Abstract
THE system of notation of organic chemical compounds described by Dr. G. M. Dyson has quickly been followed by a second, and those who missed the original lecture in Birmingham last October will now be able to study at leisure what Messrs. Gordon,Kendall and Davison describe as a universal notation covering inorganic and organic chemistry and the chemistry of ions, free radicals and transition complexes ("Chemical Ciphering. "Pp. 46. London : Royal Institute of Chemistry. 4s. net). The claims are thus even larger than those of Dr. Dyson, and a logical proof of the validity of the ciphering is appended, given the definition of a chemical species as a set of atoms individually stated, in which given pairs of these atoms are linked together by directed bonds and the net charge of the set, and of any discrete ions contained in it, are specified. The authors claim, moreover, that the system is expressed in the language of "basic chemistry", and in accord with modern trends in the theory of molecular structure. Whether the system can be mastered by a chemist in about an hour, as they also claim, is at least doubtful ; and if they under-estimate the intellectual effort required to comprehend and apply their system, they have probably also under-estimated the willingness of chemists as a body to make such an effort.
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Chemical Names, Formulæ and Ciphers. Nature 162, 562–563 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/162562d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/162562d0