ACS NEWS

CA prints 4 millionth abstract The accelerating growth of chemical information was again made evident on Aug. 5 when Chemical Abstracts printed its 4 millionth abstract, just four years and eight months after the 3 millionth appeared in November 1963. It took almost 32 years, from 1907 to 1938, for CA to publish its first million abstracts and 18 years for the second million to appear. The 5 millionth is expected to be published sometime in 1972.

Publication of CA's 4 millionth ab­stract also testified to the international character of chemical science. The report which formed the basis for the abstract was written by two Yugosla­vian scientists and published in the Austrian journal Scientia Pharmaccu-tica. Dr. John Howe Scott, associate professor of chemistry at Macalester College, prepared the abstract on the thin-layer chromatography paper, which had been written by V. Vuk-cevic-Kovacevic and S. Seremet of the University of Zagreb. The abstract can be found on page 2252 of the Aug. 5 issue of CA.

Dr. Scott, an abstractor since 1953, is one of the more than 3100 men and women around the world who abstract for CA. He began abstracting, he says, to practice and polish a newly acquired knowledge of the Russian language and continues because he feels it is an important service he can perform for the chemical profession. Dr. Scott was given a mounted dupli­cate of the type form used by Mack Printing Co., Easton, Pa., in printing his abstract. The presentation was made by Dale B. Baker, director of Chemical Abstracts Service, at a cere­mony in Columbus last week.

From the beginning, CA's existence has depended on the work of its volun­teer abstractors. Today these dedi­cated men and women, some of whom have been abstracting for CA for more than 50 years, can be found in 70 dif­ferent nations, including most of the Iron Curtain countries. Their efforts are augmented by the work of 101 section editors, who are also part-time volunteers, and a full-time staff of 914 at Columbus.

The first abstract published in CA was written by William H. Walker, a well-known chemist of the time, who also was editor of CA's apparatus sec­tion. The 1 millionth was written by Dr. Shiro Tashiro, a Japanese-born physiological chemist who was then professor of biochemistry at the Uni­versity of Cincinnati, and the 2 mil­

lionth was prepared by Dr. Werner Nowacki of the University of Bern, Switzerland. Author of CA's 3 mil­lionth abstract was Irving Feuer, direc­tor of applied research at Canrad Pre­cision Industries in New York.

Because CA is dedicated to cover­ing all published material containing new information of chemical interest, its growth has directly paralleled that of chemical science and technology in the 20th century. When CA began in 1907, it published just under 8000 ab­stracts. Some 50 years passed before the annual volume of abstracts reached the 100,000 mark. This year CA will print nearly 240,000 abstracts of pa­pers, patents, and reports. It will ref­erence an additional 21,000 new pat­ents in its patent concordance. CA's 68 volumes of abstracts to date fill some 350,000 pages and its various indexes now contain more than 40 million entries.

To accomplish this monumental ab­stracting task, the CAS staff and corps of abstractors will comb the contents of some 12,000 scientific and technical journals published in 106 nations and patents issued by 25 nations. Mate­rial will be translated into English from 56 different languages. This distilla­tion process will result in some 22,000 printed pages of abstracts in CA. Moreover, each abstract will be care­fully and completely indexed by au­thor, subject, and molecular formula of compounds referenced, yielding

another 16,000 pages of issue and vol­ume indexes.

As the size of CA s task has grown over the years, so has the cost. CA's total budget for 1907 was $15,500. Today its annual production costs ex­ceed $8 million. CA began as a dues-supported activity of ACS, but since 1956 Chemical Abstracts Service has been financially self-sufficient and now meets its operating expenses entirely through subscription revenues.

The sources of CA's first 4 million abstracts reflect the changing patterns of international chemical activity over the past 61 years. In 1907 nearly half of the world's chemical literature origi­nated in Germany and, appropriately enough, CA's first published abstract was the digest of a paper by a German author in a German journal. Only about 20 ' ' of the material abstracted bv CA in its early years originated in the U.S.

Today the U.S. produces about 30 rr of the papers abstracted, while the German share has declined to Ί('<. Meanwhile, Russia, which produced only a little more than 17r of the mate­rial abstracted by CA 60 years ago, now accounts for more than 20 CA. Other leading contributors to the world's chemical literature are the British Commonwealth nations, which currently produce about 12r/c, and Japan, which accounts for 6.5'9'r. The share of the world's chemical literature originating in the U.S. peaked in the

4,000,000. Dale B. Baker (left), director of Chemical Abstracts Service, presents Dr. John Howe Scott, author of CA's 4 millionth abstract, with a mounted duplicate of the type form used by Mack Printing Co. in printing his abstract

44 C&EN AUG. 12, 1968

late 1940's at just over 40% and has since declined.

Although CA's sources of informa­tion have become somewhat more American over the years, the service itself has become more international. Founded originally to serve the needs of American chemists, CA has become the world's principal secondary infor­mation service in chemistry and more than half of its circulation is outside the United States.

Some striking changes have taken place at CAS since the publication of CA's 3 millionth abstract was cele­brated in 1963. CAS now occupies new quarters adjacent to the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, and the results of its research and de­velopment on automated methods of storing and retrieving chemical infor­mation have begun to be evident. In the past four years, CAS has intro­duced three new computer-based in­formation services, Chemical-Biologi­cal Activities, Polymer Science à-Technology, and a magnetic tape edi­tion of Chemical Titles. This year, parts of CA itself are being processed through the developing computer sys­tem at Columbus, and by late 1970 CAS expects to be producing all of CA through computer-operated photo-composing equipment. This transfer to a computer-based operation not only will facilitate the production of CA but will make the information contained in CA available in new forms not feasible with manual processing methods.

Walsh joins staff of ACS Educational Secretary Harold G. Walsh has joined the ACS staff as assistant educational secretary

in charge of edu­cational activities. He is currently completing work for his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Catholic University. He will assist Dr. Moses Passer, Ed­

ucational Secretary, with the student affiliate program, career guidance ac­tivities, educational information ser­vices, and educational statistics activi­ties.

A native of Bridgeport, Conn., Mr. Walsh received his B.A. in chemistry in 1961 from the University of Con­necticut and his M.S. in organic chem­istry in 1964 from Brown University. He was a participant in American Cy-anamid's summer research career pro­gram in 1961 in Stamford, Conn., and worked as a research chemist with Escambia Chemical Corp. following graduation from Brown.

PEOPLE

Chemical Industry Medal Harold W. Fisher, v.p. and a direc­tor of Standard Oil (N.J.), has been named re­cipient of the Chemical Indus­try Medal of the American Section, Society of Chem­ical Industry, for

1968. It will be presented Oct. 3 in New York City. The medal is awarded "in recognition of conspicuous service to applied chemistry." Mr. Fisher joined Esso Standard Oil (now a part of Humble Oil & Refining) in 1927 af­ter graduating from MIT. He held various posts in the ensuing years and was named president of Enjay Co. in 1945. He has been a member of the Jersey Standard board since 1959, af­ter several years abroad as worldwide coordinator for refinery operations.

EDUCATION

Dr. J. Roger Bacon joins Clemson Uni­versity chemistry department as as­sistant professor.

Dr. G. Harvey Benham appointed as­sistant director of office of research ser­vices, New York University.

Dr. Benjamin Chu joins faculty of State University of New York at Stony Brook in September as professor of chemistry. New assistant professors of chemistry: Dr. Frank W. Fowler, Dr. Raymond Jesaitis, Dr. Philip Johnson, Dr. Allan Krantz, and Dr. Charles Springer. Dr. David A. Lloyd will join as assistant profes­sor next February. Dr. John M. Alex­ander and Dr. Albert Haim promoted to professor and Dr. Jerry L. Whit-ten to associate professor.

Newly appointed consultants to drug standards laboratory of American Pharmaceutical Association: Dr. W. Donald Cooke of Cornell, Dr. Takeru Higuchi of University of Kansas, Dr. Joseph Sinsheimer of University of Michigan, and Dr. John Windheuser of University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Alvie L. Davis promoted to profes­sor of chemistry at Abilene Christian College, Abilene, Tex.

Dr. Terrell L. Hill, professor of chemistry at University of California, Santa Cruz, named vice chancellor of

sciences. Succeeds Dr. Francis H. Clauser, who returns to full-time teaching and research as professor of applied sciences.

Dr. Robert W. Kiser named chairman of the department of chemistry at Uni­versity of Kentucky, Lexington. Suc­ceeds Dr. William F. Wagner, now de­voting full time to research and teach­ing. Dr. Kurt Niedenzu joins the fac­ulty as an associate professor. Dr. Donald E. Sands promoted to profes­sor and Dr. Stanford L. Smith to asso­ciate professor.

Dr. Ru-tao Kyi named x-ray fluores­cence scientist in the analytical chem­istry section of Illinois State Geologi­cal Survey, Urbana.

F. Philip McCandless joins chemical engineering department of Montana State University, Bozeman, as assistant professor.

Dr. Warren F. Murdoch named chair man of division of biology and chemis­try at Atlantic Union College, South Lancaster, Mass. Dr. Philip S. Chen, whom he succeeds, resumes teaching and research.

Dr. Robert W. Murray becomes profes­sor of chemistry at University of Mis­souri, St. Louis. Dr. Eugene R. Corey named associate professor and Dr. Joyce Y. Corey, assistant professor.

Dr. M. V. Sussman, chairman of de partment of chemical engineering at Tufts University, is on sabbatical leave as NTH fellow at Weizmann Institute, Rehovoth, Israel.

Dr. T. Urbanski of Warsaw Institute of Technology elected president of the Polish Chemical Society.

Dr. Kenneth B. Wiberg of Yale Univer­sity delivered the Seydel-Woolley Lec­tures at Georgia Tech in July. Dr. Robert A. Pierotti promoted to profes­sor and Dr. Sidney L. Gordon and Dr. Thomas F. Moran to associate profes­sors of chemistry.

Correction Dr. Henry Eyring, who received the Madison Marshall Award of the ACS North Alabama Section in June, was cited for his contributions to chemical research and chemical education, and not for the reasons quoted in the cap­tion shown in C&EN, July 22, on page 49. The wording of the last half of the caption applied to Madison Mar­shall, for whom the award was named.

Continued on page 75

AUG. 12, 1968 C&EN 45