribed; either a logical or a n alphabetical order may be used, this being considered a matter primarily concerning indexes. How the position numbers shall be inserted in the name is also not prescribed; one may write 2-butanone, butan-2-one or butanone-2. As t o the names of hydrocarbon radicals, the terms methyl, ethyl, etc., will be used, even in side chains (and not metho, etho, etc.1. The use of bis and tris before complex radical names is recommended instead of di and tri-thus, bisdimethylamino for two (CH&N groups. For compounds of mixed function an order of precedence of functions is to be established on the basis of a study of the literature (provisionally the one used by the Chemical Abstracts index will be followed). When the nature of the chief function has been determined from this order, i t alone will be expressed in the ending of the name and the others will be denoted by appropriate prefixes. Thus, instead of the Geneva name “propanolone” the compound CH3COCHzOH will have the name “hydroxypropanone.” For alcoh,ols, the Geneva names (butanol, propanetriol, hexanol, etc.), are retained in so far as the OH groups can be placed in the main chain, but the side chain CHzOH is called hytlroxymethyl, not methylol. (The same treatment of side chains holds in other classes of compounds.) The name mercaptan. is abandoned ; these compounds are given the Geneva “thiol” names. For ethers the names now in common use-e. g., methyl ethyl ether or methoxyethane-are preferred to the Geneva names -e. g., ethaneoxymethane. Sulfides, disulfides, suuoxides, and suvoones are treated in the same way as ethers-e. g., methyl ethyl sulfoxide or methylsulfinylethane.
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For aldehydes and ketones the Geneva names-such as butanal, propanedione-are retained, subject to the general rules mentioned above for selecting the main chain and for numbering. Acids will be named ethanecarboxylic (instead of propanoic), 1,3-propanedicarboxylic (instead of pentanedioic), and so on. The position numbers 1,2, etc., will thereby conform t o the a,P, etc., of the common names such as propionic and glutaric acids. The group -COSH will be denoted by the ending -carbothiolic, -CSOH by -carbothionic, and -CSSH by -carbodithioic. Salts, esters, and acid anhydrides will be named from the acids in the customary way. Acid halides will take such endings as -carbonyl chloride (or -carboxylic chloride), emides the ending -carboxamide (or -carbonamide), nitriles the ending -carboniit ; will not trile. “Propanecarbonitrile” is C H ~ C H ~ C H Z C N therefore be confused with the Geneva name “propanenitrile” for CH3CHzCIZ-. Monoamines receive the customary names ethylamine, diethylamine, etc., but polyamines will be named from the hydrocarbon-e. g.: 1,3-propanediamine. Hydroxylamine derivatiues are named thus: ethoxyamine, C2HbONH2; ethylhydroxylamine, C*H&HOH; ethanal oxime, CH8CH : h-OH; propanone oxime, CH,C( : NOH)CH3. Hydrazones are named like oximes and the term “osazone” is retained.
So far, the committee has confined itself almost wholly t o the naming of aliphatic compounds but expects t o take up cyclic compounds in the near future. It has already provisionally approved rules for numbering ring systems [see J . Am. Chem. Soc., 47, 543 (1928).] A a working policy the committee has adopted the principle of favoring names that can be inverted readily, so as to make it possible t o index all substances under parent compounds-e. g., propane, 2-chloro-.
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As stated above, this report is a n unofficial one, and the writer takes responsibility for any errors, as the official minutes of the Paris meetings had not yet appeared when this was written. I t s purpose is to give an idea of the lines along which the committees are working. Both committees will be glad t o receive the suggestions of chemists sent through their national representatives. In conclusion i t may be stated t h a t in spite of inevitable difference of opinion on particular points the sessions were most harmonious and were marked by a spirit of mutual concession with a view to arriving a t useful results. The two chairmen, Professors Holleman and Jorissen, deserve gratitude for the faithful and tactful way in which they are performing the duties of their posts.
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John Jacob Bausch John Jacob Bausch, the founder and president of the Bausch and Lomb Optical Company, died a t his home in Rochester, N. IT., on February 14, 1926. He was born July 25, 1830, and enjoyed the distinction of having seen developed during his lifetime a world-famous business from the most humble beginning. Mr. Bausch h-as a poor immigrant boy, a wood worker, who shortly after his marriage lost two fingers from his right hand, making it necessary to seek another occupation. Having served as apprentice to a n optician in Germany, he decided t o pursue that calling when he could no longer participate in his trade. At first his optical business was a home industry, but he soon formed a partnership with Henry Lomb, who was able to put sixty dollars into the business. The discovery of Mr. Bausch t h a t hard rubber might be used for eyeglass frames did much t o help the business, and throughout his life he was productive in manufacturing itlea$. Many methods now employed in mounting, grinding and polishing, edging, and drilling eyeglasses, all essential t o successful quantity production, were his contributions. The vicissitudes of the partners were many but their energy and resourcefulness seemed limitless and the enterprise steadily grew. Beginning with small
rented quarters, more and more space was rented, until the first building on the present site was erected in 1874. There has been a n almost continual expansion of manufacturing facilities a t that site, reaching the peak during the World War., when six thousand persons were employed, practically double the number required in peace time. The sons of both partners became active in the business, and until his last illness Mr. Bausch maintained an active interest in the affairs of the company. Mr. Lomb died in 1908. The Bausch and Lomb Optical Company is known wherever scientific work is in progress. While the eyeglass lens business is perhaps the foundation stone upon which the enterprise has been erected, a long list of valuable contributions has been made, ranging from student microscopes to range finders and other types of complicated military optics, which became a feature when the business of George N. Saegmuller was moved from Washington to Rochester. Not only is the Bausch and Lomb Optical Company one of the largest of its kind in the world, but its list of products is the most inclusive of any manufacturer in this field. All of this has come about during the lifetime of the founder, who has maintained his leadership throughout the business life of the organization.
