Henry M. Woodburn
SUNY at Buffalo Buffalo,New York 14214
Retrieval and Use of the Literature
of Inorganic Chemistry
In 1969, Martin and Robison (1) puhlished a study indicating that, of U.S. chemistry departments offering an advanced degree, only 40% include a formal course in chemical literature in the undergraduate curriculum. As to the feasibility of integrating the essential material into other courses they concluded that "it seems doubtful that the use of chemical literature can he taught effectivelyin an integrated fashion." Beside the 259 departments surveyed, there are almost 200 more offering ACS approved chemistry programs (2)). However, a course in chemical literature is not a requirement for ACS approval and furthermore in 1971, 30% of students entering chemistry graduate programs came from schools not on the ACS approved list. It is apparent that a great many chemistry majors move into graduate schools or institutional laboratories with only a casual knowledge of the scope of chemical literature and how to use it. To repair this defect the individual might work through one of the more recently revised textbooks on the use of chemical literature. Dyson (3) for example, give two descriptions of complete literature searches (both in the organic field), hut it is difficult to appreciate them fully unless one already knows a good deal about the specifics of organic literature. The literature of chemistry expands so rapidly that insofar as they give title lists of journals, monographs, etc., textbooks soon fade into repositories of historical information. "Chemical Publications," by Mellon (4), revised in 1965, is most valuable in those sections that discuss general topics, such as Chapter 4 on Patents. "The Use of Chemical Literature" by Bottle (5),revised in 1969,because of its origin has a natural British orientation and may be less useful to American students than Mellon. Bottle devotes one chapter to inorganic literature. Hancock (6) in a three part paper published in 1968, did a highly creditable job of establishing guidelines for the novice faced with the necessity of tracking down infoimation in the field of organic chemistry, but no similar publication has appeared for other areas. It is the purpose of this paper to give specific and practical suggestions for the discovery and use of inorganic literatnre, no matter how it may change in the next several years. Mention of specific titles has been avoided except in connection with series so well estahlished that they are not likely to disappear in the near future. The literature of inorganic chemistry can he organized into rather well defined classes.' A more fundamental difficulty lies in defining the field. While organic chemistry has the correlating factor that all its
compounds contain carbon, inorganic chemistry encompasses the entire Periodic Tablr, elements and compounds, including even such carbon compounds as CO, C02, CCL, organometallics, and metal complexes with organic ligands. It is perhaps easier to define an organic compound and gather all of the rest into the inorganic field. The organization of material in Chemical Abstracts is not necessarily the most useful for those interested in inorganic chemistry. While, in the current arrangement of Sections, it is relatively easy to find those a h ~ c h concentrate on organic chemistry (Sections 21-34), abstracts related to inorganic substances are ~ ~ i d e l y dispersed. Indeed the word "inorganic" is found in only three section headings, 49-Industrial Inorganic Chemicals, 78-Inorganic Chemicals and Reactions and 79-Inorganic Analytical Chemistry. But one must surely not overlook Section 29-Organometallic and Organometalloidal Compounds and might me11 he concerned with Sections 67-Catalysis and Reaction Kinetics, 70-Crystallization and Crystal Structure, 75-Nuclear Phenomena, and 77-Electrochemistry. Until one has focused his interests narrowly enough to recognize the Sections which contain material of importance to him, it will be necessary to use the CA indexes, which are fortunately very informative, and about which more is written later. Which class of inorganic literature one uses, or uses first, depends on the type of information needed. It would be most inefficient to search through Chemical Abstracts for a melting point that could be easily found in "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics," and it might he a better use of time to examine the monograph "Polyhedral Boranes" than to embark on a ten-year survcy of the five journals most likely to have published papers on the chemistry of boron. The order in which various classes of inorganic literature are discussed in this paper, therefore, is not indicative of the relative importance of that class nor is it intended to determine the order in wbich the individual attacks a literature search. Journals Devoted to the Publication of New Material
It seems reasonable to assume that Section 75 of Chemical Abstracts, Inorganic Chemicals and Reactions, should include the greatest number of abstracts derived from papers in "pure" inorganic chemi~t~ry. During 1970 approximately 1260 abstracts of articles from 235 journals (or other primary publications) appeared in that Section. However, closc to half of these The classification given by Hsncock (6) can be used with sligh~ modificationsfor other areasof chemistry.
Volume 49, Number 7 0, October 7 972
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Table 1.
Principal Journals Publishing Articles on Inorganic Chemistry During 1970
No. of papers
Name of Journal
-.
Zhurnal Neorganioheskoi Khirnii' Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry 1noresnio Chemistry Journal of the Chemical Society (A) Chemical Communications (J. Chem. Soe. (Dl) Zeitrohrift for Anorganisohe und Allgemeine Chemie 1norganio and Nudear Chemistry Letters Bulletin of the Chemioal Sooiety of Japan Journal of the Amerioan Chemioal
125 74 65 62 4'3
42 38 37 31
soc.
30
Comptes Rpndvs Hsbdomadairea des Seances de L'Academie des Seienoes. ser. C. Soienees Chimioue Ieveatiya Akademii Nauk SSSR. Neorganioheskii Materialy" 1norganioa Chimica Aeth Dissertation Abstracts ( 8 ) Bulletin de la Societe Chimisue de France Journal of the Indian Chemioal
30 26
24 22
22 17
Journal of the Less-Common Metals Zeilsohrift iUr Chemie Izvestiya Vysshikh Uehebnykh Zavedenii. Khimiya i Khimiohesk w a Tekhnologiya Australian Jollrnal of Chemistry Indian Journal of Chemistry Chemiaohe Beriehte Journal oi Organomelsllic Chemistry Monatshelte for Chemie Zeitsehrift fur Nsturforschnng (El: Chemie, Biaohemie, Biophysik, Biologie ll"d Verwandte Gehiete Ukrsinskii Khimicheskii Zhurnal Trudy Khimiko-Metdlurgieheako 1nstituta. Akademiya Nauk Kazakhskai SSR
17
16
14 14 13 13 13 13 11 10
Country of origin
USSR U.K. & U S ?
U.S. U.K. U.K. Germany U.K. & U3.b Jwan
US. France Russia
Italy US. France India Switzerlande Germany USSR
Australia India Germany Switrerlhndr Austria Germany
USSR USSR
'Available in complete English translation.
Editorialofficesin both oountries. Editorial officesin several countries, business officein Switzerland.
abstracts (609) came from a mere dozen journals, and only 26 published 10 or more inorganic papers during the entire year. Thus, from a practical point of view, the number of journals one may wish to follow regularly is not very large. Table 1 lists these journals ranked according to the frequency of appearance of inorganic articles. It also gives the country of origin and the languages used in the publication. Several journals in Table 1 deserve special mention. Dissertation Abstracts publishes abstracts of PhD theses deposited with and made available by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Mich. Many North American Universities send all PhD theses to this company. Chemical Communications, Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry Letters, and Inorganica Chimica Acta are journals devoted to the rapid publication of new important work. Several of the remaining journals have a "communications" section for the same purpose. Literature Retrieval
Chemical literature is useful only if one can locate the publication he wishes to consult. Current and bound volumes of journals held by a particular library are relatively easy to find since they are generally shelved in a section devoted to them alone. However, monographs, treatises, review serials, etc., may appear to be scattered over all parts of the library. The library's card catalog will assist in their location if one knom the author or title of the publication in question, but if one is seeking information in a 690
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broad area without positive knowledge that publications exist, he can save time and avoid overlooking important titles by going directly to the section of the library stacks where such material would be shelved. To do this some acquaintance with library cataloging systems is necessary. The two most commonly used are the Library of Congress Classification2 and the Dewey Classification. In the former, general fields of knowledge are designated by letters, class Q being science. A second letter differentiates the divisions of each class; QA means Mathematics, QC physics, QD chemistry. Numbers following the two letters further organize the material according to type. Thus, with certain notable exceptions (c.g., QD 66-Dictionaries of Solubilities) publications in the inorganic field fall in the region QD 151-QD 199. In abbreviated form the allocation of numbers is: 151, Treatises; 155, Inorganic preparations; 157, Electric furnace operations; 161-169, Nonmetals; 171-172, Metals; 181, Alphabetically by chemical symbol, all works on origin, properties, preparation, reactions, and analytical chemistry of individual elcments and their inorganic compounds; 189-193 Salts, double and complcx. In the Dewey Classification, numbers are used instead of letters. Inorganic chemistry is assigned the number 546. When one is faced with the task of assembling all the information known about a subject, it is impractical to go immediately to journals which publish original papers. One depends instead on abstract journals and their indexes to lead him to the source publications. Abstract journals have been in existence for many years but the expense of attaining broad coverage and efficient, rapid reporting has reduced the comprehensive abstract journals to two: Chemical Abstracts, published in the U.S. and Referativnyi Zhurnal published in Russia. Since Chemical Abstracts cross checks its coverage against the Russian journal, there is little need for an American chemist to consult any abstract journal except Chemical Abstracts. Two previously important abstract journals have ceased publication (Chemisches Zentrallblatt 1830-1969 and British Chemical Abstracts 1871-1953, under various titles) but bound files held by libraries are important for coverage of the years prior to the birth of Chemical Abstracts (1907). Each issue of Chemical Abstracts now includes a keyword subject index, an author index, a list of patent numbers, and a patent concordance, which relates foreign to domestic patents. Volume indexes (six months cumulative) have become very elaborate and it is impossible to get the most out of them without studying their organization carcfully. Major changes in indexing practices were introduced in Volume 66 (1967) and the introduction to each index serves as a guide to the location of information within that index.3 Excellent material on "Outline of the Library of Congress Classification" may usually be consulted in the cataloging department of an institutional library. Combined Zntrodmtions-lndezes lo Volume 66 is available in one broohure at a modest price from Chemical Abstracts Service, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210. An index to the combined introductions, not printed in the original Volume 66 is included.
inorganic nomenclature is given in the introduction to thesubject index.& The index to Volume 71 (1969), the latest completed index, included subject, formula, ring systems, heteroatom-in-context (HAIC), new in Volume 66; numercial patent, patent concordance, index guide, new in Volume 69; and registry number, new in Volume 71. The HAIC index can be particularly useful to those interested in inorganic chemistry since all the heteroatoms are highlighted in a central column of formulas. (Carbon and hydrogen are not considered heteroatoms.) The Index Guide is an attempt by Chemical Abstracts Service to make its indexing practices easier to understand. Close to 2000 pages are given to cross references and illustrative structure diagrams, followed by a complete compilation of all ring systems that have appeared in Chemical Abstracts since 1907. Revisions of the Guide will appear in every odd numbered volume. The assignment of Registry Numbers to chemical compounds is a CAS development of the mid 1960's. Based on composition, two-dimensional structure and stereochemical characteristics, the computer assigns to each distinctly definable chemical entity a permanent, invariable number at which point within the computer data base are collected the molecular formula, the current CA index name, all other names under which the compound has appeared in the original chemical literature and all CA references. Registration Numhers now appear in the citations of the subject index, formula index, and index guide. They furnish an efficient means of discovering the name of a compound when its Registration Number is given in an original article, the formula of a natural product or other trivially named compound, and of finding the preferred indexname from any other name. Cumulative indexes are issued every five years. Decennial indexes cover the years 1907-1956. Although abstracts printed in Chemical Abstracts are meant to he of the "informative" type, they may not give all of the details desired. What they do is to point out where the original material was published. If the searcher can go to a large institutional library, he may be able to examine a copy of the original publication; if he does not have thesc facilities he can still locate a source through Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index5 (formerly called "Access" (1969), "CA list of Periodicals" (1961-67), ''List of Periodicals Abstracted by Chemical Abstracts" (1908-60)). The Source Index is designed to give the user of chemical literature complete identification of source publications by their abbreviated titles, and to assist him in gaining access to the original source document by listing libraries in the U.S. (325) and other countries (72) that maintain files of the cited publication. Table 2 shows the large amount of information that can bc obtained from an entry in the Source Index. Beginners should not he discouraged by the discovery that a desired article appears in a foreign journal, since many such publications include extensive summaries in English. A large number of Russian journals are available in complete English translation," and as a last resort one can use the direct approach so ably described by E. E. Reed in "Chemistry Through t,he Language Barrier" ( 7 ) . If an article is available only by interlibrary loan and time delay is unacceptable,
Table 2.
Entry Content-Chemical Service Source Index.
Abstracts
1. Complete title yith abbreviation in bold face 2. ASTM Coden wrth check character 3. Former t,itln ~ - ~ - 4. Languages of publication and summaries 5. History of publication 6. Frequency of publication 7. Current volume/year correlation 8. Price ~
~~
~~
9. Publisher's address or source code Title cataloged according to ALA cataloging rules Successor title Poblication discontinued note Alternate title Abbreviation of main entry title Alternate spelling or abbreviation Preferred spelling or abbreviation 17. Translation of title
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
19. Date of meeting
20. Place of meeting 21. Publication date 22. Library holdinm . information a CAS Source Index Guide for Use Section (1970), p. 6A. Reprinted by permission of CAS.
it should be remembered that the discontinued abstract journals Chemisches Zentrallblatt and British Chemical Abstracts published high quality abstracts with more detail than is common to Chemical Abstracts. These can make up considerably for the absence of the original paper. Dictionaries a n d Encyclopedias
Although there is some ambiguity in the use of terms, a chemical dictionary deals with the words of chemistry, their definition and usage; a chemical encyclopedia is concerned with the object or concept which the word represents. The scope of dictionaries has been so loosely interpreted that one can find not only dictionaries of chemical terms but also dictionaries of synonyms and trade names, dictionaries of acronyms and abbreviations, and dictionaries of named reactions. In an encyclopedia one finds separate discussions of topics taken from the whole field of chemistry. These are likely to he general in tone and often do not cite the source from which the information mas obtained. They are useful in that they give an overview of a subject but cannot in themselves be considered authoritative. A few examples of dictionaries and encyclopedias are given under Literature Cited (8). For a more extensive list the reader may refer to "Chemical Publications" by R4ellon (4). Obviously dictionaries and encyclopedias do not limit their coverage to inorganic chemistry. Treatises
A treatise is a methodical, authoritative, exposition of all the facts known in a specific field. Material is presented in accordance with a general outline based on groups of elements, classes of compounds, or some other criterion. In the best treatises material is treated P a m g m p h s 157-200; TahlesV and V I . 6 C A S Source Inrlez is issued auarterlv ., hv " Chemical Abstracts Service. 0 Currently, translations of Russian journals (and monographs) are available from Consultants Bureau, Plenum Publishing Corp., New York; Faraday Press, New York; Pergamon Press, New York. Volume 49, Number 10, October 1972
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critically, that is, an opinion is given as to the merit of the data presented. I n any event, the authenticity of the facts is substantiated by citation of the original source publications. Because carhon is a constant component of all organic compounds, treatises in that field can be organized on the basis of classes of carbon compounds. Inorganic treatises, however, must cover the entire Periodic Table and each editor selects the order in which elements or groups of elements will he presented. I t is wise to learn what this order is before using the treatise by examining the prospectus in the first volume. This will also call attention to the fact if some of the projected volumes or parts of volumes have not been published. The time required for the collection, evaluation, organization, and printing of the material in a treatise is very long, and in a multivolume work there will be considerable variation in the years covered for any series of elements. It is important, therefore, to note the date of publication of the volume being consulted. Also it is crucial that the treatise have a carefully scheduled plan for the updating of volumes published early in the series. Thus, while for historical reasons one might wish to consult certain treatises which were once important (Ahegg, and Auerbach, Friend), there are currently only four (9) which are modern enough to have published main or supplementary volumes later than 1960. The unquestioned leader is "Gmelin's Handbuch der Anorganischen Chemie," followed by "Nouveaux Trait6 de Chimie Minerale" (edited by P. Pascal), "Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry" (J. W. Mellor), and "Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry" (Sneed, Maynard, and Brasted). Pascal's Trait4 was planned t o consist of twenty volumes (some with more than one part). Volume I appeared in 1956 and puhlication of additional sections has been quite regular through 1968. A few volumes have yet to appear. Elements with similar properties are grouped together in a single volume and occasionally part of a volume is devoted to discussion of a special topic such as rare earths, transuranium elements, heteropoly acids, or complexes of Fe, Co, and Ni. The text is, of course, in French. Mellor's "Comprehensive Treatise" appeared in sixteen volumes between 1922 and 1937, and although the prospectus states that supplements which "gather together infotmation that has become available since publication of the original treatise, will he issued from time to time," only two of the original volumes have been supplemented (Vol. 11, Suppl. I-F, C1, Br, I, At1958, Suppl. 11-Li, Na-1961, Suppl. 111-K, Rb, Cs, Fr-1963; Vol. VIII, Suppl. I-N, Pt.1-1964, Suppl. 11-N, Pt.11-1967). Thus most of the developments in inorganic chemistry from 1937 t o this date are not covered in the Mellor Treatise. "Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry," by Sneed, Maynard, and Brasted, is a modest undertaking compared to the others. Eleven volumes were projected in which emphasis was to be placed "largely on chemical properties and relationships and their interpretation in terms of the theoretical concepts of atomic and molecular structure, the deductions from the Periodic System and the basic ideas relating to electrolytes." 692
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Chapters on the elements are supplemented by special topics such as coordination compounds, catalysis, and reactions in nonaqueous solutions. Eight volumes appeared between 1953 and 1961, but nothing further has been published in the last ten years. Because of its coverage (the 1st edition appeared in 1817) and its active program of supplementation, "Gmelin's Handbuch der Anorganischen Chemie" is at once the most comprehensive and the most modern reference work available t o inorganic chemists. The 8th edition and supplements appearing at the present time are being issued by the Gmelin Institut fiir Anorganische Chemie und Grenzgebiete, Frankfurt am Main. When the Institut took over the task of completing the treatise, plans were t o finish the work by 1970 with the litetature survey cut off at January 1, 1950. However, since January, 1962 the Handbuch has been an "open-end" publication in which each individual volume covers the literature up to within a few months of publication. Supplemental volumes for elements whose properties were treated years ago are constantly being issued, bringing the coverage for those elements also close to the present. For example, the original volume on chlorine was published in 1927. Supplements appeared in 1968 and 1969. By the beginning of 1971, 230 sections of the 8th edition had appeared, containing 75,000 pages of text.' I n addition, a series of publications called "Volumes of the Main Supplement to the 8th Edition" began to appear in 1970. These supplements are designed to deal with crucial topics in science and research which will be covered in the style of a critical review while making appropriate references to the 8th edition. Thus "Gmelin's Handbuch" consists of three identifiable sections: (1) the main volumes, 71 in number, the majority in several parts separately bound, (2) supplement volumes related specifically t o main volumes, and (3) the new series of Main Supplements to the 8th Edition, devoted to topics rather than to single elements. I n 1970, 12 parts of volumes or supplements, plus Volume I of the Main Supplement (Rare Gas Compounds) were published. The schedule for 1971 projects 13 volume parts or supplements and three more volumes of the Main Supplement (Organovanadium Compounds, Organochromium Compounds, and Transuranium Elements). The main volumes covering scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides; the actinides; niobium; silver; carbon; tin; and lead are not yet complete and n o part of the volume on manganese has appeared. The volumes of the 8th edition follow a sequence based on the assignment of a "system number" to each element or group of elements. System numbers do not follow the Periodic Table but have been assigned in such a a a y that the nonmetallic elements have smaller numbers than do the metallic elements. Thus rare gases, hydrogen, and oxygen have system numbers 1, 2, and 3; lithium, sodium, and potassium have numbers 20,21, and 22. Adhering to the principle of "last position" a com1 Supplements to volumes on the metallurgy of iron have been published under the title "Gmelin-Durrer Metallurgy of Iron."
pound is not discussed until the volume covering the particular element in its formula having the highest system number is reached. Thus absence of the volume covering manganese (System Number 56) means that no information about KMn04 can be found in Gmelin although oxygen w a discussed in Volume 3 and potassium in Volume 22. Arrangement of information provides first for the discussion of the element followed by its binary compounds with all elements having lower system numbers. More complex compounds follow in the same way. Within the substance classification, the arrangement is then in terms of inorganic and physical chemistry, subdivided thereafter into the following sequence of subjects (the arrangement is alphabetic in German): Analytical chemistry; atomic physics; ore dressing; chemical technology; iron and steel; electrochemistry; geochemistry; history of chemistry; colloid chemistry; coordinat,ion chemistry; corrosion and passivity; crystallography; geology; metallography ; metallurgy; mineralogy; nonferrous metals; physical properties of elements, compounds, and alloys (crystallographic, mechanical, opt,ical, magnetic, and electric properties); toxicity and hazards; economic and statistical data. References to the original literature are placed in parentheses in the body of the text. Because many subjects as well as chemical properties are covered, a systematic subject index with text in both German and English was issued in 1957 and 1959. "Gmelin's Handhuch" is, of course, printed in German. It does not have an index but each volume part has a detailed table of contents and the arrangement of information for each element is always the same. Since 1957, marginal keywords in English have been provided for the major subject classifications and the table of contents is arranged in parallel columns showing the ent,riesin both German and English. Reprints of many of the volumes published before 1957 carrying English keywords are available hut a library which purchased the original printings is not likely to invest in the reprint,^. The searcher may, therefore, have his greatest language problems wit,h thevolumes printed before 1957. The unparalleled value of Gmelin as a source of iuformation in the inorganic field lies in the fact that before inclusion all aspects which refer to a given substance or subject have been critically evaluated, and current, not yet completed, developments have been assessed. Monographs
Treatises are so detailed and their production so time-consuming that the material included is sometimes of more historical interest than anything else. There is a place, therefore, for the presentation in a concise fashion of the present state of knowledge about a particular suhject prepared by an author who has personally experienced its development, and can assess the limitations and future possibilities of the suhject. Such publications are called monographs. They are often overlooked in the collection of bibliographic information since they do not appear in the regular fashion of a periodical and carry unique titles not always directly related to the question under investigation. If described at all in Chemical Abstracts they appear
by title only in a "books received" section a t the end of the pertinent division of the journal. A better source of information is the JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION which in its book review section dcscrihes in detail eight to ten new books each month. These are indexed annually both by title and author. In the September issue each year a unique "Book Buyer's Guide" gives the title, author, publisher, date of publication, and price, of hundreds of recent hooks, arranged in categories for easy finding. I n the September 1970 guide, in the category, Inorganic Chemistry, 15 monographs that had been published within two years were listed. Other sect,ions covered Nuclear Science, Organometallics, etc. Interspersed with the reviews are the advertisements of the companies that publish such works. These are often announcements of books to appear within a few months. To avoid overlooking an important monograph the searcher should (1) study the library catalog for appropriate keywords, (2) examine the appropriabe shelves in the library, QD 151-199 for Inorganic Chemistry, and (3) scan the book sections of the JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION and Chemical Abstracts. The discovery of a well written monograph is an invaluable prize to the chemist in search of background information. Review Serials
Once treatises and monographs have been published their contents are fixed until a supplement or new edition can be issued. The need for an updating service is obvious. This is performed by t,he review serials which gather together the year to year developments in a given area. Some of these appear as periodicals, Chemical Reviews and Accounts of Chemical Research (US), Quarterly Reviews (U.K.), Reviews of Pure and Applied Chemistry (Australia), and Uspekhi Khimii (Russia-also available in English translation). Other reviews come on t,he market as annual volumcs of a continuing series. They are recognized by certain words in their t,itles-Annual Reviews, Annual R e ports, Progress in, Survey of, Advances in; Ergebnisse (Results), Fortschritte (Progress), Jahresberichte (Annual Report); Uspekhi (Reviews). A rather extensive list (not limited to organic chemist,ry) is included in Hancock's paper (6) but since new revicw serials are originated about as often as new monographs, the list is necessarily incomplete. Reviews in periodical format will be covered by Chemical Abstracts. To find the other types, the search methods suggested above for monographs should he employed. Ten years ago, what promised to be a valuable source of information about review articles, survived only five issues. Called Bibliography of Chemical Reviews: then Bibliography of Reviews in Chemistry, its objective was to collect together the abstracts of all review articles iucluded in Chemical Abstracts. Only the period 1958-62 was so covered. The demise of t,he publication was probably due to the development of more informative, easier to use, indexes for Chemical Abstracts. Ideally reviews, like monographs, are wrkten by someone familiar with and working in the field. Based on his knowledge and experience he surveys the new 8
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developments, evaluates them and summarizes what he considers significant. A list of the original sources examined is characteristic of a good review. A kind of literature which occupies a place between the monograph and the review serial is typified by the American Chemical Society series "Advances in Chemistry." While some of the volumes meet the criteria given above for monographs ("Mechanisms of Inorganic Reactions"; "Boron-Nitrogen Chemistry") an increasing number are made up of collections of papers on the same subject prepared by different authors ("Mass Spectrometry in Inorganic Chemistry-21 Research Reports). Often the papers have been delivered a t a scientific conference. Because the information they give is current, the volume takes on the character of a,reviewserial. Special Purpose Publications
Collections of volumes exist in which the focus is toward a single subject, such as "Encyclopedia of Chemical -~~~ Reactions." C. A. Jacobson. 8 volumes: "Fluorine Chemistry," J: H. Simon, 5 volumes; ransi sit ion Metal Chemistry," R. L. Carlin, 4 volumes. These might be classified as extended monographs or as specific treatises (in contrast to the comprehensive treatises discussed above). The experimental inorganic chemist is served by well-known collections of methods of synthesis and by detailed descriptions of techniques. The best known publications in the field of synthesis are "Inorganic Syntheses," 12 volumes 1939-70 modeled after the prestigious "Organic Syntheses; Preparative Inorganic Reactions," W. L. Jolly, 5 volumes through 1968; "Organometallic Syntheses," R. B. King, Volume I, appeared in 1965; and "Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry," G. Brauer. The German original of the latter appeared in 2 volumes 1960-61. An English translation became available between 1963 and 1965. In February 1970 announcement was made of journal for the debut of new z~internationay~ communication entitled Synthesis in Inorganic and Metal Oryanic Chemistry. Articles will appear in English and in German. Specifically directed toward techniques, H. B. Jonassen and A. Weissberger's "Techniques of Inorganic Chemistry" had reached 7 volumes by 1969. Since techniques are not limited in application to one branch of chemistry, one might well examine also "Techniques of Organic Chemistry" by A. Weissberger which is now so extensive that certain volumes are already designated 2nd or 3rd edition. Interesting titles that have been announced in the past two years are L'PhysicalMethods in Advanced Inorganic Chemistry," H. 0. Hill and P. Day; "Electrochemical Techniques for Inorganic Chemistry," J. Headridge; "Purification of Inorganic and Organic Materials: Techniques of Fractional Solidification," M. Zief; "Techniques of Organo and Organometallic Chemistry," D. B. Denny; and "Manipillation of Air-Sensitive Comnounds." D. F. Shriver. All these new ~uhlications;odd have been located through the book sections of JOURNAL OF CAEMICAL EDUCATION. ~~
oCbemicd Rubber Company, Cleveland, Ohio, is s. prolific source of handbook publications.
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Journal of Chemical Education
Comprehensive Data Collections
I n all areas of chemistry there is need for accurate physical property data and the literature sources are the same for inorganic chemistry as for other branches. Most chemists have a favorite "desk top" handbook-a compliation of data in the form of easily comprehended tables-to which they were introduced early in their career. Use of handbooks as sources of physical data is usually safe, however i t must be remembered that frequent revision and tight publication schedules do not guarantee error-free proof reading. So if the value given appears to be out of line with other known properties it is sensible to check another source. It is impractical to list more than a few of the many handbooks available.# The following have recently undergone revision.
" .
"CRC Handbook of Chemistrv and Phvsics." 51st edition. 1970-71 "Lange'sHandbook of Chemistry," 10th edition, 1970 "Kaye and Laby's Tablebles of Physical and Chemical Constants," 13thedition, 1966
Handbooks seldom include references to the original source of the data. However, beginning with the 49th edition (1968-69) "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" added a section called Sources of Critical Data. This is a valuable bibliography for the searcher who needs to consult more detailed or more authoritativc sources. Overshadowing the desk top handbooks are the multivolume sets, one each in German, French, and English. The most prestigious is "Landolt-Bornstein's Zahlenwerke und Funktionen aus Physik, Chemie, Astronomie Geophysik and Technik." The 6th edition in 24 parts is almost complete and already a N e w Serie is underway (15 volumes through 1970). Translated into English the four sections of thc 6th edition are Volume I Volume I1
Atomic and Molecular Physics Properties of Matter in Various States of Aggregai tion Volume 111 Astronomy and Geophysics volume IV ~~i~ ~ ~ ~ h ~
In the volumes of the 6th edition only German is used; in the New Series both German and English are employed. Neither collmtion has an index but each volume has a very detailed Table of Contents and it is generally not too difficult to discover the volume and then the section in which the desired data should appear. For example, if one needed the vapor pressure of an element, he would logically select Volume I1 "Properties of Materials in Various State of Aggregation." Further he would find that Part 2a is devoted to "Equilibria" and through the Table of Contents there he would be led to the section "Vapor Pressure of the Elements." The New Series has abandoned the subdivisions of the 6th edition and these volumes cannot be considered as supplements to earlier publications. Volumes have appeared in Nuclear Phvsics and Technolow Grouo I ~ r o I1i ~ Atomic and Molecular ~ h y s i c s ~ Group 111 Crystd and Solid State Physics Group IV Astronomy: Astrophysics and Space Research
The French compendium "Tables de Constantes et Donnees Numerique-Constantes Selectionnes" is
i
successor to an earlier collection printed between 1910 and 1936. After a lapse of ten years, publication was resumed and 15 volumes appeared between 1947 and 1966. Resumption of the work was accompanied by a change of philosophy and each volume of "Constantes Selectionnes" has its own principal theme. For example Volume 2 deals with Nuclear Physics, Volume 7 with Diamagnetism and Paramagnetism, Volume 12 with Semiconductors. For several yean English and French have been used in juxtaposition, making the later volumes of the set very easy to use. The first comprehensive compendium of physical data in English, "International Critical Tables of Numerical Data, Physics, Chemistry, and Technology" appeared between the years 1926 and 1930. Most of the entries were taken from the first seven volumes of "Donnees Numerique" discussed above. An index volume assists in the location of material. There are some peculiarities in the way data are expressed. For example, only a formula for calculating the data may he given rather than the data itself. The text is in English, German, and Italian. This noble effort is marred by the fact that no supplementary volumes have been published. The task of updating and extending the work begun in "Critical Tables" is now being partially satisfied by the program of the National Standard Reference Data System which is administered by the US. National Bureau of Staudards. NSRDS has the task of accumulating, critically evaluating, and eventually publishing quantitative data from all fields of physical science. The 51st edition of "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" lists 24 publications which have appeared under the NSRDS program. Each publication is self sufficient. Examples are No. 2 Thermal Properties of Aqueous Uniunivalent Electrolytes (1965), No. 7 High Temperature Properties and Decomposition of Inorganic Salts, Part 1, Sulfates (1966). Since January 1972 data collected and released by NSRDS has appeared in Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, a publication sponsored by the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Physics. The National Bureau of Standards publishes other compilations of data originating outside the province of NSRDS, for example, "Selected Values of Chemical Thermodynamic Properties, Tables for the First ThirtyFour Elements in the Standard Order of Arrangement" (1968). All NBS and NSRDS publications can be traced through Publications of the NBS-Circular 460 (and 2 supplements) 1901-1957, N B S Miscellaneous Publicatzon 240, Publications up to Feb. 1965, "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics," and "Publications of the National Bureau of Standards 1968-69," B. L. Oberholtzer, U.S. Gov't Printing Office.
dynamics, thermophysical properties, crystallography and X-ray crystallography, nuclear properties, atomic and molecular spectra, nuclear magnetic resonance, nuclear quadripole resonance, electron spin resonance, Raman effect, Mossbauer effect, etc., has been determined and/or collected by a relatively small number of organizations. In the United States outstanding contributon have been National Bureau of Standards, National Standard Reference Data System, American Society for Testing and Materials, American Petroleum Institute Project 44, Thermodynamics Research Center (which assumed projects formerly pursued by Manufacturing Chemists Association), Thermophysical P r o p erties Research Center (Purdue University), the Sadtler Company, and Varian Associates. Other countries, notably Russia and the United Kingdom, have sponsored important collections also. The theoretical backgrounds for the interpretation of these data are contained in monographs which can he located as explained above. The hundreds of volumes giving the actual data are generally listed in the Sources of Critical Data section of "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics!' (Where this is not the case, a reference often accompanies the table in the text of the Handbook.) Certain indexes within the various collections, which facilitate their use deserve mention: Thermophysical Properties Research Literature Retrieval Guide (Y. S. Touloukian, Editor), A S T M Index to 92,000 Published I R Spectra, Sadtler's Standard Total Spectra Index and the recently published Comprehensive Index of API 44-TRC Selected Data on Thermodynamics and Spectroscopy.
Single Purpose Data Collections
Alerting Services
For solubility data more extensive than available in a handbook, the two best sources are "Seidell's Solubility of Inorganic and Metal Organic Compounds," W. F. Linke, Vol. I, 1958, Vol. 11, 1965, and "Solubility of Inorganic and Organic Compounds," H. Stephen and T. Stephen (1964). Azeotropic data have been collected in "Advances in Chemistry" No.'s 6 and 35. A thirdvolume is in preparation. An enormous mass of data in such areas as thermo-
When one has iuveated the time required to extract from the literature information about what has been done in the field of his interest, he is naturally concerned about keeping his knowledge up to date. Fortunately this is not a really formidable task. If it is sufficientto update developments several months after they have first been announced, one can simply rely on the weekly issues of Chemical Abstracts with their keyword subject indexes and the accompanying patent number, patent
Patents
Patent literature is usually not as important to the student in the University as are journals, monographs, etc. Information about the claims of a patent will eventually be carried by Chemical Abstracts, from which one may progress to the Oficial Gazelle of the U.S. Patent Office where the abstract will be more detailed. Copies of U.S. patents may be purchased from the U.S. Patent Office, Washington, D.C., and bound volumes of printed US. patents may be consulted in a depository library, of which there are about 25 in the U.S. Any technical librarian will be able to give the location of one nearby. Copies of foreign patents are best consulted in the U S . Patent OfficeScientific Library, from which photocopies may he obtained. (Thc collection of foreign patents in the New York Public Library is also very extensive.) The nature of the printed patent document is so different from that of a chemical paper or abstract, that space equal to all of this article would be needed to describe it. The reader is referred instead to Chapter 4 of Mellon's "Chemical Publications" ( 4 ) .
Volume 49, Number 10, Odober 1972
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concordance, and author indexes. Author and formula indexes appear very shortly after the completion of a volume of Chemical Abstracts (which covers one half year). Subject indexes are delayed several months. If time is an important factor, one can turn to several publications based on the original articles, which appear weeks or months ahead of the abstract. Currat Chemical Papers published monthly by The Chemical Society (London) lists the title, author, and source journal of 200-300 articles taken from periodicals received by the Society. Only "pure," as distinguished from technical or applied chemistry is covered. Each issue is divided into 13 sections and titles are listed in the section they fit best. It is sometimes a problem to decide what section should include the type of information one is seeking. Chemical Titles is a biweekly publication of Chemical Abstracts Senice. It reports the titles of papers recently published in over 700 of the most productive periodicals abstracted by Chemical Abstracts. The approximately 5000 titles given in a single issue are located through one of three indexes, a KWIC (Keyword-in-Context) subject index, carrying a code reference to the original journal; an alphabetical list of the journals from which the articles were selected together with the full title of each article taken from that journal; and an author index. Since a title may contain several "keywords," there may be several citations to the same article in the KWIC index. For those interested in areas which impinge on both inorganic chemistry and biology, or inorganic and polymer chemistry, Chemical Abstract Service also publishes CBAC (Chemical and Biological Activities) and POST (Polymer Science and Technology, J-journals, P-patents). These differ from Chemical Titles in being restricted in coverage. However, each citation is accompanied by a brief ab~tract.'~ Current Contents-Chemical Sciences published weekly by Institute for Scientific Information," reproduces the Table of Contents of a large selection of journals coutaining material of interest to chemistry (roughly 175). Along side each contents page are structural diagrams of compounds discussed in the article. Indexes include a computer selected set of terms, an author index, and an author address index. If a reader locates an article he needs quickly he may request Original Article Tear Sheet Service, in which the original article is torn out of the issue and mailed to him. Current Abstracts of Chemistry and Index Chemims (new title 1970) is also published by Institute for Scientific Information. Begun in 1960 as Index Chemicus this journal concentrated on new compounds and new reactions, presenting the information in a graphic form. Structural and molecular formulas were given, together with some physical properties and an indication of the analytical techniques (ir, uv, nmr, tlc, etc.) used. Under the new title, weekly issues present ahstracts from all articles in about 200 selected journals, retaining the graphic form of presentation. Articles describing new compounds are treated exactly as they '0 Beginning January, 1972 the printed versions of CBAC and POST will he incorporated into the appropriate sections of CA; CBAC into the first Tr sections of biochemistry, POST into macromolecular chemistry. Computer readable versions will be con-
tinued. .~.~-.-
"Institute for Scientific Information, 325 Chesinut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106.
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journal of Chemical Education
were formerly. Indexes to the citations are published monthly, semiannually, and annually and carry the cover title Index Chemicus. Current Index to Conference Papers in Chemistry printed its first monthly issue in September, 1969. I n the field of chemistry the earliest indication of progress in research or a change in technology is often given in a paper presented at a meeting or conference. The oral presentation may precede publication of a paper on the subject by one or two years. To bypass this communications gap, the journal presents information taken from the final program or abstract brochure issued to the persons who attend the conference. Conferences covered are those listed in two quarterlies: World Meetings: U.S. and Canada and World Meetings: Outside U.S. and Canada. Refinement of the Registry Number system and the capacity for computer storage of the essential information from any original article, leads to the possibility of producing lists of all known compounds containing or free of selected functional groups, as well as the generation of complete and up-to-date bibliographies of all articles relevant to a particular subject. To this end Chemical Abstracts makes available computerreadable forms of Chemical Titles, CBAC, and POST. In addition one can subscribe to ("lease") computerreadable Basic Journal Abstractebiweekly abstracts of papers of chemical or chemical engineering interest from 35 selected journals; CA Condensatesfrom the corresponding issues of Chemical Abstracts, the journal provides on a weekly basis, titles of papers, patents, and reports; names of authors; bibliographic source, and phrases from the CA Keyword Index; Chemical Industry N o t e s a weekly abstract journal designed for individuals with management, &keting andproduction responsibilities; and Patent Cancordance on Maynetic Tape. Computer-readable services are expensive and are not likely to he available to the undergraduate or even to the graduate chemistry major. They are utilized rather by the large industrial, government, or private research laboratories, where literature searching is the principal occupation of a technical librarian. Until he reaches the estate where he can rely on such services, the chemist must develop speed, efficiency, and thoroughness in his own bibliographic endeavors. Literature Cited D. E., I . CIEM. EDDO.,9, 95 (19691. MARTIN. I3. F., AND ROBISON. C & E N (May 17.19ir11,p.33. DYSON,G. M.. ',A Short Guide to Chemical Literature" (2nd ed.1. Longmans. Greel% &Co.. London. 1958. MELLDN, M. G., "Chemioe.1 Publications-Their Nature and Use" (4th ed.1, MeGraw-HillBook Co.. New York. 1965. BOTTGG, R.T., "The Use of Chemioal Literature: Information Sourcer for Research and Develo~ment" (2nd d l . Butterworth's, London. 1969.
(6) H n a c o c s , J . E . H . , J. Cxe~.Eonc.,45,193,260,336 (1968). (7) E. E.. ,'Chemistrv Thr0u.h the Laneuaee . . REID. .. Barrier." Johns Hookina ~ r & s ~, a i t i m o r e19io. . (8) (a1 Dictionaries: G ~ A N TJ., (Editor), "Hackh's Chemioal Dietionkru." MeGraw-Hill Book Co., New York. 1964: H*n*~s. W.."Chemical Trade Names and Commercial Synonyms," D. Van Nostrand Co.. M.. "Dictionkw of Modern Acronyms Princeton. 1955; GOLDBTEIN, and Abbreviations." Howard W. Sams & Co.. Indianspoli~.1963. (b) EncyclopcdGx Cnonse. W. H.. (Editor), "~MoGraw-HillEnoyelow d i a of Science and Technology," 15 "01, and suppl.. MeGr&%.-Hill Book Co.. New York, 1960: STECHER. P. G. (Editor). "The hlerek Index of Chemicals and Drugs" (8th ed.1. Merck N Co., Rahwav. N. Y., 1969: S T ~ D EA. N (Editor), , "Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology," 21 vol.. Intersoienoe Publ.. Inc., New York. 1963-1970. (9) MEYBB,R. J. (Editor1,"Gmelin's Handhuoh der Anorgsnimhen Chemie" (8th ed.). verlag Chemie, GmhH, Berlin: P*ac*b. P. (Editor). "Nouveau Trait6 de Chimie Minerale," Masson et Cie. Paria; ME=LOR. J. W., "Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry." Longmans. Green N Co.. New York: S n s ~ o .M. C.. M ~ m ~ nJ.o I,,., A N D BUBTED.R. C. (Editors), "Com~rehenriveInorganic Chemistry." D. Van Nostrand Co.. Prinoeton.
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