RECENT BOOKS THE ROXANCEOF RESEARCE. L. V. Redman, Vice-president and Director of Research, and A . V.H. Mory, Associate Director of Research, both of Bakelite Corporation. The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1933. x i 149 pp. 12.5 X 18.5 cm. $1.00.
teaching chemistry the translator felt the need of a really comprehensive book, written in English, on qualitative analysis and inorganic preparations, that might be placed with confidence in the hands of the beginners.. . . The old orthodox method of teaching Analytical Chemistry t o the beginners is badly in need For the thousands returning from the Chicago Fair with the of a wholesome change, as, more often than not, the students desire to learn more of the real meaning of the exposition, the are found t o work mechanically without any clear grasp of the Century of Progress Series of dollar books will provide fascinating principles involved," and "Impressed with the excellence of its reading. "The Romance of Research" will undoubtedly prove method, judicious selection of up-to-date information compressed one of the most popular of the twenty or more volumes. The in a small volume and the clarity of expression needed for the professional standing of Dr. Redman and Dr. Mory assures the beginners, the translator took the earliest opportunity of asking scientist and the industrialist a serious attempt to realize the from the author the permission of rendering this book into goal of conveying to the layman "the viewpoint of research, and English." The reviewer feels that Professor R&y has sensed a real need something of its method, its development, and its achievements." The imaginative and broadly cultural approach of the authors to and has made a real contribution toward meeting it. A few their task will prove a delight to professional and lay reader institutions are now wisely making an effort to lower the barriers hetween the traditional subdivisions of the subject, to treat alike. I n the first chapter there is a statement of the qualifications of and to teach chemistry as a unified science, and t o set up comthe research worker that may well find its place with similar prehensive requirements for those who would do their major sayings of such scientists and philosophers as Whitney, Little, undergraduate work in this field of concentration. This hook Mvlillikan, Eddington, and Jeans: "But what of the method by is best described by the word comprehensive. It is more than a which men are thus creating, or rather by which they are helping manual; i t is replete with descriptive and explanatory material, Nature tocreate, a better physical environment for usall? If the fundamental theory, illustration, summary outlines, tables, desire is for Something intrinsically new, whether an alloy steel, a structural formulas and equations, as well as with rules and synthetic dye, s radio tube, or a spineless cactus, i t must be suggestions on general laboratory practice and technic, pointers obtained, if a t all, in Nature's prescribed way; i t must be created; on the care and use of materials and equipment, clear and conand nobody who is in a hurry to get something has ever heenvery cise directions for the preparation and analysis of substances, successful in learning what way Nature prescribes. On the other the application and interpretation of tests, etc. The hookis a unit, not divided into chapters; yet i t is logically hand, certain intellectually honest, enthusiastically persevering individuals, endowed with insatiable curiosity, keen power of organized and unusually well indexed. The introductory pages observation, ingenuity, originality, patience, common-sense, and contain four different classifications of the subject matter, each the urge to take infinite pains, qave been notably successful in with page references to major and minor topics, as follows: Contents, including First Aid in Accidents, List of Apparatus, inducing Nature to reveal her secret ways of working. Furtherand the numbered sections: 1. General Rules. 2. Manipulative more, t o such i t is the best of allsports." The final appeal for the application of the scientific method to Methods in Chemistry. 3. Preliminary Experiments and Theothe solution of economic and social problems will find a ready retical Introduction. 4. Non-metals. 5. The Important Acids. response from all trained in the physical sciences: "So let fact- 6. The Alkali Group. 7. The Alkaline Earths. 8. Ammonium finding concerning our social order continue even though the mass Sulfide Group. 9. Hydrogen Sufflde Group. 10. Hydrochloric of data accumulated become a maze. Chemistry for a century Acid Group. 11. Rare Elem6nts. 12. Acids (analysis of the was a confusing array of unrelated facts. Then came Can- anions). 13. Course of Analvsis. 14. Tables and Index. 5yllabur oJ Thtowlirol ~,t'vrtpler, indcxing some eighty imnizarro, Mendelheff, Kekulk, Lewis, Langmuir, Bohr, each lighting the way with revealing generalization. Thus will i t be portant discuk*ionsapp~aringthrough~utthr. hook. Sun~maryaJ the Course c f Annlyrir, rcfcrrinp; to twenty-ccven in our new science of sociology.'' "The Romance of Research" is another worthy contribution summary procedures for separations, etc. List of Prefierations, indexing &y-two preparations which to that nation-wide adventure in edfication that is serving a wider field than could possibly be reached hy t* more formal methods range iu difficulty from that involved in the preparation of carbon dioxide to that of such exercises as the simultaneous of chemical education in the classroom.,, preparation of thionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloride. JOHNR. SAMPEY I n the presentation of the details of individual subjects the HOWARO COLLBOB broad comprehensive view is maintained. Thus, the material Brauraoe*H. ALha*ll* on antimony, covering seven and one-half pages, is outlined under the beadings: Occurrence; Salts; Alloys; Solubility of A MANUAL OP INORGANIC QUALITAWE the Metal; Preparation of Antimony Trichloride; Preparation AND INORGANIC PREPARATIONS.Dr. E. H. Riesen- of Sodium Sulfoantimonate~ Tests: Flame ANALYSIS. feld, Professor a t the University of Berlin. An authorized c ~ 2 , Bead~ Test, 3. ~ ~ and Charcoal-Soda~ ~ Endish translation by P. Ray, M.A., University College of Stick T ~ 4. ~pilmTest, 6. ~ , 5. Heated in Closed Science. Calcutta, India, of the latest (eleventh) German Test; ~~~~~i~~~of S b ~ , twith Hydrogen, 2, Zinc, edition of "Anorganischshemisches Praktikum," revised in 3. Water; Reactions of SbO,,,, Sh20.,,,,, and SbOa, with collaboration with Dr. R. Kkmnl, Assistant a t the Chemical Sulfuretted Hydrogen, 2, Zinc. Instituteof theuniversity of Frankfurt a. M. Chuckervertty, Each metal and acid in turn is treated in a Chatterjee 8r Ca.. Ltd.. 15 College Square. Calcutta, 1933. manner. The reader is allowed to feel that he is dealing with xxiii 471 PP. 29 Figs. 13.5 X 21.5 cm. Rice. Indian, a chemical individual-with a character-and not merely with Rs. 6/-; Foreign 9s. an ion met with in oualitative analvsis. The fact that this book has run through eleven German ediOn the whole thebook is a refreshing departure from the usual tious over a period of a quarter of a century seems sufficient make-up of books an chemistry available in English, and prohassurance that i t possesses a content and a character worthy ably few books of its scope in any language would contain so not merely of continuation but of dissemination. I n the trans- much valuable material. No outstanding errors are noted. lator's preface we read: "During long years of experience in Twenty-eight cases of typographical error are listed as Errata
sulfuretted
+
62
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on an introductory page. These errors are obvious and harmless, though, of course, unfortunate. The printing is clear, on good paper, and the book is well bound. The hook is commended for its content and organization. It should prove an excellent manual for students in the second semester or second year of the college course, for students' autonomous study, or as a reference book for either student or teacher.
as a source of raw material for gas, motor spirits, dyes and certain explosives, is without substitute." ". . . . . . . . In a n electric furnace a temperature three times as high (as burning coal under forced draft) is obtainable, about 4100°C.; this is not so very far from the estimated temperature of the sun's surface, 6200°C." ". . . . . . . The utilization of gases on an industrial scale is one of the triumphs of present-day chemical engineering." A ~ n o c acol*eoe WM. A. HAMMOND I n 1931 there were produced in the United States 851 million YBLLOW SPRWDS. 0110 barrels of crude oil, and from these 16,649 million gallons of gasoline. These figures show that petroleum and its products are necessities in the modern world." ". . . . . . the chemist or INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY.AN ELEMENTARY WATISE FOR THE engineer uses coal and limestone, for example, and produces from STUDENT AND GENERALREADER. Revised Edition. Rmil Raymond Riegel, Ph.D., Professor of Industrial Chemistry, them the delicate and volatile acetate eaters. This makes true From rocks to ethereal solvents." ". . . . The " University of Buffalo, with the support of a large number of the sloean: collaborators. The Chemical Catalog Co., Inc., New York manufnrtnre of dye intcrnmediates is thc must brilliant succesa uf isnthcttc organic chcmtstr).." ' . . . synthctlc organic dyes. City, 1933. 784 pp. 233 Figs. 16 X 23 cm. $6.00. . . . . . have a brilliancy never approached by natural dyes The following specialists have coaperated with the author in . .. . . . Lavoisier himself was the manager of the powder works connection with subjects as indicated here: Daniel E. Sharp of the French Government just before the revolution of 1789.'' (structural glass, optical glass, special glass, and glass bottles), ". . . . . The synthetic resins have afforded the first big lesson Benjamin F. Clark (water for municipalities and for industrial to the chemical investigator, that the humble 'tars' may have their purposes, sewage disposal plants), Robert Knoch (dye application uses." ". . The history of tanning reaches as far hack as and the manufacture of dyes), Earl Booth (essential oils, perfume the history of man; compared with it, the science of chemistry is sundries, flavors, pharmaceutical), Amos A. Fries (chemical indeed young. Yet in the past fifty years, chemistry has furfactors other than explosives in warfare), H. F. Lichtenberg nished the tanner a new method, chrome tanning." ". . . . The (leather, gelatins, and glue), J. William Ellis (patents), and process of Bessemer (1855) was discovered independently by Kenneth MEAlpine (pig iron). H. E. Howe gave "detailed Kelly of Kentucky in 1847." " . . Gold is a unique comcriticism of a number of chapters and general criticism of the modity in that its price does not fluctuate with supply and demanuscript as a whole." mand, but is fixed by law." The author's revision of the first edition (1928) [for a review Low temperature carbonization receives only meager attention. of this edition. see J. CHEM. EDVC..5. 1709-10 (Dec.. 1928)l as the total of one paragraph would indicate. Nothing is said of has resulted in a book of considerabli increased size, namely, activated carbon as a by-product in wood pulp manufacture. seven hundred eighty-four pages as against six hundred forty-nine The title of Chapter 25, "Synthetic and Semi-synthetic (increase of one hundred thirty-five); and two hundred thirtyChemicals," the material selected, as well as the treatment are three figures as against one hundred seventy-two (an increase of commended. The author has brought together facts concerning sixty-one). The chapters which have been increased ten or niore synthesesin theacetyleneand ethylene series that are new enough pages deal with sulfuric acid (11 pages), caustic soda and chlo- to warrant attention. Fullei information will be sought for by rine (12 pages). and phenol resins (15 pages). Chapters which many, as here points the way to an enormous field for industrial have been increased by five or more pages are: salt, soda ash. production and research. salt cake, hydrochloric acid, Glauber salt, sodium silicate Three chapters an dyes have a cordial welcome. The treatbromine (8 pages); fuels, steam boilers, hydroelectric power. ment is sufficiently comprehensive to serve as a source of insteam power and production of cold (6 pages) ; processes based on formation far those wishing a brief .-and concise statement activity of yeasts (9 pages); petroleum and its products (5 concerning the dye industry. ~ h e ' i d e athat students should pages), animal and vegetable oils and fats (5 pages); pigments, have more training in dye intermediates and dyes, than is compaints, varnish, lacquers, printing ink (7 pages). Chapters with monly offered in first courses in organic chemistry, is not exincreases of two or more pages are: synthetic nitrogen products pressed but is nevertheless easily evident. The educational (4 pages); portlaud cement, lime and gypsum plaster (2 pages); value of the book is strengthened through the presentation of pottery, common bricks, refractory bricks and crucibles, vitrified the subject matter of these chapters, enamel (2 pages); the distillation of c o d (4 pages); the byThe author and publishers have done a e ~ c by e enlarging products and distillation of pine sap and wood for turpentine and revising this book. I t is now of increased value as a textbook (3 pages); soap and glycerin (3 pages); evaeorators, driers, and a book of reference. The price of the present volume ($6.00) Cottrell precipitator, and others (2 pages) ; leather, gelatin, and is fair and reasonable. glue (2 pages); materials used by the chemical engineer (Chapter FRIENDE. CLARK 45, 2 pages); instruments of control used by. the chemical engiWkm V ~ D I N I A UNIVBP.SIW MOROANIOWN. WBST v*. neer (Chapter 46, 2 pages); steel (2 pages). The total number of chapters of the present edition remains the same, namely, fifty. Chapters I and I1 (sulfuric acid) of the IILWBOOK OF CREMISTR\. AND PHYSFCS. Clmrks D. H o d g m n . Kditor-inchief. I
