Translation Editor's Preface

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Translation Editor's Preface

T h e Handbook of P r e p a r a t i v e I n o r g a n i c C h e m i s t r y b y G . B r a u e r h a s b e e n a v a l u a b l e a d d i t i o n t o t h e d e t a i l e d p r e p a r a t i v e l i t e r a t u r e for s o m e y e a r s l a r g e l y b e c a u s e of t h e n u m b e r and d i v e r s i t y of m e - t h o d s w h i c h a r e c o n t a i n e d in i t s p a g e s . T h e t r a n s l a t i o n of t h i s w o r k , t h e r e f o r e , w i l l simplify t h e t a s k of s y n t h e s i s for c h e m i s t s w h o s e G e r m a n i s l e s s t h a n p r o f i c i e n t .

B e c a u s e l a b o r a t o r y p r a c t i c e , a s o u t l i n e d in P a r t I of t h e H a n d - b o o k , i s in s o m e w a y s different f r o m l a b o r a t o r y p r a c t i c e in t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n u m b e r of a d d i t i o n s and o m i s s i o n s h a v e b e e n m a d e in t h e t r a n s l a t e d t e x t . T h e s e i n c l u d e : (1) t h e r e m o v a l of t h e n a m e s of G e r m a n s u p p l i e r s a n d t r a d e n a m e s a n d t h e s u b s t i t u t i o n of A m e r - i c a n t r a d e n a m e s and s u p p l i e r s , t h e l a t t e r only o c c a s i o n a l l y , (2) c o n v e r s i o n of G e r m a n g l a s s a n d g r o u n d - g l a s s j o i n t s i z e s t o t h e i r A m e r i c a n e q u i v a l e n t s , (3) s u b s t i t u t i o n t h r o u g h o u t t h e t e x t of " l i q u i d n i t r o g e n " f o r " l i q u i d a i r " , (4) i m p r o v e m e n t in t h e n o m e n c l a t u r e w h e r e it w a s j u d g e d u n c l e a r . In a d d i t i o n , c e r t a i n b r i e f s e c t i o n s h a v e b e e n o m i t t e d o r r e w r i t t e n w h e n t h e p r a c t i c e o r e q u i p m e n t d e - s c r i b e d w a s o u t m o d e d o r so different a s t o b e i n a p p l i c a b l e in t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s ,

It i s h o p e d t h a t t h e s e c h a n g e s h a v e b e e n c o n s i s t e n t a n d w i s e d e - s p i t e t h e diffusion of r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for t h e p r o d u c t i o n of a book of t h i s s i z e .

R e e d F . R i l e y B r o o k l y n , New Y o r k

A u g u s t , 1963

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Translation EditorJs Preface

The Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry by G. Brauer has been a valuable addition to the detailed preparative literature for some years largely because of the number and diversity of me- thods which are contained in its pages. The translation of this work, therefore, will simplify the task of synthesis for chemists whose German is less than proficient.

Because laboratory practice, as outlined in Part I of the Hand- book, is in some ways different from laboratory practice in the United States a number of additions and omissions have been made in the translated text. These include: (1) the removal of the names of German suppliers and trade names and the substitution of Amer- ican trade names and suppliers, the latter only occasionally,

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conversion of German glass and ground-glass joint sizes to their American equivalents,

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substitution throughout the text of "liquid nitrogen" for "liquid air",

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improvement in the nomenclature where it was judged unclear. In addition, certain brief sections have been omitted or rewritten when the practice or equipment de- scribed was outmoded or so different as to be inapplicable in the United States.

Translation Editor's Preface