This online version of the IUPAC
Compendium of Chemical Terminology mostly corresponds to the second
edition (1997), compiled by Alan D. McNaught and Andrew Wilkinson
(Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK). Towards the end of 2003,
work began on the addition of terms from more recent IUPAC recommendations,
with the intention of eventually bringing the website into a condition
in which it can be maintained up-to-date.
- ADVANCED
XML version <goldbook.iupac.org>
- Simpler pdf version
> browse indexes:
[A]
[B]
[C]
[D]
[E]
[F]
[G]
[H]
[I]
[J]
[K]
[L]
[M]
[N]
[O]
[P]
[Q]
[R]
[S]
[T]
[U]
[V]
[W]
[X]
[Y]
[Z]
The pdf online version of the IUPAC
Compendium of Chemical Terminology mostly corresponds to the second
edition (1997), compiled by Alan D. McNaught and Andrew Wilkinson
(Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK). Towards the end of 2003,
work began on the addition of terms from more recent IUPAC recommendations,
with the intention of eventually bringing the website into a condition
in which it can be maintained up-to-date.
Some minor errors have been corrected (the changes are
noted where they occur), and cross-referencing has been improved.
The conversion to electronic form (pdf files) was carried out by David
Stout (Information Technology Consultant, Information Services, Royal
Society of Chemistry).
The Compendium is popularly referred to as the "Gold Book",
in recognition of the contribution of the late Victor Gold, who initiated
work on the first edition. It is one of the series of IUPAC "Colour
Books" on chemical nomenclature, terminology, symbols and units (see
the list of source
documents [pdf file]), and collects together
terminology definitions from IUPAC recommendations already published
in Pure and Applied Chemistry
and in the other Colour
Books.
Terminology definitions published by IUPAC are drafted
by international committees of experts in the appropriate chemistry
sub-disciplines, and ratified by IUPAC's
Interdivisional Committee on Nomenclature and Symbols. In this
edition of the Compendium these IUPAC-approved definitions are supplemented
with some definitions from ISO and from the International Vocabulary
of Basic and General Terms in Metrology; both these sources are recognised
by IUPAC as authoritative. The result is a collection of nearly 7000
terms, with authoritative definitions, spanning the whole range of
chemistry.
All IUPAC recommendations published up to the end of 1995
were considered for inclusion, together with some particularly significant
material published in 1996 (class names, kinetics, clinical chemistry
quantities and units, stereochemistry, photochemistry and basic polymer
terms). A selection was made on the basis of general utility: some
terms were omitted as being of interest only to a highly specialist
audience. Since 2003, more terms are being added
to the web-site, drawn from IUPAC publications which have appeared
since 1995 [see project
for details]. Eventually, it is hoped thus to develop the
compendium to a point from which it can be kept continually up-to-date.
Some minor editorial changes were made to the originally
published definitions, to harmonise the presentation and to clarify
their applicability, if this is limited to a particular sub-discipline.
Verbal definitions of terms from Quantities, Units and Symbols in
Physical Chemistry (the IUPAC
Green Book, in which definitions are generally given as mathematical
expressions) were developed specially for this Compendium by the Physical
Chemistry Division of IUPAC. Definitions of a few physicochemical
terms not mentioned in the Green Book were added at the same time
(referred to here as Physical Chemistry Division, unpublished).
The first reference given at the end of each definition
is to the page of Pure Appl. Chem. or other source where the
original definition appears; other references given designate other
places where compatible definitions of the same term or additional
information may be found, in other IUPAC documents. The complete reference
citations are given in the appended list of source
documents [pdf file]. Highlighted terms
within individual definitions link to other entries where additional
information is available.
A cross (+) against an entry implies that use of the term
is discouraged.