The first chapter describes the determinations of melting point, Melting- and boiling-points (rounded off t o whole numbers) boiling point, and specific gravity and the tests for elements, and are in some cases not the best values. Literature references are gives suggestions for the purification, etc., of organic preparations. given sparingly, and with one exception to papers in British With exceptions noted below the succeeding chapters are devoted journals. In a number of cases preparations are made on a scale to experimental procedures for preparations and tests, with brief which seems unduly large. Some references t o industrial proceltolanatorv sections. The arrangement of the eaoeriments is esses do not represent current practice, a t least not for this far from syst~matic,though to some extent logical. .a< iln excountry. ample Chapter I1 ("hlonoha%icAcids, l:rc.") contains the following: preparation of stearic acid from suet; a series of preparations from acetic acid, uie., monochloroacetic acid, acetamide, acetonitrile, methylamine hydrochloride; preparation of oxalic acid from cane sugar; tests for oxalic acid (6 tests), tartaric acid A SHORTORGANICCREWSTRY. F. Shemood Taylor, Assistant (U), citric acid (5), and suecinic acid (4); preparation of diethyl Lecturer, East London College. William Heinemann, Ltd., oxalate. dimethvl oxalate. and oxamide:. ureuaration of formic . . London, 1933. Chemical Publishing Co. of N. Y., Inc., excluacid and 01 nllyl alcohol fnm uxalic arid and ylyrerul; 5 tests on sive American agents for this book. viii 378 pp. 13.5 X glycerol, preparation of urca by \Vohlcr's m o h r d , and C tcsrs on 21.5 cm. 43 figs. 83.00. urea; preparation of semicarbazicle, recovered a5 acmonc semiThe author informs us t h a t this is a shorter version of his carbazone. I n view of the diversity of experiments in some of the chapters, the basis for the division of the book into chapters is "Organic Chemistry" and feels that "this book contains all that a t several points rather obscure. In the reviewer's opinion there is likely t o be of use to the first-year student of the subject." are too many test-tube or equivalent reactions for individual For one term the material is enough, but it would hardly suffice compounds. Some instances were mentioned above, and there for a full year. The treatment is of the usual type with no glaring novelties. are many others throughout the book; e. g., for cyanides (6 tests), Electronic formulas are used in the few places in which they are ferrocyanides (7), ferricyanides (6). benzoic acid (7). salicylic acid (a), benzaldehyde (4). Chapter XVI is devoted entirely to useful but are not featured. I n the interest of completeness descriptions of, and tests (58 in all) on, fourteen heterocyclic many classes of organic compounds are described, but for brevity only the lower members, usually two or three, of a series are compounds, mostly alkaloids. There are two chapters on the identification of organic com- mentioned. Olefins are introduced later than in many texts. pounds, one following the aliphatic section and the other a t the Aromatics take up slightly over one-third of the space. Fifty-three laboratory experiments with figures and satisend of the text. The schemes presented are designed primarily for identification of the compounds studied in the laboratory factorily full directions are included, so that the book is a combined text and laboratory manual. There are a number of fullcourse. This permits the use of procedures much less rigorous than would be required for a more extensive list of compounds. page diagrams, in each of which an important compound occupies Identifications are completed by physical constants, special the center and is surrounded by the compounds which may be made from it, with indications of the methods used. tests, etc., hut seldom by preparation of derivatives. The information given is usually as correct as can be given in A chapter is devoted t o the quantitative analysis of organic compounds for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, halogens, sulfur, and a changing world. American students will be interested to phosphorus (the last two are only outlined), mostly by classical know that industrial alcohol is made from potatoes. Certain methods. This section is only passably satisfactory. I n the de- American manufacturers will be surprised t o learn that isopropyl termination of carbon and hydrogen, water is absorbed in sul- alcohol "is usually prepared by reducing acetone with sodium furic acid in a U-tube, and carbon dioxide in potassium hydroxide amalgam and water." On the whole the b w k is well done and gives the student a solution in a potash bulb; no mention is made of a blank run. In the Dumas method no blank is run an the tube-filling. I n the well coMdinated view of organic chemistry. E. E m e T RED Kjeldahl method a short-necked flask is used far digestion and disTHBJOHNS HOPXINSUNWBRSITY tillation. The digestion is made without the aid of a catalyst, BIILTIUOBB. MABYLAND the accelerating action of capper sulfate (or potassium chlorate) being mentioned in a footnote. No blank is nm on the reagents. SuLauruc ACIDM A N U ~ A C T ~ R Andrew E. M. Fairlie, Consulting The chapter on the determination of molecular weights deChemical Engineer; Consultant far American Zinc Oxide Co., scribes the commoner chemical and physical methods in adeTennessee Corporation, The Farmers Fertilizer Co.. etc. quate fashion. The micro-method of Rast is omitted. American Chemical Society Monograph No. 69. Reinhold There is another chapter on quantitative methods, including Publishing Corporation. New York City. 1936. xxii 4-646 pp. saponification procedures for esters, nitriles, and amides, and the 187 figs. 98 tables in text and appendices. 15.3 X 22.5 cm. Zeissel method using the Perkim apparatus. Following is the 59.75. chapter on tests with heterocyclic compounds, and then the qualitative analytical scheme, both mentioned above. There is a I n this monograph, according to the author, "The attempt brief appendix giving some tables of constants and the composi- has been made here to produce a book on sulfuric acid manutions of same reagents. facture which would be of oractical use t o the chemical eneineer. .. . Directions are plainly given, and the procedures generally sat- the technicd chcmwt, thearid manufacturrr (actual or potcntial). isfactory, though a few exceptions may be noted. There is in- the studrnt at cullrye or technical school, and thcacidconsumrr, cluded the old aldehyde-ammonia experiment, now wisely omitted without rluyyiny the t e x t with lengthy drscriptions of ohsoletc from many laboratory manuals as wasteful of time and chemicals, processes, or of mere proposals that have not been reduced t o and not compensatingly instructive. I n the "Preparation of practice. I n order t o keep within the limits'of a single volume, Pure Alcohol from Methylated Spirit, or Spirits of Wine," the pertinent matter already available elsewhere has been omitted, distillation from a tin can and without a column is not likely to and the temptation t o expand the treatment of various topics has yield from "methylated spirit" a specimen of ethanol whose been resisted; but in all cases copious references have been intropurity can he judged from its specific gravity. Quinoline is pre- duced t o supply the reader with information as to sources where pared by the old method, which cccasionally gets out of control. the omitted matter may be found." American practice has The course of the S h u p reaction given is not the one now gen- been featured, but foreign developments have been briefly erally accepted. Among instructive experiments which are described and references for further study are given. The introduction deals with the properties of sulfuric acid; the omitted may be mentioned the furfural reaction of pentoses and the Hinsberg separation of amines. Some relatively unimportant nomenclature used in the industry; the uses of sulfuric acid; tests, for example the formation of hydrocarbon picrates, appear and statistics of its manufacture. The history of sulfuric acid more than once. is briefly discussed in Chapter 1. Following this are chapters
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