PART II INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

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6 Introduction

By M. F. LAPPERT School of Molecular Sciences, University of Sussex,

Brighton BN 1 9QJ

The general form of the 1977 Annual Reports (Vol 74) on Inorganic Chemistry follows the pattern set last year and is written by much the same group of people, except that Chapter 7, Part 11, Group 3, now has Prof. G. E. Toogood as the sole author, whereas Chapter 9, while still in the hands of Drs. D. J. Cardin and K. R. Dixon, also has Drs. C. J. Cardin and R. J. Norton as participants. The aims and limitations of the coverage have been amply discussed in the Introductions to the two previous Reports (Vols. 72 and 73). We therefore merely emphasise that there is a considerable element of selection in the material discussed, but that, hopefully, over the three year period a reasonable balance has been provided.

At the outset (Vol. 72) this group of reporters was faced with a new problem, in that Specialist Periodical Reports had become available over a wide front of Inorganic Chemistry, as a result of which it clearly became desirable that our treatment of the literature be different and distinct. Now that we are coming to the end of our tenure, we note with disquiet that the Chemical Society has discontinued a number of the S.P.R.’s, most notably as far as Inorganic Chemistry is concerned, those dealing with respectively main-group element and transition-metal chemistry. There is little doubt that the Annual Reports of the future will have to respond appropriately to this new challenge.

Over the three years, we have gradually tightened up standards with respect to the listing of numerical results in SI units and the adoption of stricter rules on the presentation of formulae and in systematic nomenclature. We trust the same pattern will be followed by our successors.

During the year an important advanced text book’ has appeared. There is little doubt in my mind that it will become one of the more influential of the advanced single volume treatises. The approach is distinct from its competitors. It is not based primarily on the Periodic Table as a foundation, and descriptive chemistry starts rather late (Chapter 13 out of a total of 19 chapters, corresponding to 694 pp. out of a total of 11 16 pp.) with co-ordination chemistry through organometallic chemistry to molecular polyhedra (boron hydrides and metal clusters being treated together), and ends with biochemical applications.

In the area of applied inorganic chemistry, a new edition of Kirk Othmer is timely. Of more immediate use to students and teachers, however, will be a Chemical Society special publication2 dealing with the inorganic chemicals industry; it is written by industrial chemists.

’ K. F. Purcell and J. C. Kotz, ‘Inorganic Chemistry’, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1977. ’ The Modern Inorganic Chemicals Industry’, ed. R. Thompson, Chern. SOC. Special Publ., No. 31, 1977.

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110 M. F. Lappert

The subject of inorganic rings and chains is covered in ref. 3, and ref. 4 provides a much needed compilation of computer-analysed thermochemical data.

The elements phosphorus,’ gold,6 and mercury7 are well served by the appearance of useful monographs; one of these is a multi-author

Finally, attention is drawn to the continuing and increasing activity by the Gmelin Institute.8 Recent additions have included texts dealing with compounds of boron,8a tin,86 iron,“ sulphur-nitrogen,8d and tellurium.8

I should like to end on some personal notes, first in recording my thanks to the contributors and to the editorial staff (Books Section) of the Chemical Society. The authors deserve credit for producing their interesting manuscripts on time, and I regard as a notable tribute to Philip Gardam and his CS colleagues the fact that only about six months elapsed between his receipt of typewritten manuscripts and the appearance of well produced and bound volumes. Finally, I am pleased to note that the Chemical Society has so far resisted, and hopefully will continue so to do, the temptation to produce Annual Reports by direct photographic reproduction of typescripts.

Homoatomic Rings, Chains and Macromolecules of Main Group Elements’, ed. A. L. Rheingold, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1977. J. B. Pedley and J. Rylance, ‘Computer analysed thermochemical data: organic and organometallic compounds’, Sussex University Press, 1977. D. E. C. Corbridge, ‘Phosphorus: an Outline of its Chemistry Biochemistry and Technology’, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1978. R. J. Puddephatt, ‘The Chemistry of Gold’, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1978.

’ ‘The Chemistry of Mercury’, ed. C. A. McAuliffe, Macmillan, London, 1977, * Gmelin, L., ‘Handbuch der Anorganischen Chemie’, New Supplement to 8th Edition, Springer, Berlin:

( a ) Vol. 37, Part 10; Vol. 42, Part 11; Vol. 43, Part 12; and Vol. 44, Part 13; (b) Vol. 35, Part 4; ( c ) Vol. 36, Part 13; ( d ) Vol. 31, Vol. 32; (e) 8th Edition, Main Series, Supplement Vol. B.

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