Lapworth-Robinson system

But Ingold s triumph came in finally seeing the advantages of Robinson s explanation system, revising it, and substituting a new and clearer language and classification of types of reaction mechanisms. Lapworth, Robinson, and their collaborators referred to Ingold s "conversion" experience, a conversion in which Paul eventually helped create the myth of his role not as saint but as savior. 

An influential textbook in physical organic chemistry by Lapworth s student, William Waters, appeared in 1935 with an introduction by Lowry giving an account of recent developments as Lapworth saw them. 132 But, as Robinson knew, the history of a theory and the history of a discipline in large measure is created by historical introductions and the systems of citations in the most-cited articles and books in a field. 

In fact, Cuy s idea was not completely original. Many years before, Fliirscheim [4] and Fry [5], had postulated similar theories of alternating polarities, and the idea was soon extended by Hanke and Koessler [6], Kermack and Robinson [7] and Stieglitz [8] in order to predict the site of reactivity in both aliphatic and aromatic systems. However, as has been stated by A.E. Remick [9], "it would profit us but little to pursue further the similarities and differences of these theories of alternating polarity. Suffice it to say that they were eventually shown to be wrong [10] [11] at least in regard to saturated molecules". In spite of this, it is worthwhile referring here to the work of Lapworth. 

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