PREFACE
D
uring the first week of June 1981 some 400 chemists actively engaged in research on phosphorus chemistry gathered at Duke University,
Durham, North Carolina for the continuation of a series of International Conferences on Phosphorus Chemistry. These chemists came from 29
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different nations.
During the two decades that these International C o n -
ferences have been held, the meetings have taken place in Europe, thus making the Durham Conference the first of its kind in the United States. The growth of the activity in phosphorus-based research in this country, and throughout the world, has been remarkable in recent years.
No
diminution in this activity is in sight, for new discoveries are constantly being made that open up fresh channels of research. Phosphorus chemistry as a field can only be partially categorized by the traditional lines of organic and inorganic compounds.
In modern phosphorus chemistry increasing
attention is also being paid to biological involvement of phosphorus compounds.
In designing the 1981 Conference, papers describing research in
all of these aspects of phosphorus chemistry were included, marking the first time this has been done in any of the international conferences.
The
Durham meeting therefore attracted a broad variety of participants and papers, from both academic
and industrial research laboratories; the
opportunities for interaction among persons of diverse backgrounds were abundant. The program was unique in another sense: with the exception of the opening lecture by Professor Rolf Appel, the oral presentations were of equal length (25 minutes) and all chemists, regardless of age and stature, had an equal opportunity for gaining a place on the oral program. Investigators with research results that were insufficient to fill the alloted time period were encouraged to make use of the poster medium.
A further
stipulation was that only new research results should be presented; review papers or extensive literature discussions were discouraged. This volume contains the manuscripts provided by 128 of the participants in the oral part of the program. ( A few papers on the original program were not delivered).
T o publish a volume at a reasonable price
with such a large number of papers required a severe restriction in the length of the manuscripts; authors were asked to present their results in "Communication to the Editor" style in a maximum of four pages of text. The authors have complied faithfully with this request, and the Editors
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thank them all for the care with which they prepared their papers.
The
Editors also are grateful to the foreign authors for their excellent efforts in preparing their manuscripts in English.
With a collection of papers of
such diversity in topic and geographic origin, the style is more varied than is normal for such a symposium volume, but these variations do not interfere with the quality of the chemical discussions, and the Editors chose not to enforce strict adherence to detailed uniformity. The
127 posters on the program presented another fascinating array
of research results.
It is unfortunate that space limitations do not permit
the inclusion of the abstracts of these presentations in this volume.
How-
ever, the titles and addresses of the authors are provided on pages 623-630
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for
the convenience of those who may wish to contact the authors for
copies of their abstracts. A
feature of the Conference program was the inclusion of sessions
recognizing the signal accomplishments
of two pioneers
in phosphorus
chemistry, Nobel Laureate Professor Georg Wittig and Professor Frank H . Westheimer.
Papers in these special sessions were solicited by Professor
Hans-Jurgen Bestmann and Professor Steven Benkovic, respectively.
The
work of Professor Wittig in the use of phosphorus compounds in organic synthesis, which among other contributions was responsible for his receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1979, was recognized by the session "New Organic Synthetic Methods Based on Reagents Containing Phosphorus." The noteworthy accomplishments of Professor Westheimer on the mechanistic aspects of phosphate ester chemistry stimulated the session "Biochemistry of Phosphorus Compounds." This Conference was
enthusiastically
supported by the American
scientific community; the chemical industry, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Petroleum Research Fund, all made contributions that ensured
an adequate
financial
base, and many chemists worked
diligently on the numerous tasks that are associated with such an undertaking. The Editors express their deep appreciation to all. LOUIS D .
QUIN
Duke University Durham, North Carolina JOHN G. V E R K A D E
Iowa State University Ames, Iowa June 29, 1981.
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