PART I GENERAL AND PHYSICAL

C H EM I STRY

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1 Introduction

By J. E. PRUE

Department of Chemistry, The University, Whiteknigh ts, Reading, RG6 2AD

THE first specifically physicochemical Specialist Periodical Review of the Chemical Society, namely that for Electrochemistry,’ was published in 1970. It is perhaps appropriate that this volume and one on Chemical Thermodynamics,* due in the current year, should lead the field, for the first volume of the Zeitschrift fir physikalische Chemie published in 1887 was almost exclusively devoted to papers falling under these two headings. What is more surprising is that no volume on kinetics, which is so strongly represented in British physical chemistry, is yet in sight,* although a volume on Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms3 due shortly will no doubt report many applications of kinetic studies.

The Senior Reporter has continued to encourage contributors to Annual Reports to use recent publications as a basis for reviews in which background information and comment have been increased at the expense of complete literature coverage.

‘Anomalous’ water or ‘polywater’ was referred to as the topic of the year in the 1969 report. As foreseen, in 1970 several more papers on possible structures for this substance were published. It is, however, becoming increasingly clear that the appropriate description of the substance in question is ‘dirty’ water.4 But just as dubious theories can stimulate useful experimental work, one hopes that dubious experiments may have stimulated some useful theoretical work on hydrogen bonds.

* Editor’s note: The Chemical Society has recently completed a team of Senior Reporters

‘Electrochemistry’, ed. G. J. Hills (Specialist Periodical Reports), The Chemical Society, London, 1970, Vol. 1. ‘Chemical Thermodynamics’, ed. M. L. McGlashan (Specialist Periodical Reports), The Chemical Society, London, 1971, Vol. 1. ‘Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms’, ed. J. Burgess (Specialist Periodical Reports), The Chemical Society, London, 197 1 , Vol. I . (a) D. H. Everett, J. M. Haynes, and P. J. McElroy, Nature, 1970,226, 1033; (b) W. D. Bascom, E. J. Brooks, and B. N. Worthington, ibid.. 1970,228, 1290; ( c ) S. W. Rabideau and A. E. Florin, Science, 1970. 169, 48; (d) R. E. Davis, D. L. Rousseau, and R. D. Board, Science, 1971, 171, 167; ( e ) D. L. Rousseau, Science, 1971, 171, 170; (f) P. Barnes, I. Cherry, J. L. Finney, and S. Petersen, Nature, 1971, 230, 31.

for such a title, and organisation of the first volume has begun.

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