The. first edition of this work appeared almost thirty years ago, when, as we can see in retrospect, the study of the actinide elements was in its first bloom. Although the broad features of the chemistry of the actinide elements were by then quite weil delineated, the treatment of the subject in the first edition was of necessity largely descriptive in nature. A detailed understanding ofthe chemical consequences of the characteristic presence of 5f electrons in most of the members ofthe actinide se ries was still for the future, and many ofthe systematic features ofthe actinide elements were...
The. first edition of this work appeared almost thirty years ago, when, as we can see in retrospect, the study of the actinide elements was in its fir...