30 August 1954

Professor F. J. Allen

118 E. Stadium Street

West Lafayette, Indiana

Dear Fred:

Thanks very much for your letter, and your suggestion about the new nomenclature.

I have decided to adopt the new nomenclature, at any rate in large part. I have never liked it very much, partially, I think, because I have not been clear about how the names were to be read. You will note on reading the enclosed material that I make a statement on this point; namely, that the name iron (II) chloride, for example, is to be read as iron two chloride. If you think that this is not the case, please let me know. I may say that I have a strong objection to writing of any sort when it is not clear how it should be read out loud. For example, I object to the use of a hyphen between two numbers whenever there is ambiguity about it; thus, sometimes people say "from 1907-14." Obviously they mean to say "from 1907 to 1914"; and I feel that the latter way of writing is the preferable one.

I may say that I do not like the part of the new nomenclature dealing with compounds such as potassium ferrocyanide. I do not like the name potassium hexacyanoferrate (II), or potassium cyanoferrate (II). I suppose that these are to be read in the same way, for example, as potassium cyanoferrate two.

I may say that I think that it would be better to set the oxidation number off by hyphens, rather than to put it in parentheses. Thus I would prefer potassium cyanoferrate-2, or even potassium cyanoferrate-II. I note that the English name iron is not used here, in the recommended nomenclature for these cyanide complexes. If the student is going to have to learn the name ferrate, why can he not learn ferro and ferri?

Note that I am putting the chapter on iron as Chapter 27, followed by that on copper, etc, and then that on chromium and manganese.

In a few days I shall send you copies of the first few chapters, which have been almost entirely rewritten.

I am very pleased that you should be helping me in revising COLLEGE CHEMISTRY.

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling:W