Pure&Appl. Chern., Vol. 60, No. 3, pp. 431-436, 1988.
Printed in Great Britain.
@ 1988 IUPAC
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PURE
AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY DIVISION
NEW NOTATIONS IN THE PERIODIC
TABLE
Prepared for publication by
E. FLUCK
Comments on this document are welcome and should be sent to the President of IUPAC
Inorganic Chemistry Division:
Prof. E. Fluck,
Gmelin-Institut fur Anorganische Chemie
und Grenzgebiete der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft ,
Carl-Bosch-Haus,
Postfach 900467, Varrentrappstrasse 40-42,
D- 6000 Frankfurtmain 90,
Federal Republic of Germany.
Republication of this report is permitted without the need for formal IUPAC permission on condition that an
1988 IUPAC), is printed.
acknowledgement, with full reference together with IUPAC copyright symbol (0
Publication of a translation into another language is subject to the additional condition of prior approval from the
relevant IUPAC National Adhering Organization.
New notations in the periodic table
A b s t r a c t - In 1985 t h e IUPAC Commission o n t h e Nomenclature o f Inorganic
Chemistry circulated f o r p u b l i c comment a proposed new notation f o r t h e
g r o u p s o f t h e periodic table. T h i s gave r i s e t o worldwide discussion in t h e
chemical l i t e r a t u r e . T h i s a r t i c l e reviews t h e historical process t h a t led t o t h e
IUPAC proposals, a n d discusses them in relation t o t h e response w i t h i n t h e
scientific community.
INTRODUCTION
Since Mendeleev f i r s t communicated h i s work, "Concerning t h e Relationship o f t h e Properties
o f t h e Elements a n d t h e i r Atomic Weights", t o t h e Russian Chemical Society in March 1869,
which t h e n subsequently appeared in synopsis form in t h e autumn o f t h e same year in "Zeits c h r i f t fur Chemie" ( r e f . l), numerous arrangements of t h e elements have been proposed
a n d used ( r e f . 2). O n l y a few months a f t e r Mendeleev's publication, L o t h a r Meyer p u b l i s h e d
a n almost identical periodic table based u p o n t h e physical p r o p e r t i e s o f t h e elements ( r e f . 3).
Thomas Bayley ( r e f . 4) a n d Niels B o h r ( r e f . 5), whose w o r k supplied t h e theoretical found a t i o n f o r t h e periodic table, p r e f e r r e d a pyramidal arrangement o f t h e elements. From t h i s
work, a long periodic table was developed a n d is shown in Fig. 1. A t t h e same t i n e , a s h o r t
periodic table has been used, one which remained f o r some time more popular in Europe t h a n
in t h e USA even t h o u g h t h e long periodic table has been p u b l i s h e d in increasing numbers in
European textbooks.
C O N F U S I O N IN T H E PERIODIC T A B L E O F T H E E L E M E N T S
H.G. Deming used t h e long periodic table ( F i g . 1) ( r e f . 6) in h i s textbook "General Chemistry", which appeared in t h e USA f o r t h e f i r s t time in 1923, a n d designated t h e f i r s t t w o a n d
t h e last f i v e Main Groups w i t h t h e notation "A", a n d t h e i n t e r v e n i n g T r a n s i t i o n Groups w i t h
tk,e notation "B". T h e numeration was chosen so t h a t t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c oxides o f t h e B
g r o u p s would correspond t o those o f t h e A g r o u p s . T h e iron, cobalt, a n d nickel g r o u p s
were designated n e i t h e r A n o r B. T h e Noble Gas G r o u p was o r i g i n a l l y attached by Ueming
t o t h e l e f t side o f t h e periodic table; t h e g r o u p was later switched t o t h e right side a n d
usually labeled as G r o u p V l l l A (compare Fig. 1). T h i s v e r s i o n o f t h e periodic table was
d i s t r i b u t e d f o r many years by t h e Sargent-Welch Scientific Company, Skokie, Illinois, USA.
In 1924, t h e W.M. Welch Manufacturing Company p u b l i s h e d a s h o r t periodic table, which can
b e traced back t o a proposal made by H e n r y I i u b b a r d , a former Secretary o f t h e National
Bureau o f Standards. H u b b a r d designated elements o f t h e Main a n d T r a n s i t i o n Groups ( I l l
t h r o u g h V I I ) likewise w i t h A a n d B ; h e applied these notations, however, in a r e v e r s e o r d e r
compared t o t h e notation o f Deming.
In Europe t h e a l k a l i metals a n d alkaline e a r t h metals a r e usually designated as I A a n d I I A ,
respectively; t h e elements scandium t o nickel as I l l A t o V I I I A ; copper a n d zinc g r o u p s as
I B a n d I l B ; a n d boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, a n d halogens as l l l B t o V I I B . T h e l a t t e r
designations, u s i n g A r a b i c numerals, were also recommended by t h e "IUPAC Commission o n
t h e Nomenclature o f Inorganic Chemistry" ( C N IC) in t h e book "Nomenclature o f I n o r g a n i c
Chemistry" which appeared in 1970 ( r e f . 7), a l t h o u g h t h e notation omits t h e elements o f t h e
f i r s t t h r e e periods.
T h e designations A a n d B have been extensively a n d r a t h e r a r b i t r a r i l y used in t h e meantime in textbooks a n d in publications. A n investigation of t h e application of t h e s u b p r o u p
designations A a n d B in all articles, which appeared between 1972 a n d 1981 a n d covered by
Chemical Abstracts, revealed a completely a r b i t r a r y use of t h e designations. Moreover, in
more t h a n 10 90 of t h e articles it was n e a r l y impossible, from t h e w o r d i n g o f t h e t e x t , t o
recognize which elements were being discussed without f u r t h e r information ( r e f . 8).
PROPOSAL OF THE I U P A C CONCERNING G R O U P D E S I G N A T I O N S IN T H E
PERIODIC T A B L E
Since t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e 1980's, t h e CNlC has t r i e d t o find a solution t o t h i s problem
b e f o r e publication o f t h e new edition of t h e "Nomenclature o f I n o r g a n i c Chemistry ( P a r t I ) "
which is t o appear in 1988. A f t e r year-long discussion o f t h e question, t h e committee formulated a proposal, which o r i g i n a l l y came from t h e Swedish National Committee f o r Chemistry.
T h i s proposal was in accord w i t h a 1972 d r a f t proposed by A. Olander f o r w h i c h h e h a d
already obtained a c o p y r i g h t in 1956.
432
New Notations in the periodic table
433
.
\'Ill;\
IA
~
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Fig. 1. Periodic table according t o H.G.
1
1
1
1
1
Deming
18
1
rI-3
2
1
13
14
15
16
17
I ie I
F i g . 2. Proposal o f t h e IUPAC Commission f o r t h e Nomenclature o f
Inorganic Chemistry f o r G r o u p Designations o f t h e long periodic
table of t h e elements
Ulander's periodic table was f i r s t p u b l i s h e d in 1964. T h e g r o u p s o f t h e long periodic table,
beginning w i t h t h e Noble Gas Group, were designated w i t h t h e numbers 0 t o 17. T h e elements boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, a n d fluorine, which a r e now t h e f i r s t elements
o f t h e Groups I l l A t o V l l A o r I l l B t o V I I B , stand a t t h e head o f C r o u p s 13 t o 17. T h e
new designations o f these g r o u p s r e s u l t from a d d i n g 10 t o t h e p r e s e n t l y used g r o u p
numbers.
The CNlC proposal o f designations o f t h e groups, shown in Fig. 2, d i f f e r s from t h a t p r o posed by Ulander solely in t h a t t h e noble gases appear as G r o u p 18. A periodic table which
simultaneously contains t h e designations o f t h e IUPAC commission a n d designations from t h e
"Chemical A b s t r a c t s Service", was o f f e r e d by t h e VCH Publishers in Weinheim, Fed. Rep. o f
Germany,in 1985. T h e same g r o u p numbering was also a p p r o v e d by t h e Nomenclature Commission o f t h e American Chemical Society (ACS), a f t e r t h e commission o f t h e "Division o f I n o r ganic Chemistry" o f t h e ACS h a d i n t r o d u c e d a much discussed proposal t o t h e IUPAC Nomenc l a t u r e Commission ( r e f . 9 ) . T h e "New Y o r k State Education Department" adopted t h e new
system in September 1986. Meanwhile, t h e Royal D u t c h Chemical Society a n d t h e D u t c h O r ganization o f Science Teachers p u b l i s h e d t h e p e r i o d i c table w i t h t h e 1 t o 1 8 n u m b e r i n g
system.
T h e newly proposed numeration caused much resistance expressed in t h e form o f l e t t e r s t o
journals ( r e f . 10) a n d professional organizations.
A l l objections were p r e v i o u s l y k n o w n t o t h e CNlC commission members based u p o n t h e i r own
experiences. Important points o f view f o r t h e change o f notation were, as p r e v i o u s l y mentioned, considered so as t o eliminate a completely a r b i t r a r y use of t h e A a n d B s u b g r o u p
notation in t h e l i t e r a t u r e .
From many l e t t e r s it became e v i d e n t t h a t t h e main concerns r e s t o n t h e loss o f correlation
between column labels a n d such quantities as p o s i t i v e oxidation numbers a n d numbers o f
valence electrons f o r main g r o u p elements. Simple mnemonic aids, however, easily remove
t h i s drawback. A n atom o f e i t h e r t h e main g r o u p o r t h e t r a n s i t i o n elements has a number
o f valence electrons which corresponds t o t h e last digit o f i t s column label in t h e p e r i o d i c
system ( o n l y elements of g r o u p 10 have 10 valence electrons). T h e new g r o u p numbers a r e
t h e sum o f s t p + d electrons a f t e r t h e last noble gas. T h e new n u m b e r i n g also eliminates
t h e lumping together o f t h r e e families o f elements u n d e r a single g r o u p number (old V I I I ,
new 8, 9, 10).
Another objection concerns t h e common parlance o f solid-state chemists a n d physicists, f o r
example, II I /V semiconductors. T h e p r o p e r t i e s o f these materials, however, d e r i v e from t h e i r
electronic a n d c r y s t a l s t r u c t u r e s a n d n o t f r o m t h e labels of t h e columns of t h e p e r i o d i c table.
T h e notation I l l / V is s t i l l v a l i d ( r e f . 11).
1
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
434
DIVISION
It is, however, n o t e w o r t h y t h a t t h e numeration o f t h e g r o u p s from 1 t o 18 was n o t rejected
by all correspondents. In a series o f l e t t e r s t o "Chemical a n d Engineering News", advantages o f t h e 18-group notation were emphasized a n d mnemonic aids were o f f e r e d t o i n t r o d u c e t h e new system ( r e f . 12, 13).
D u r i n g t h e A u g u s t 16 - 21, 1986 meeting in Heidelberg a n d t h e A u g u s t 17 - 22, 1987
fiieeting in Boston, MA, USA, CNlC dealt anew w i t h t h e periodic system, since t h e revised,
third edition o f t h e "Nomenclature o f Inorganic Chemistry ( P a r t I ) " will contain a p e r i o d i c
system f o r i n t e r n a l reference purposes. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e resolution o f t h e commission, t h e
long periodic system w i t h t h e g r o u p designations 1 t o 18 will b e used, as was repeatedly
concluded in many p r e v i o u s sessions. Also a t a meeting which took place during t h e C H E W
RAWN V I Conference o n May 19, 1987 in T o k y o a n d included D r . W.G. Schneider, Canada
(IUPAC p r e s i d e n t 1983 - 19851, P r o f . C.N.R. Rao, I n d i a ( p r e s i d e n t 1985 - 1987), P r o f .
V.A. Koptyug, USSR ( p r e s i d e n t 1987 - 1989, D r . M. Good ( p r e s i d e n t o f t h e ACS), P r o f .
K. Saito, Japan ( p r e s i d e n t of t h e D i v i s i o n of Itiorganic Chemistry o f IUPAC 1985 - 19P7),
a n d t h e a u t h o r of t h i s a r t i c l e in h i s capacity as president-elect o f t h e Division o f Inorganic
Chemistry, Prof. Rao favored a f t e r l e n g t h y discussions t h e proposal t o label t h e columns o f
t h e long periodic system w i t h numbers 1 t o 18.
O n A u g u s t 19, 1987 C N l C h e a r d delegates from t h e Deutsche ZentralausschuR fur Chembie,
t h e German National A d h e r i n g Organization t o IUPAC, a n d t h e American Chemical Society
o n t h i s matter. P r o f . Brodersen, U n i v e r s i t y o f Erlangen, Germany, recommended t h e use
of t h e "code o f chemical elements" ( r e f . 14) as t h e periodic system. C N l C rejected t h e p r o posal a r g u i n g t h a t 1) t h e code o f elements is r a t h e r a n i l l u s t r a t i o n o f t h e A u f b a u p r i n c i p l e
from which a p e r i o d i c system i s t o b e developed, 2) t h e noble gases a r e separated a n d
members o f t w o d i f f e r e n t columns, 3) g r o u p 2 contains elements which a r e chemically v e r y
d i f f e r e n t ( H e a n d t h e alkaline e a r t h metals), a n d 4) f o r elements w i t h h i g h e r g r o u p numbers,
f o r example g r o u p 26, t h e relation t o t h e number o f valence electrons is n o t easy t o recognize. T h e delegate o f t h e ACS, Prof. t i . Bent, N o r t h Carolina State U n i v e r s i t y , Raleigh,
N.C., who is chairman o f a n a d hoc-committee which was installed by t h e former ACS p r e s i dent, Prof. G. Pimentel, explained t h e requirements f o r a periodic system in h i s view. One
o f h i s proposals ( F i g . 3, last line) is similar t o a proposal made by F l u c k ( F i g . 3, f i r s t line)
( r e f . 1). It d i f f e r s o n l y by n u m b e r i n g t h e t r a n s i t i o n elements Sc t o C u a n d t h e i r honiologues
w i t h 3d t o l l d a n d Zn, Cd, a n d H g w i t h 2d in o r d e r t o demonstrate, t h a t t h e p r o p e r t i e s o f
1
2
Id
2d
3d
4d
5d
6d
7d
10d
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
8d
9d 10d l l d 12d
13
14
15
16
17
18
3d
4d
5d
6d
7d
1L 2L 3L
4L
5L
6L
7Lt-8L-
1M 2M 3T
8d
9d
1R
1T
2R
3R
4R
5R
6R 7R
0,8R
2T
3M
4M 5M 6M 7fvl
0,8M
T10
h13 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8
4T
5T
6T
7TI-8T+
M1M2 T 1 T 2
T3
T4
T5
T 6 T7
1M 2FJl 3T
4T
5T
6T
7T
8T 9T 10T 11T 12T
3M
4M 5M 6fd 7M
lEJl 2M 3T
T8 T9
8M
4T
5T
6T
7T
8T 9T 10T
1T
2T
3M
4M 5M 6M 7M
1
2
3d
4d
5d
6d
7d
8d
9d 10d
Id
2d
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
3d
4d
5d
6d
7d
8da 8db8dc
Id
2d
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
1
2
3"
3d
4*
4d
5*
5d
6"
6d
7*
7d
8*
8d
11"
lld
2'
2d
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
7
7
8
8
B
C
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P
S
2
9* 10"
9d 10d
H
8M
Fluck, 1983
ACS ( r e f . 9)
1
Nelson ( r e f . 15)
Gillespie(ref*17)
K i r s c h n e r ( r e f . 18)
Sanderson(ref.19)
Bent, 1987
Ii e
Li Be
A'I
Si
CI
Ar
Cu
Zn
Ga
Ge As Se B r
Kr
7f
8f
9f
10f l l f 12f 13f 14f
Fluck, 1983
9f
10f
llf
12f 13f 14f 15f 16f
ACS ( r e f . 9)
Eu G d
Tb
D y Ho E r Tm Y b
Bk
Cf
Na Mg
K CaSc T i
V
C r M n Fe
Co N i
If
2f
3f
3f
4f
5f
La
Ce P r
N d Pm Sni
Ac
T h Pa
U
Am Cm
4f
5f
6f
6f
7f
8f
N p Pu
Es Fm hld No
Fig. 3. Proposals f o r G r o u p designations in t h e long periodic table o f t h e elements
New Notations in fhe periodic table
435
t h e elements o f t h e f o u r t h p e r i o d change markedly from C u t o Zn o r t h a t t h e signs o f cert a i n f i g u r e s change from p l u s t o minus ( d e n s i t y o f t h e solids; melting points; Paulings
electronegativities; f i r s t ionization energy; oxidation potentials; a c i d s t r e n g t h o f t h e b i v a l e n t
ions; color o f oxides, h y d r a t e d ions, cyano a n d cyclopentadienyl complexes v e r s u s colorlessness o f t h e corresponding zinc compounds; etc.), a n d t h a t t h e elements o f t h e zinc g r o u p
a r e n o t t r a n s i t i o n elements. A n o t h e r o f P r o f . Bent's proposals, t o designate v a r i o u s blocks
(s, p, d ) o f t h e long periodic system w i t h A, B, a n d C would, according t o t h e opinion
o f CNIC, cause increasing confusion in t h e old a n d new l i t e r a t u r e .
CNlC did n o t deal w i t h proposals based on t h e s h o r t form o f t h e p e r i o d i c table since t h e
18-column form has gained dominance t h r o u g h o u t most o f t h e world. C N l C realizes, however,
t h a t t h e s h o r t form will s t i l l b e in use in some places.
In t h e appendix t o t h e "Red Book" t h i s a n d o t h e r forms o f t h e p e r i o d i c table in use will b e
shown w i t h t h e comment: " T h e Commission has decided t h a t o v e r whatever l e n g t h o f time i s
r e q u i r e d by a p p r o p r i a t e a n d effective process, a n y ultimate recommendations o n t h e format
a n d family labeling o f t h e Periodic Table must b e responsive t o t h e broadeEt possible constituency. Each g r o u p o f t h i s l a r g e r population is i n v i t e d und u r g e d t o seek a n d p r e s e n t
i t s local consensus t o t h e IUPAC Commission o n t h e Nomenclature o f I n o r g a n i c Chemistry,
Commission I I . 2. 'I
S U B S E Q U E N T PROPOSALS FOR G R O U P D E S I G N A T I O N S IN THE
PERIODIC TABLE
A f t e r t h e IUPAC proposals h a d become known, l e t t e r s appeared in scientific journals presenting numerous o t h e r proposals f o r g r o u p designations; a few o f these proposals a r e shown in
Fig. 3, in o r d e r o f t h e i r date o f proposal. In p a r t , t h e y correspond t o a proposal s u b n i t t e d by F l u c k in a l e c t u r e o n "International Aspects o f t h e Periodic System in Chemical
Education'' a t a symposium a t t h e ACS National Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA o n
k a r c h 24, 1983, a n d l a t e r during t h e A u g u s t 11 - 16, 1983 meeting in Lyngby, Denmark.
The proposed notation did not, however, reach a majority o f a p p r o v a l w i t h i n CNIC. From
an educational p o i n t o f view, t h i s p a r t i c u l a r proposal attempted t o d i s t i n g u i s h t h e Main a n d
T r a n s i t i o n Groups from one another. T h e numbering o f t h e Main G r o u p remains unchanged
compared t o t h e usual formal notation. T h e g r o u p number specifies t h e sum o f t h e s a n d p
electrons in t h e viilence shell w i t h t h e exception o f He. T h e numeration o f t h e T r a n s i t i o n
Group elements agrees in most cases w i t h t h e number o f d electrons o f t h e elements; t h i s
likewise applies t o t h e f electrons f o r t h e elements La t o Y b a n d Ac t o No.
Similar proposals were l a t e r made by others, whereby t h e n u m b e r i n g o f t h e T r a n s i t i o n G r o u p
elements would mostly b e g i n w i t h 3, a n d t h e G r o u p numbers 1 a n d 2 were chosen f o r t h e C u
a n d Zn g r o u p s . T h e h i g h e s t usual oxidation number o f t h e elements o f e v e r y g r o u p would
normally b e indicated thereby, even t h o u g h t h e number o f exceptions t o t h i s r u l e is large.
In comparison t o F l u c k ' s proposal, however, t h e y have t h e disadvantage t h a t t h e designations
3d, 4d, a n d so on, m i g h t g i v e a false impression t h a t these elements possess a corresponding number o f d electrons. T h i s disadvantage could eventually b e dealt w i t h by t h e use o f
Roman numerals f o r t h e notation.
P. Nelson ( r e f . 15) proposed t h r e e notation systems, which f o r application purposes, should
b e used simultaneously. His f i r s t proposal touches o n t h e s h o r t p e r i o d i c table whereby t h e
subnotations A a n d B, according t o t h e IUPAC recommendations f o r 1970 ( r e f . 7 ) , 2 r e replaced by L a n d R ( L = l e f t a n d R = r i g h t ) . T h e second o f Nelson's proposals f o r nunierat i o n likewise comes from t h e s h o r t periodic table, u s i n g however t h e subnotations which were
chiefly used p r e v i o u s l y in t h e USA, whereby A would b e replaced by M ( M
Main) a n d B
by T ( T = T r a n s i t i o n ) . A third scheme is based u p o n t h e long p e r i o d i c table. T h e d i v i s i o n
o f t h e periodic table i n t o M a n d T elements h a d f i r s t been used by R.T. Sanderson ( r e f . 16),
who designated t h e zinc g r o u p as M2', since these elements w i t h t h e i r complete d shells d o
n o t belong t o t h e t r a n s i t i o n elements.
R.J. Gillespie's f i r s t proposal ( r e f . 17) reproduces t h e total number o f s and d electrons
f o r t h e T r a n s i t i o n G r o u p elements. F o r t h e elements Sc t o Mn, t h e numbers correspond t o
t h e maximur:. o x i d a t i o n number. A t t h e same time, t h e relationship between t h e Main G r o u p
elements o f t h e alkali metals t o t h e halogens a n d t h e t r a n s i t i o n elements o f scandiuai t h r o u g h
manganese g r o u p s would b e emphasized. Gillespie's second proposal emphasizes t h e relations h i p between t h e f i r s t t w o Main a n d T r a n s i t i o n Groups, a l t h o u g h t h e numeration o f t h e
l a t t e r no longer corresponds t o t h e sum o f t h e s a n d d electrons.
S. K i r s c h n e r ' s proposals ( r e f . 18) deviate a t c e r t a i n p o i n t s from t h e p r e v i o u s l y specified
notations. These proposals are, however, based u p o n similar p o i n t s o f view which a r e easily
understood a f t e r reading t h e p r e v i o u s descussion. In o r d e r t o bring t h e n u m b e r i n g o f t h e
iron, cobalt, a n d n i c k e l g r o u p s i n t o agreement w i t h t h e maxinium o x i d a t i o n number, t h e subnotations 8da, 8db, a n d 8dc were chosen in h i s second proposal.
One o f t h e latest proposals was made by R.T. Sanderson (see Fig. 3) ( r e f . 19). It is v e r y
similar t o t h e proposal by H . B e n t mentioned above.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY DIVISION
436
THE ELEMENTS OF THE S C A N D I U M GROUP
In t h e "Ked Book" which will appear in 1988 t h e same arrangement was chosen f o r t h e elements o f t h e scandium g r o u p as in t h e periodic table as o r i g i n a l l y proposed by CNlC and
subsequently published by VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheini.
It is a compromise. According t o t h e electron configurations o f t h e elements, t h e scandium
g r o u p consists o f t h e elements
Sc, Y, Lu, Lr.
T h i s was pointed o u t as e a r l y as 1959 by L.D. Landau ( r e f . 20) a n d later by o t h e r authors
( r e f . 13, 14, 2 0 t o 2 5 ) . Most periodic tables in textbooks and classrooms, however, l i s t Sc,
Y, La, a n d A c as elements o f t h e scandium g r o u p and designate t h e elements Ce t o L u and
T h t o Lr as lanthanides a n d actinides, respectively. T h e historical b a c k g r o u n d f o r t h i s
arrangement is g i v e n in a paper by W.B. Jensen ( r e f . 21). Based u p o n t h e i r electronic
configurations and t h e i r chemical and physical properties , t h e elements La t o Y b a n d A c t o
No should be inserted between barium and lutetium and between radium a n d lawrencium o r
f o r practical reasons b e l i s t e d a t t h e bottom o f t h e table. T h e series La t o Y b and A c t o No
then, however, cannot be named c o r r e c t l y as lanthanides a n d actinides since t h e y contain
t h e elements lanthanum a n d actinium and n o t o n l y elements similar t o lanthanum and actinium
as is p u r p o r t e d by t h e ending -ide ( o r -oid according t o a n earlier IUPAC recommendation).
CONCLUSION
The various proposals discussed above all have merits. However, c a r e f u l consideration o f
t h e i r advantages a n d disadvantages has nevertheless led CN IC t o continue t o p r e f e r t h e i r
original proposals, which have t h e advantage o f p r o v i d i n g a u n i q u e and unambiguous designation f o r each g r o u p . T h i s form o f t h e periodic table will therefore b e set o u t in t h e
Appendix t o t h e new edition o f t h e IUPAC Red Book (Nomenclature o f Inorganic Chemistry),
but will b e related t o those alternatives used most widely in t h e l i t e r a t u r e . However, IUPAC
can only make recommendations, n o t laws, a n d t h e Commission encourages f u r t h e r discussion
and comment o n t h i s subject, which is necessarily o f concern t o all members o f t h e chemical
community.
Acknowledgement 1 should l i k e t o t h a n k Prof. D. 6usch. Prof. N. Sheppard, a n d
U r . A . D . IdcNaught f o r s c r u t i n i z i n g t h e manuscript a n d h e l p f u l comments.
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