Volume 88, Issue 8

The primary objective of this glossary is to give clear definitions for those who contribute to studies relevant to these disciplines, or who must interpret them, but are not themselves reproductive physiologists or physicians. This applies especially to chemists who need to understand the literature of reproductive and teratogenic effects of substances without recourse to a multiplicity of other glossaries or dictionaries. The glossary includes terms related to basic and clinical reproductive biology and teratogenesis, insofar as they are necessary for a self-contained document, particularly terms related to diagnosing, measuring, and understanding the effects of substances on the embryo, the fetus, and on the male and female reproductive systems. The glossary consists of about 1200 primary alphabetical entries and includes Annexes of common abbreviations and examples of chemicals with known effects on human reproduction and development. The authors hope that toxicologists, pharmacologists, medical practitioners, risk assessors, and regulatory authorities are among the groups who will find this glossary helpful, in addition to chemists. In particular, the glossary should facilitate the worldwide use of chemical terminology in relation to occupational and environmental risk assessment.

Oxidation state (OS) is defined using ionic approximation of bonds. Two principal algorithms are outlined for OS determination in a chemical compound described by a Lewis formula or bond graph. Typical origins of ambiguous OS values are pointed out, and the relationship between OS and the d n electron configuration of transition metals is commented on.