PART II INORGANIC CHEMISTRY 5 Introduction By M.F. LAPPERT School of Molecular Sciences University of Sussex Brighton BN 1 9QJ The general form of the 1975 Annual Reports (Vol. 72) on Inorganic Chemistry shows significant changes from previous years. Even greater note than hitherto is taken of the existence of the Specialist Periodical Reports series. Individual volumes of these now provide comprehensive coverage of inter alia Main-group Element Chemistry Inorganic Chemistry of the Transition Elements Organometallic Chemistry Electronic Structure and Magnetism of Inorganic Compounds Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms Spectroscopic Properties of Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds and Radiochemistry. Furthermore the Publications Committee of the Chemical Society has recommended a substantial decrease in the size of the Annual Reports.A deliberate attempt has therefore been made to offer a quite distinct form of coverage of progress in inorganic chemistry from that of the Specialist Periodical monographs which give a comprehensive-but inevitably terse -summary of advances in the subject and provide a particularly convenient secondary source of literature for the researcher. Our aim is to appeal more to generalists including the members of staff of University or Polytechnic Chemistry Departments in their capacities as teachers rather than as research workers who wish to keep themselves and their students abreast of important developments in all branches of the subject. We have tried to cover rather fewer areas than in former years but in greater detail than has been possible hitherto.Selected topics rather than papers have been chosen and in the main these represent areas in which there has been a considerable activity during the year. Where feasible for each topic chosen for comment one or two key references to work prior to 1975have been made. Each author was asked to restrict the number of references cited relative to the amount of descriptive material. For this reason there is very limited mention of books or review articles. The choice of material is necessarily subjective and to some extent reflects the interest of the contributors. We are conscious of the fact that much fine work has not been covered and we wish to have this contribution considered as the first of a short series.In subsequent years a deliberate attempt will be made to cover fields which have been neglected in the present volume. Aspects of the non-organometallic chemistry of the lanthanides and actinides are omitted this year but will be dealt with in the 1976 Reports. In the organometallic section we have kept in mind that Annual Reports Section B also deal with this topic although there the appeal is intended to be primarily to the organic chemist. We do not particularly accept the desirability for boundaries between the various areas of chemistry but simply recognise that with limited space 91 M.F.Lappert duplication of coverage is undesirable. Drs. Cardin and Dixon have therefore concentrated on aspects of structure and synthesis and less on the use of organometallic compounds as reaction intermediates or as catalysts.For example the topic of hydroboration is omitted from this volume. Discussion of metal carbonyls and aspects of transition-metal hydride chemistry is found in this section. Among the books published in 1975 or to the close of 1974 are the SI edition of an important undergraduate text,’ and a monograph2 on inorganic solids also princi- pally of interest to teachers and students. The Pergamon multivolume reference work3 ‘Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry’ written by a formidable international group of inorganic chemists has now been made available in 27 separate titles in hard- and soft-backed editions often ca. 150 pages long dealing with single elements groups of elements or groups of compounds e.g.tungsten bronzes. In addition to the Specialist Periodical Reports 1975 saw the publication of a parallel series published comrner~ially.~ We also note the appearance of a number of specialist monographs.’-13 J. E. Huheey ‘Inorganic Chemistry; Principles of Structure and Reactivity’ Harper and Row New York 1975 1972 edition with SI unit alterations. 2 D. M. Adams ‘Inorganic Solids’ John Wiley New York 1974. ‘Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry’ ed. J. C. Bailar H. J. EmelCus R. S. Nyholm and A. F. Trotman-Dickenson Pergamon Press Oxford 1974 (Vols. 1-5). M.T. P. International Review of Science Inorganic Chemistry Series 2 eds. M. F. Lappert D. W. Sowerby V. Gutmann B. J. Aylett D.W. A. Sharp M. Mays K. W. Bagnall A. G. Maddock M. L. Tobe and L. E. J. Roberts of Vol. 1-10 respectively Butterworths London 1975. D. E. Corbridge ‘Structural Chemistry of Phosphorus’ Elsevier Amsterdam 1974. S. A. Cotton and F. A. Hart ‘The Heavy Transition Elements’ Macmillan London 1975. Gmelin ‘Handbuch der Anorganische Chemie’ Vol. 24 Part 3 ‘Perfluorohalogenoverbindungenvon P As Sb and Bi’ Springer Berlin 1975. ‘Dynamic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy’ ed. L. M. Jackman and F. A. Cotton Academic Press New York 1975. ‘Techniques and Topics in Bioinorganic Chemistry’ ed. C. A. McAuliffe Macmillan London 1975. lo F. J. McQuillin ‘Homogeneous Catalysis in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry’ ed. R. Ugo D. Reidel Dordrecht-Holland 1975. II ‘Boron Hydride Chemistry’ ed. E. L. Muetterties Academic Press New York 1975. 12 T. Onak ‘Organoborane Chemistry’ Academic Press New York 1975. l3 M. J. Taylor ‘Metal-to-Metal Bonded States of the Main Group Elements’ Academic Press New York 1975.