Catalytic processes in applied chemistry. By T. P. Hilditch, D.Sc., F.I.C. Vol. II of a Series of Monographs on Applied Chemistry, under the editorship of E. H. Trippe, Ph.D. Pp. xx + 360. London: Chapman & Hall, Ltd., 1929. 16s.

The term “element” is typically used in two distinct senses. First it is taken to mean isolated simple substances such as the green gas chlorine or the yellow solid sulphur. In some languages, including English, it is also used to denote an underlying abstract concept that subsumes simple substances but possesses no properties as such. The allotropes and isotopes of carbon, for example, all represent elements in the sense of simple substances. However, the unique position for the element carbon in the periodic table refers to the abstract sense of “element.” The dual definition of elements proposed by the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry contrasts an abstract meaning and an operational one. Nevertheless, the philosophical aspects of this notion are not fully captured by the IUPAC definition, despite the fact that they were crucial for the construction of the periodic table. This pivotal chemical notion remains ambiguous and such ambiguity raises problems at the epistemic, logical, and educational levels. These aspects are discussed throughout the book, from different perspectives. This collective book provides an overview of the current state of the debate on the notion of chemical element. Its authors are historians of chemistry, philosophers of chemistry, and chemists with epistemological and educational concerns.

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International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Tentative Rules

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1016/s0021-9258(19)83710-9 ◽

1962 ◽

Vol 237 (5) ◽

pp. 1381-1387

Keyword(s):

International Union ◽

Applied Chemistry

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IUPAC Provisional Recommendations

Chemistry International ◽

10.1515/ci-2021-0219 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 41-41

Keyword(s):

Applied Chemistry ◽

The Public

Abstract Provisional Recommendations are preliminary drafts of IUPAC recommendations. These drafts encompass topics including terminology, nomenclature, and symbols. Following approval, the final recommendations are published in IUPAC’s journal Pure and Applied Chemistry (PAC) or in IUPAC books. During the commentary period for Provisional Recommendations, interested parties are encouraged to suggest revisions to the recommendation’s author. https://iupac.org/recommendations/under-review-by-the-public/

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