Discusses the valence-bond method, applying it to some coordination compounds of metals, especially those involving metal-metal bonds. Suggests that transition metals can form as many as nine covalent bonds, permitting valence-theory to be extended to transition metal compounds in a more effective way than has been possible before. (JN)

To enhance the nation's economic productivity and improve the quality of life worldwide, engineering education in the United States must anticipate and adapt to the dramatic changes of engineering practice. The Engineer of 2020 urges the engineering profession to recognize what engineers can build for the future through a wide range of leadership…

The temperature at which the onset of coordinated segmental motion begins is called the glass-rubber transition temperature (Tg). Natural rubber at room temperature is a good example of a material above its Tg. Describes an experiment examining the response of a typical polymer to temperature variations above and below Tg. (Author/JN)

The statement is sometimes made in textbooks that liquid hydrogen peroxide is more strongly associated than water, evidenced by its higher boiling point and greater heat of vaporization. Discusses these and an additional factor (the nearly double molecular mass of the peroxide), focusing on hydrogen bonds and structure of the molecule. (JN)

Although polymers are regarded as electrical insulators, it was discovered that they can be made to conduct electricity. This discovery has opened vast new practical and theoretical areas for exploration by physicists and chemists. Research studies with these conducting polymers and charge-transfer salts as well as possible applications are…

Use of combined liquid chromatography and finite-current electrochemistry (LCEC) procedures are discussed. Also discusses the relationship between electroactivity and molecular structure, selectivity in LCEC, and LCEC applications. Because of its selectivity and low detection limits, the procedures are most often applied in biomedical and…

Wiswesser Line Notation, a system for representing structural formulas by a single line of common symbols (numerals, capital letters, and three punctuation marks), is gaining acceptance as an effective indexing tool. The resulting notations, denoting specific structural fragments of a molecule, can be retrieved by humans or computer. (Author/JN)

Describes an experiment using a high-speed preparative centrifuge and calculator to demonstrate effects of the frictional coefficient of a macromolecule on its rate of transport in a force field and to estimate molecular weight of the macromolecule using an empirical relationship. Background information, procedures, and discussion of results are…

Describes a method, using simple algebraic notation, for calculating the nature of the salient features of a sugar pyranoid ring, the steric disposition of substituents about the reference, and the anomeric carbon atoms contained within the ring. (CS)

Presents and discusses a procedure for estimating the dissociation energies of diatomic molecules by taking into account experimentally observable parameters. (CS)

Selected infrared laser chemistry topics are discussed including carbon dioxide lasers, infrared quanta and molecules, laser-induced chemistry, structural isomerization (laser purification, sensitized reactions, and dielectric breakdown), and fundamental principles of laser isotope separation, focusing on uranium isotope separation. (JN)

Describes plastic, skeletal molecular models that are color-coded and can illustrate both the conformation and overall shape of small molecules. They can also be converted to space-filling counterparts by the additions of color-coded polystyrene spheres. (MLH)

Discusses the importance of complex molecular structures. Emphasizes their individual significance through examination of the Nobel Prizes of the 20th century. Highlights prizes awarded to Conrad Rontgen, Francis H.C. Crick, James D. Watson, Maurice H.F. Wilkins, and others. (SOE)

Surveyed are the etymology and the reason scientists coined a specific name for a newly discovered element. Approaches to naming from a historical viewpoint are considered. (CW)

Presents a framework identifying the molecular level assumptions underlying many thermodynamic models. Tests the assumptions using theory and computer simulation to develop better assumptions. (YP)