Chemical Abstracts

A typical (well perhaps not with respect to content) older chemical abstract is shown below:

6850 d
Xexon hexafluoroplatinate(V), Xe⁺(PtF₆)^-, Neil Bartlett (Univ. Brit. Columbia, Vancouver, Can.). Proc. Chem. Soc. 1962, 218. The existance of the compd. XePtF₆, an orange-yellow solid, insol. in CCl₄, was proved by tensimetric titration of Xe with PtF₆. It sublimes in a vacuum when heated and the sublimate rapidly hydrolyses when treated with water vapor (2 XePtF₆ + 6 H₂O ---> 2 Xe + O₂ + 2 PtO₂ + 12 HF). Lattice energy calcns. by means of Kapustinskii's equation (CA 51, 16037f) give a value ~110 kcal./mole. Peter T. Chiang

This abstract occurs in volume 57 of the 1962 Chemical Abstracts in column 6850 near location d. What is the significance of this particular abstract?

Currently chemical abstracts have the following structure (only the bibliographic material is listed for the abstract in this example):

111: 134405e Spectroscopic observation and geometry assignment of the minimum energy conformations of methoxy-substituted benzenes. Breen, P. J.; Bernstein, Elliot R.; Secor, Henry V.; Seeman, Jeffrey I. (Dep. Chem., Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA). J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111(6), 1958-69 (Eng).

Since volume 66 (1967) the volume number of the chemical abstract followed by a colon and the full abstract number and letter location (both of the latter in boldface) appear first. These are followed by the English title of the journal article in boldface with only the first word capitalized. The author's names, separated by semi-colons, appear next with the surname listed first and followed by the first name and any initials set off by a comma. Note the author may be a corporation. The address of the principle location where the work was done or where the 1st author resides is listed next and is enclosed in paretheses. The journal citation occurs next and includes the journal title (as abbreviated in the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index, CASSI) written in italics followed by the boldfaced year of publication, the volume (with the issue number in paretheses), the inclusive page numbers, and lastly the language of publication also enclosed in parentheses. Finally this bibliographic information is followed by the abstract itself, a short paragraph describing the principal findings of the article. Note the differences between the current format for bibliographic information and that in the older example of an abstract given at the start of this section.

Writing an Abstract Assignment:

Locate and read a short article of interest to you in the Journal of Chemical Education. Prepare an abstract of this article following the abstract format appropriate for journal articles that is used by Chemical Abstracts. The abstract should be in your own, not the journal article's words, and should be typed. The abstract will be graded on how closely it follows the exact format (boldfacing, periods, where they should and shouldn't be, etc.) used by Chemical Abstracts, on grammar, and on how accurately the abstract reflects the content of the article. You will have to make up a volume and abstract number for the article you choose. In addition to the abstract you should hand in a copy of the complete article on which the abstract is based.

Assignment Notes:

In part of your assignment you are asked to locate the volume and abstract covering an article published in a particular year. This is the year that the article was published, not the abstract. If the article was published toward the end of a calendar year or published in an obscure journal in a remote country, the abstract may not appear until the next year or, in rare cases, until several years later!

When asked to give a complete reference to the primary journal where the article was published, report the full, not the abbreviated, journal title.

In carrying out the 1st appearence search, you may have to consult index guides to see if Chemical Abstracts has changed how they are indexing what you are searching for.

In the 1st appearence search, the decennial indexes, where they are available, can save you a lot of time.

Again in the 1st appearence search, if you are able to locate and read an article that may be the 1st mention of the term you are interested in, a careful reading of the article, particularly the introduction, may lead to even earlier references to the term.