Book interpretations

H. G. Wells thought Nature less trustworthy when he read similar statements in Soddy s 1909 book Interpretation of Radium. My idea is taken from Soddy, he wrote of The World Set Free. One of the good old scientific romances, he called his novel it was important enough to him that he interrupted a series of social novels to write it. Rutherford s and Soddy s discussions of radioactive change therefore inspired the science-fiction novel that eventually started Leo Szilard thinking about chain reactions and atomic bombs. 

Sections 3.5 and 3.6 are drawn in large part from a book Interpreting Dijfuse Reflectance and Transmittance A Theoretical Introduction to Absorption Spectroscopy of Scattering Materials by Donald J. Dahm and Kevin D. Dahm, NIR Publications (2007). 

There now exists an extensive literature on the uptake and translocation of herbicides in plants. In this brief review, it is intended to elucidate the general principles that govern the transport of pesticides in plants. The transport behavior of the different classes of herbicides will be considered, together with ways of using physicochemical properties to predict the likely behavior of new chemicals. It should be noted that the processes of sorption in soil, of cuticular penetration in the case of foliar-applied compounds, and of metabolism in the plant all influence the availability of herbicides for uptake and redistribution in plants, and these factors are the subjects of separate chapters in this book. Interpretation of the literature on systemic transport usually needs substantial consideration of these additional factors. 

A familiar feature of the electronic theory is the classification of substituents, in terms of the inductive and conjugative or resonance effects, which it provides. Examples from substituents discussed in this book are given in table 7.2. The effects upon orientation and reactivity indicated are only the dominant ones, and one of our tasks is to examine in closer detail how descriptions of substituent effects of this kind meet the facts of nitration. In general, such descriptions find wide acceptance, the more so since they are now known to correspond to parallel descriptions in terms of molecular orbital theory ( 7.2.2, 7.2.3). Only in respect of the interpretation to be placed upon the inductive effect is there still serious disagreement. It will be seen that recent results of nitration studies have produced evidence on this point ( 9.1.1). 

When Vogel wants to brominate something using regular old 48% aq. HBr, he has sulfuric acid already present in the pot. The following is a representative recipe from his book. Just read it. Strike does not expect you to get the inference right away. Strike will explain Strike s interpretation afterwards. 

McLafferty, F.W, Interpretation of Mass Spectra, University Science Books, 1996. 

This chapter is the narrowest in scope of any chapter in this book. In it we discuss a single experimental procedure and its interpretation. It is appropriate to examine light scattering in considerable detail, since the theory underlying this method is relatively unfamiliar to students and the interpretation yields information concerning a variety of polymer parameters. 

Although spectroscopy and quantum mechanics are closely interrelated it is nevertheless the case that there is still a tendency to teach the subjects separately while drawing attention to the obvious overlap areas. This is the attitude 1 shall adopt in this book, which is concerned primarily with the techniques of spectroscopy and the interpretation of the data that accme. References to texts on quantum mechanics are given in the bibliography at the end of this chapter. 

It is not the intention that this book should be a primary reference on quantum mechanics such references are given in the bibliography at the end of this chapter. Nevertheless, it is necessary at this stage to take a brief tour through the development of the Schrodinger equation and some of its solutions that are vital to the interpretation of atomic and molecular spectra. 

The goal of this book is thus to assess progress in the field, to identify fruitful new research directions, to summarize the substantial progress that has thus far been made with theoretical studies, and to clarify some unusual features of carbon-based materials that are relevant to the interpretation of experiments on carbon nanotubes that are now being so actively pursued. A second goal of this book is thus to stimulate further progress in research on carbon nanotubes and related materials. 

The DOE and private industry have learned many lessons from years of experienee in site remediation. This book will refer to seleeted lessons learned from the DOE, the Army Corps of Engineers, private industry, and personal experienee. After reading this book the reader should have a better understanding of how to interpret the hazardous waste requirements to make sure eomplianee is maintained at a high level for eaeh site-speeifie aetivity. Over and above eomplianee, the authors eneourage the development of health and safety programs to help build a sound and workable safety eulture that ean be utilized aeross all boundaries. 

Many organizations that have evolved over a long period of time come to believe that the system of safety rules that they have developed is invulnerable to human error. The existence of a "rule book" culture can produce a complacent attitude which assumes that if the rules are followed then accidents are impossible. This is based on the belief that a rigid set of rules will cover every contingency and that interpretation by individuals to cover imanticipated situations will never be required. Of course, all rules will at some time require such interpretation, and the need for this should be accepted and built into the system. 

Many books on chemical kinetics have been published, but few of these are devoted solely or even primarily to solution phase chemical kinetics. Textbooks of physical organic chemistry must deal with solution chemistry, but kinetics is only one part of their subject. From my teaching experience I have concluded that there is no current text that meets the needs, as I interpret them, of the student and practitioner of solution chemical kinetics. 

After an introductory chapter, phenomenological kinetics is treated in Chapters 2, 3, and 4. The theory of chemical kinetics, in the form most applicable to solution studies, is described in Chapter 5 and is used in subsequent chapters. The treatments of mechanistic interpretations of the transition state theory, structure-reactivity relationships, and solvent effects are more extensive than is usual in an introductory textbook. The book could serve as the basis of a one-semester course, and I hope that it also may be found useful for self-instruction. 

J. B. Foresman, "Ab Initio Techniques in Chemistry Interpretation and Visualization, Chapter 14 in What Every Chemist Should Know About Computing, Bd. M. L Swift and T. J. Zielinski (ACS Books, Washington, D.C., 1996). 

The concept of chemical periodicity is central to the study of inorganic chemistry. No other generalization rivals the periodic table of the elements in its ability to systematize and rationalize known chemical facts or to predict new ones and suggest fruitful areas for further study. Chemical periodicity and the periodic table now find their natural interpretation in the detailed electronic structure of the atom indeed, they played a major role at the turn of the century in elucidating the mysterious phenomena of radioactivity and the quantum effects which led ultimately to Bohr s theory of the hydrogen atom. Because of this central position it is perhaps not surprising that innumerable articles and books have been written on the subject since the seminal papers by Mendeleev in 1869, and some 700 forms of the periodic table (classified into 146 different types or subtypes) have been proposed. A brief historical survey of these developments is summarized in the Panel opposite. 

If, in the same way, we use (72) to define for the other processes the characteristic units J, L, and Y, similar remarks can be made with regard to J and J, with regard to L and L, and likewise with regard to Y and Y. By equation (72) a precise definition has been given to the characteristic unit of any process and we must hope that in the future the study of ionic solutions will eventually provide a complete interpretation of these quantities. At the present time we are very far from this goal. At any rate the total unitary quantity for each process must be isolated and evaluated before it can be interpreted. In the remaining chapters of this book we shall have occasion to mention only the quantities D, L, Y, J, and U, defined in accordance with (72) and (73). If, however, anyone should wish to give a precise definition to a quantity that includes less than the whole of the unitary term, the symbols in bold-faced type remain available for this purpose. 

But what does all this work have to do with the question of the interpretation of the concept of an "element" This issue is not explicitly addressed in the paper by Bent and Weinhold but has been addressed by Bent in his recent book, which is entirely devoted to the left-step table [6]. 

Maximum benefit from Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry will be obtained if the user is aware of the information contained in the book. That is, Part I should be read to gain a practical understanding of GC/MS technology. In Part II, the reader will discover the nature of the material contained in each chapter. GC conditions for separating specific compounds are found under the appropriate chapter headings. The compounds for each GC separation are listed in order of elution, but more important, conditions that are likely to separate similar compound types are shown. Part II also contains information on derivatization, as well as on mass spectral interpretation for derivatized and underivatized compounds. Part III, combined with information from a library search, provides a list of ion masses and neutral losses for interpreting unknown compounds. The appendices in Part IV contain a wealth of information of value to the practice of GC and MS. 

The GC separations, derivatization procedures, mass spectral interpretation, structure correlations, and other information presented in this book were collected or experimentally produced over the length of a 30-year career (F.G.K.) in GC/MS. It has not been possible to reference all sources therefore, in the acknowledgments, we thank those persons whose work has significantly influenced this publication. 

The book is divided into four parts. Part I, The Fundamentals of GC/MS, includes practical discussions on GC/MS, interpretation of mass spectra, and quantitative GC/MS. Part II, GC Conditions, Derivatization, and Mass Spectral Interpretation of Specific Compound Types, contains chapters for a variety of compounds, such as acids, amines, and common contaminants. Also included are GC conditions, methods for derivatization, and discussions of mass spectral interpretation with examples. Part III, Ions for Determining Unknown Structures, is a correlation of observed masses and neutral losses with suggested structures as an aid to mass spectral interpretation. Part IV, Appendices, contains procedures for derivatization, tips on GC operation, troubleshooting for GC and MS, and other information which are useful to the GC/MS user. Parts I to III also contain references that either provide additional information on a subject or provide information about subjects not covered in this book. 

McLafferty, F. W., and Turecek, F. Interpretation of Mass Spectra (4th ed.). Mill Valley, CA University Science Books, 1993. 

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