Laidler

S. Glasstone, K. J. Laidler, and H. Eyring, The Theory of Rate Processes, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1941. 

Glasstone S, Laidler K J and Eyring FI 1941 The Theory of Rate Processes (New York McGraw-Flill) p 522... 

In order to develop a quantitative interpretation of the effects contributing to heats of atomization, we will introduce other schemes that have been advocated for estimating heats of formation and heats of atomization. We will discuss two schemes and illustrate them with the example of alkanes. Laidler [11] modified a bond additivity scheme by using different bond contributions for C-H bonds, depending on whether hydrogen is bonded to a primary (F(C-H)p), secondary ( (C-H)g), or tertiary ( (C-H)t) carbon atom. Thus, in effect, Laidler also used four different kinds of structure elements to estimate heats of formation of alkanes, in agreement with the four different groups used by Benson. 

All three schemes, the Benson, the Laidler, and the Allen scheme, use four structure contributions for the estimation of thermochemical data of alkanes. As might be guessed, they are numerically equivalent all three schemes provide the same accuracy. This is shown below by Eqs. (7)-(10) for the interconversion of the various contributions. 

Procedure. Run one or more simultaneous equation programs to determine the C—C and C—H bond energies and interpret the results. The error veetor is the veetor of ealeulated values minus the veetor of bond enthalpies taken as tme from an aeeepted source. Caleulate the enor veetor using a standard souree of bond enthalpies (e.g., Laidler and Meiser, 1999 or Atkins, 1994). Expand the method for 2-butene (2-butene) = —11 kJ mol ] and so obtain the C—H, C—C,... 

Laidler, K. J. Meiser, J. H. 1999. Physical Chemistry. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 

Servos gives a beautifully clear explanation of the subject-matter of physical chemistry, as Ostwald pursued it. Another excellent recent book on the evolution of physical chemistry, by Laidler (1993) is more guarded in its attempts at definition. He says that it can be defined as that part of chemistry that is done using the methods of physics, or that part of physics that is concerned with chemistry, i.e., with specific chemical substances , and goes on to say that it cannot be precisely defined, but that he can recognise it when he sees it Laidler s attempt at a definition is not entirely satisfactory, since Ostwald s objective was to get away from insights which were specific to individual substances and to attempt to establish laws which were general. 

Nine years later, the Zeitschrift fur physikalische Chemie was followed by the Journal of Physical Chemistry, founded in the USA by Wilder Bancroft (1867-1953), one of Ostwald s American students. The chequered career of this journal is instructively analysed by both Laidler (1993) and Servos (1990). Bancroft (who spent more than half a century at Cornell University) seems to have been a difficult man, with an eccentric sense of humour thus at a Ph.D. oral examination he asked the candidate What in water puts out fires , and after rejecting some of the answers the student gave with increasing desperation, Bancroft revealed that the right answer was a fireboat . Any scientific author will recognize that this is not the ideal way for a journal editor to behave, let alone an examiner. There is no space here to go into the vagaries of Bancroft s personality (Laidler can be consulted about this), but... 

Laidler, K.J. (1993) The World of Physical Chemistry (Oxford University Press, Oxford). 

Source Laidler K. J., Chemical Kinetics, did ed. Harper Collins Publishers. 1987. 

Laidler, K. J. Chemical Kinetics, 3rd ed., Flarper Collins Publisher, 1987. 

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