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analytical ttools, and the modern industrial applications of mold metabolism. There are then chapters on the methodology of mold metabolism, the chemical nature of the mycelium, and a general consideration of mold metabolism. A chapter on natural variation is followed by an excellent and comprehensive survey of modern work on mutations, physiological genetics, and biochemical syntheses in fungi. Here are discussed such topics as the induction of mutations by chemical and physical means and the techniques and results of the elaasieal biochemical-genetical investigations on Neu~mporaby Beadle, et al. Subsequent chapters deal with trace element nutrition of fungi, the production of well-known organic acids (lactic, oxdic, fumasic, citric, itaconic, kojic, ete.), and the production of carbohydrates. Chapter 18 describes a miscellaneous group of fungus activities such s~ sulfur and chlorine metabolism, the oxidation of long-chain saturated fatty acids, etc. The book closes with an extraordinarily informative chapter on the microbiological aspects of penicillin, its history, and methods of prw duction, which could have been written only by one with a background of experience in modern industrial myoologj such as the author obviously possesses. This chapter closes as do a11 the others with a bibliography. Author and subject indexes are appended. The present reviewer is no biochemist of fungi. As a. mycologist, however, he e m quite readily evaluate the accuracy and clarity of presentation of the less speoialieed aspects of the msc terial covered. It is his opinion that we have in Foster's volume by fru the most comprehensive and modern treatment of mold metabolism that has yet appeared.
F. E. SPARROW U ~ B R BOFI M~ C C B ~ A N A m ABBOB, M I C B I ~ A N
ORGANIC COATINGS IN THEORY AND PRACTICE A. V. Blom, Consulting Chemist, Zurich. Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc., New Yolk, 1949. x 298 pp. 121 figs. 82 tables. 16.5 X 25.5 cm. $4.75.
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THIS book is the sixth in the Elsevier's Polymer Series. I t proposes to outline the principal facts and theories of orgsnic coating science in the light of developments in the last two decades. The close relationship of this subject to the science of plastics is made apparent throughout this book since the presence or formation of ma.cromolecules is essential to the mechanical requirements for both plastics and coatings, and the eame basic materials may generally be utilized in both applications. Chapter I of this volume is entitled Fundamental Considerations and includes excellent discussions of plastioiaing action and the process of film farmstian. The next two chapters provide surveys of natural and synthetic am-forming materials. Chapter IV treats of a m formatmn by the physical processes of evaporation and congeletion; in Chapter V chemical film formation is discussed; pigments and their relstionships to vehicles are the subject of Chapter VI; the fmal chapter (VII) is concerned with film properties and their testing. The presentation of theory in this book includes many significant genereliaations supported by appropriate literature references, and numerous pertinent conclusions based upon the author's own research and experience. The treatment of the more practical aspects of coatings, though necessarily abbreviated in details, is genedly adequate for a broad survey of the subject. It is apparent that the author is familiar with both the American and the European literature and practice in the field of protective coatings. I t is probable that this book can add considerably to the basic knowledge and understanding of even the well-informed reader in this field. It is not, however, a'satisfactory reference hook on specific materials, and the subject index fails in many
instances to reveal those factual details which are included. For example, there is no entry for Vinyl- or Polyvinyl- in the subjeot index although a section of 17 pages in Chapter I11 is entitled Vinyl- and Allied Copolymers and these materials are also referred to in other portions of the text. Likewise, Styrene and Polystyrene are not found in this index but are frequently mentioned throughout the book. H. A.
NEVILLE
Lsmaa UNIYERB~TX B E T ~ G E ~ P~al*amv*m* EM.
SEMIMICRO QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: HYDROGEN SULFIDE SYSTEM
A NON
Jacob Cornog, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. Herman T. Briscoe, Editor. Houghton Mifflin Co., Park Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 1948. xi 259 pp. 27 figs. S tables. 17 X 24 em. $3.
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IT IS refreshing and inspiring to thc teid~cr,at l e ~ s t to , see 3 new book which docs not follow the generally accepted yroecdure
of snalydia. I)r. Cornog's book departs considerably from the ordinary scheme of analysis. The groupsareas follows:
1. Chloride &up, precipitated by HCI, contains PbCL, AgCI, and HgCI. 2. Sulfide group, precipihted by (NH&S in acetate-acetic acid buffered solution. contains' HgS, Bi&, FeS, CuS, CoS, NiS, CdS, PbS, ZnS, As&, Sb& and SnS. 3. Oxalate group, precipitated by NH'HC20d and HISO, gives BaSO, and CaGO,. 4. Phosphate group, precipitated by HaPo, and NH,OH, gives Mna(P04)2,MgNH,PO,, AIPO,, and CrPOc 5. Soluble group containsNIt+, K+, and NaC. Separationswithin the groupsare, by andlarge, thoseordinarily used, but the different grouping of the elements throws an entirely different light on many problems. The autbor states: "The system described in this book has been used by hundreds of students in widely separated places over a period of years. Over-all results are a t least equal to those obtained with the Fresenius (H9S) system. Large laboratories are fumefree, and hydrogen sulfide generators are eliminated!' The book is apparently intended for students who have had about onehalf year of general chemistry. The book is wire bound with paper leaves. Most students probably prefer such a binding when the saving is passed on to them. The first 51 pages are devoted to laboratory exercises. There are blanks to fill out a t the end of each exercise. The next 16 pages give directions for preparation of samples and analysis of cations. Alternative procedures are given to provide for 6 or 13 anions. A section of 77 pages dealing with such topics as exponential numbers, ionic equilibria, and the bdancing of osidation-reduction equations precedes the appendix and index. Whether or not this system will replace the H2S system only time will tell. RAY WOODRIFF
MON**N* BT*TE CO~LEB. Boenrw, MONTANA
A SOURCE BOOK IN GBEEK SCIENCE Mom& R. Cohen, Late Pxofessor of Philosophy, College of the City of New York, and I. E. Drabkin, Department of Mathematics, College of the City of New York. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1948. xxi 579 pp. 141figs. 23 X 16 cm. $9.
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THISis the latest volume to annem of the now well-known series f Sciences under the general of Source Books in the ~ i s t o r y o the editorship of Gregory D. Waleott. The previous anthologies of
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APRIL, 1950 asrrunomy, innthen~tics,p h ~ ~ i eand s , geology have set a high stanJan1 of esrellenee and the present w r k is a worthy suece?mr. No serious student of science can Lil to be interested in the historical development of his field of endeavor, and no history of science, no matter how scholarly, can ever entirely replace the actual writings of former scientists as a source of historical information. "A Source Book in Greek Science" is particularly welcome a t this time, since it has long been fashionable to depreciate the scientific achievements of the Greeks, especially in the physical sciences. Many a specialist in physics and chemistry after reading that Galileo rid mechanics of the errors of Aristotle is content to let it go a t that. The consideration that the principle of hrelrimcde~is a3. vdid today as when that eager searcher after truth leaped from h i bath tub should prompt a second look at the iolk who vontributed so rnuch to the intellectual hekcround of our modem civilization. Modem scientists educated inscieutific method as it has evolved since the 17th century are apt to be impatient with many of the questions which the Greeks felt that a scientific theory should try to answer. We should be made more modest by the reflection that our descendants may well consider the methodology of the 20th century naive and ineffective in meeting the problems they will face. The selections of the work under review are divided into the following nine categories: mathematics (88 pages), astronomy (53 pages), mathematical geography (38 pages), physics (169 pages), chemistry and technology (21 pages), geology and meteorology (19 pages), biology (72 pages), medicine (62 pages), and physiological psychology (28 pages). Each main section is prefaced by an explanatory note outlining briefly the chief contributions of the Greeks in the field exemplified by the translated extracts from the original writings. These are supplemented by copious footnotes interpreting diEicult psssages in terms of modern notation and providing useful cross references. Some commentary of this kind appears necessary in an anthology of ancient science, for otherwise it is extremely difficult for the modern reader to put himself into the frame of mind of the ancient writer unless he has already thoroughly steeped himself in the original language and literature. The relatively large amount of space devoted to mathematics, astronomy, and physics reflects the emphasis which the Greek philosophers placed on the abstract sciences. From the standpoint of modern science an attractive feature is the attention paid to those philosophers who did not content themselves purely with abstract ideas but were willing to come to grips with the coustruction and exolanation of actual ohvsical aaooaratns. Hero of .. Alcnandrin nn.1 Archimedes arc notable examples. The numprow wrll-hanm d i ~ ~ r n help r u mate~i~l1y in the u r & r t f ~ ~ ~ d i of n gthe text in such cases. This volume can be w d y recommended to all students and teachers of science. ~~~
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R. B. LINDSAY
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SURFACE CHEMISTRY
Edited by Faraday Society. Butterwarths Scientitic Publications, London, England. Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York, 1949. 334 pp. 163 figs. 31 tables. 18 X 24 cm. $6. .4s INDICATED on the title page this book consists of "Papers presented for a discussion ttt a joint meeting of the SociM de Chimie Physique and the Faraday Society held st Bordeaux from 5 to 9 October, 1947 in honor of Professor Henri Devaux publish~das a Special Supplement to Research, a Journal of Science and It8 Applications." A survey of the titles of papers and the names of the authors who contributed to this book will give a fairly good idea of the nittureof itscontents. Theintroduction to this boakconsistsof the Presidential address on L'HygmscapicitA des Lames MonomolBculaires by H. Devaux, which is followed by 40 papers, 20in French and 20 in English. To aid those who do not read both languages
w i l y , ench paper is p r e i e ~ t dirr iull in thr o m I~ngo.!genndthen irntnedistcly following there i%eirhrr x full tr:tnslxtion or an d ~ . q ~ i n t c ~ h s t rin s , theotller .t lmnuge. The Inpers nre presented under lour tmin rnpicg: Theorctiesl, I'hvir.~l Chcmiatrv, .. Films on Solid Surfa~en.n r d Bio~hwieal .. Ch&istry. I t would he unfair to the authors as a whole to single out one or more of these papers for special mention. Practically all are good and owing to the diversity of topics treated, they constitute, in the aggregate, a substantial contribution to the relatively new field of surface chemistry. While this book can be read with profit by all persons interested in colloids or in surface chemistry, i t should be of special value to those engaged in biophysical chemistry researches who should find these papers both stimulating and helpful. F. E. BARTELL
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS
C. A. Jacobson, Rofessor of Chemisky, Emeritus, West Virginia University, Compiler and Editor. Volume IIL Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York, 1949. xi 842 pp. 16 X 23.5 cm. $12.
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THE third volume in an important series, listing the reactions of the elements from cob& to iridium.
THE GNAUDAN INDEX Members of the Staffs of: Givaudan-Delawa~a,Inc., New York, L. Givaudan & Cie, S. A,, Geneva, Switzerland, and Givaudan & Cie, Paris, France. Givaudan-Delawanna, Inc., New York, 1949. 378 pp. 16 X 24 om. Tars volume covers the specification of synthetics and isolates for perfumery.
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CHYMIA, VOLUME I1
Tenney L. Dovis, Editor-in-Chief. University of Pennsylvania 143 pp. FrontisPress, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1949. x piece and 3 7 illustrations (19 plates). 16 X 24 cm. $4.
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T m s second volume of the series in the history of chemistry sponsored by the Edgar F. Smith Memorial Collection is dedicated to the late Tenney L. Davis (1890-1949) who organized the material hut who did not live to see it in print. Henry M. Leicester, the present editor of "Chymia," and the University of Pennsylvania Press are to be commended for the finished book. Volume two, like volume one, is a collection of essays on special topics in the history of chemistry, rangingfrom the development of theidea of the atomicity of matter in the theory of Demooritns ("The Experimental Origin of Chemical Atomic and Molecular Theory before Boyle," by R. Hooykaas) to the famous laboratory of chemistry in Munioh destroyed by bombs in the last war ("Das Chemische Laboratorium der Bayerischen Ahdemie der Wissenschaften in Miinchen," by WilhelmPrandtl). Four of the essays relate to the development of chemistry in the United States. H. S. van Klooster, in "The Beginnings of Laboratory Instruction in the U. S. A.," has written an excellent account of the early teaching of experimental chemistry in the schools in this country. Most of the students majoring in chemistry in our colleges today know nothing of the debt they owe the pioneers: Benjamin Sillimn and his pupil Amos Eaton. "An Irish-American Chemist, William James Mac Neven, 17631841," by Desmond Reilly, gives a rather detailed picture of a man who, after his arrival in New York, worked a s a chemist, a
