Books by R. C. Fuson / Paul R. Jones
During his multi-decade career at the University of Illinois, R. C. Fuson authored or coauthored an array of books, varying from elementary coverage of organic chemistry to advanced treatises for graduate students and professionals. His first publication in 1939, a set of lectures for the advanced student, ushered in a career of book writing, which has persisted long after his death, in the form of the remarkably enduring editions of “Systematic Identification of Organic Compounds.”
Organic Syntheses: Past and present / Jeremiah P. Freeman
Organic Syntheses serves as a "recipe book" for the preparation of organic compounds whose "recipes" have been tested in an independent "kitchen". Beginning from four pamphlets on Organic Chemical Reagents published by Roger Adams between 1919-1922, Organic Syntheses was begun in 1921 by Adams and Carl Marvel at Illinois together with J. B. Conant at Harvard, H. T. Clarke at Eastman Kodak, and O. Kamm at Parke Davis. At a time when there were few sources of organic research chemicals available commercially, it consisted of an annual volume of sets of directions for the preparation of organic compounds that had been tested and refined by members of the editorial board in their labs with their coworkers. The venture has continued to this day with more emphasis on the description of new methods as the commercial availability of chemicals expanded greatly. Most recently web publication has been made available without cost.
Inorganic Syntheses: Classic series of chemistry books with strong connections to the University of Illinois / John P. Fackler Jr.
Although there were few inorganic chemists in the US in the 1930's, Harold S. Booth (Western Reserve) managed to convince L. F. Audrieth (Illinois), W. C, Fernelius (Ohio State), Warren. C. Johnson (Chicago) and Raymond E. Kirk (Brooklyn Poly) to support the creation of a corporation to publish a series of books detailing inorganic syntheses. The first volume appeared in 1939. Volumes 3, 4, and 5 were edited by the Illinois faculty, Audrieth, John C. Bailar and Therald Moeller. John R. Shapley (Illinois) recently edited the 34th volume. While there are other excellent books on inorganic syntheses, Inorganic Syntheses is currently producing its 36th volume. Each synthesis is checked for reproducibility by a person or team of chemists elsewhere. As a result, these syntheses have found their way into undergraduate and research chemistry laboratories worldwide
Chemistry of the Coordination Compounds: J. C. Bailar, Jr. monograph / Ronald D. Archer
The monograph Chemistry of the Coordination Compounds in 1956 by the late Prof. John C. Bailar, Jr., with chapters by a sizeable number of his former research students, was a significant book in a rapidly growing segment of chemical research. Conrad Fernelius noted, “Bailar's book is the most complete book on coordination compounds available in the English language and possesses distinct advantages over the German compilations. It is a very valuable contribution and will greatly facilitate further research in an important field of chemistry which cuts across the conventional areas of inorganic, organic, physical, analytical and biological chemistry.” The first chapter by Bailar and Daryle Busch elegantly surveys the comprehensive nature of coordination chemistry. This chapter is followed by a wide variety of topics for a total of 23 chapters with almost 800 pages of text. Even so, Bailar acknowledged in the preface that several important topics were not included!
Continuing the renaissance in inorganic chemistry: Drago's Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry / Charles Edwin Webster
In the 1950's and 1960's Russell S. Drago and his colleagues at the University of Illinois were among the top in the world in chemistry, and they created a powerhouse in Inorganic chemistry. In 1965, Drago authored a classic text, Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry. He made use of numerous examples in the early days of the application of physical methods to inorganic chemistry. His own research inspired many of the lucid explanations, and his passion for knowledge in chemistry is demonstrated in every topic. His text was the first of its kind in this expanding area; future texts on the subject imitated his approach to learning using application of the methods to specific examples. The first edition was written at a time when no other text offered in one bound volume so much. Drago's text sets a high standard of excellence with historical importance, which this presentation will highlight
Forging the "key to the world's chemical literature": Origins of CA / Janice E. Mears
Although Chemical Abstracts was not the first secondary information resource for chemistry-related information, its impact during a hundred years of publication has been profound. It has been said that a good idea has many fathers, and similarly, it can be said that CA has had a number of homes over the years. First published in 1907 at the Bureau of Standards in Washington, D. C., where the CA Editor William Noyes was chief chemist, CA offices moved to the University of Illinois in September of that year, when Noyes became chairman of the chemistry department. Noyes was succeed as Editor in 1909 by Austin Patterson, who moved CA to the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where he had been invited to join the chemistry faculty. CA and CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, have remained in Columbus ever since. But the information resource, the dedicated staff who produce it, and CAS facilities have evolved greatly. These beginnings and salient developments will be explored, and it will be demonstrated that CAS has remained focused on its original mission to keep chemists and other scientists in touch with the published work of their colleagues worldwide.
Impacts of Bard and Faulkner's Electrochemical Methods / Johna Leddy
When the first edition of Electrochemical Methods (ISBN 0-471-05542-5) by A. J. Bard and L. R. Faulkner was published in 1980, the book created a new perspective and organization of the collective knowledge that was electrochemistry and electroanalysis. It bridged the gap of electrochemistry as analytical and physical chemistry. Most electrochemists have substantial familiarity with the book as both text and reference, and much of contemporary electroanalysis is appreciated within the context of the perspective provided in Electrochemical Methods. The impact of the book on electrochemical education and the development of electroanalysis will be discussed. Examples will be drawn from experiences of various electrochemists over the 26 years since the publication of the book
Malmstadt, Enke, and Crouch texts in electronics for scientists / Christie G. Enke
When I came to UIUC in 1955 as a graduate student, Howard Malmstadt was an Assistant Professor. Howard asked me to help him create a graduate lecture/laboratory course in electronics and measurements. This evolved into a summer course for practicing scientists and the first text, Electronics for Scientists (1962). The experiments were included and Heath Company sold the equipment. This course was taken up by chemistry and physics departments all over the country. The rapid evolution of solid-state electronics led to Digital Electronics for Scientists (1969), with experiments incorporating the first integrated circuits. Stan Crouch joined the team for further iterations of the text Electronic Measurements for Scientists(1974), Electronics and Instrumentation for Scientists (1981), and Making the Right Connections (1994), and for development and presentation of the ACS Short course. In their time, these texts played a significant role in the early development of modern chemical instrumentation.
Marion Sparks' Chemical Literature and Its Use: First chemical information text / Tina E. Chrzastowski, F. Bartow Culp
Marion Sparks' lifelong interest was teaching chemical literature. In 1912, she began by giving three lectures to the University of Illinois' Chemistry Club on library research; she presented six lectures in 1913. During the 1914-1915 school year, Sparks began teaching "Chemistry 19", a required course for junior chemistry majors. In 1919, using class notes compiled from her previous five years of teaching, Sparks self-published her textbook for the course. With Chemical Literature and Its Use, she arguably authored and published the first book to address chemical literature and library instruction, and formalized the field of chemical information. A second edition, also self-published and self-distributed, was produced in 1921.
Molecular Structure and Dynamics: Legacy of Willis H. Flygare / James M. Lisy
his classic book by Bill Flygare combined, for the first time, all of the elements of modern physical chemistry. Created from his unique two semester course at the University of Illinois for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, Flygare introduced the important topics of time- and frequency-resolved spectroscopy, coherent excitation processes, scattering, and electronic structure calculations, from the perspective of an experimentalist. The synergy between experiment and theory, required for definitive analysis of the most challenging investigations in physical chemistry, is presented in examples from both spectroscopy and dynamics.
Therald Moeller's Inorganic Chemistry, an Advanced Text Book / Daryle H Busch
Fascinating that a text beginning (Page 3, Chapter I, Introduction) with the statement “Inorganic chemistry is not General Chemistry” should have anticipated the future and established the format, for decades to come, of a blossoming realm of scientific understanding, but such is the history of chemistry. Early inorganic chemistry was simply descriptive whereas Moeller's emerging new inorganic chemistry sought the orderly understanding of the non-organic matter of the universe as it exists at sub-plasmic temperatures. In a two part format his book presented the principles of the field in a rational and foundational form and then proceeded to examine the known inorganic chemical substances, largely in terms of the principles. At a time when even the generalities, never mind the principles, were limited in number and scope, Dr. Moeller presented an understandable description of much of known matter in a rational and orderly manner. The textbooks of Advanced Inorganic Chemistry that followed built on his format, adding topic after topic, always beginning with ever expanding principles and then switching focus to the exciting molecules of modern inorganic chemistry. Remarkably, Professor Moeller anticipated the encyclopedic expansion of both structure/dynamic principles and knowable substances and provided the matrix for their understanding
Organic Reactions: Enduring classic / Scott E. Denmark
Organic Reactions, the second brainchild of Roger Adams, was originally formulated in 1939 and the first of now 67 volumes (containing a record 12 chapters) appeared in 1942. The aim of Organic Reactions has been to assist organic chemists by providing "critical discussions of the more important (synthetic) reactions". Organic Reactions is unique in the chemical literature in the way it presents an authoritative analysis of the topic reaction accompanied by comprehensive tables that organize all published examples of the reaction being reviewed. This combination of critical discussion and thorough coverage is responsible for the leading position this series occupies for scientists interested in the reactions of organic chemistry. It is a remarkable testimony to the dedicated efforts of its authors, editors and editorial assistants that Organic Reactions has lasted for 65 years on the basis of almost entirely voluntary service