BOOK REVIEWS reactions of coordinated ligands; carboranes; the dioxygenyl cation; threecenter bond theory; multiple bonding; hydrides m d complex hydrides of group I11 elements; the divalent state of group IV elements; substituted sulfur fluorides; and charge-transfer compounds of halogens. The final part of the book, Chemistry of the Transition Elements, which comprises almost half it,slength, contains a number of new sections: optical activity, metal-metal bonds including metal atom clusters; bonding; infrared spectra, and reactions of carbonyl compounds; ligands with extended T systems; chromium peroxo complexes; the so-called snomalous hehavim of Ni(I1) cnmplexes; lower oxidation states of Xi; and complexes of Nb(1V) and Ts(1V) and of Mo and W. The authors have obviously spared no pains in revising the book. Many of the figures and graphs have been redrawn and reduced in size in order to provide space for the additional material cited above. I n many cases, the number of collateral reading references z t the ends of the chapters have been increased. sometimes even ~lwvifiv~ , I F P W I C P S d ~ n l h l . FIITI~I+TIILIIF. s, w t , :I? rmv.1 zi.* l!Ko> prrt>,.wr,pto 1I.e t w t rlntrri.11 have been nddtvl : 1 s f m tuotbi. Symmetry class symbols, d-electron eonfigurations for transition metal ions, and minor changes in nomenclature (AG for AF, 0x0 for oxy, ete.) have also been intmduced. Most of the Appendix of the first edition has been deleted, and with it, unfartunately, all the study problems. I n view of the inadequate index, the omission of subheadings from the table of contents is particularly unfortunate. Aside from these minor complaints, then, this revised edition continues to fulfill the authors' goal of providing a "comprehensive textbook. a t rtn advanced level incorporating the many new chemical developments, particulsrly the more recent theoretical advances in the interpretation of bonding and reactivity in inorganic compounds."
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G ~ o n B. o ~KAUFPMAN California State College at F r m o Alfred Werner:
Founder of Coordination Chemistry George B. Kauffman, California
State
College a t Fresno. Springer-Verlag 127 New York, Inc., 1966. xv pp. Plates. 17.5 X 24 em. Paperbound. 86.
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Writing a biography is much more dicult than one might a t first imagine, for no man lives alone. His actions, his attitudes and his accomplishments are determined in large measure hy his inheritsnee, by his training, by the people with whom he associates, and, if he is a scientist, by the degree of development of science in general, and his o m science in particular. The significance of Alfred Werner's work can be fuUy assessed only against the brtckground of the political and social life of his time and in relation to the condition
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BOOK REVIEWS of inorganic chemistry as he found it, as he left it, and as it is today. Happily, Professor Kauffman has the necessary knowledge of history and of chemistry to describe in detail the environment which made Werner's work possible and of such great importance. His extensive research into Werner's life and work, and his fine writing ability combine to make this a fascinating baak. Alfred Werner was certainly the greab est chemical genius of his generation, if not of his century. The brilliance of his imagination and his chemical intuition were beyond comparison. Although his study of "complex inorgenie compounds" had been very brief, and he had done no experimental work with them, he devised a theory that not only systematized the entire field, hut. foreshadowed several t,heories that were fully exploited only many years later-among these are the theories of the ionization of salts in the solid state, of the hydrolysis of salts, and of amphaterism. Not only was Werner a. remarkable theorist-he was also a skilled laboratory investigator with a "green thnmb" for synthesis. Once he had theorized that a compound of a, certain structure would behave in a given way, it was necessary for him t o synthesize that compound and study its properties. He and his students prepared a host of new metal complexes, many of which could be obtained only by
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long and difficult procedures. Werner did not enjoy or excel in quantitative work ihis poorest grades in school were in mathemsrtics) and nearly d l of his research was aoditstive and deseriotive.
Reference Electrodes for Fused Salts
perhapps the worst of which were overinddgence and a lack of tolerance for those who did not understand him. Professor Kauffman has made no attempt to hide these faults, but he describes them with sympathy and understanding. AR one reads the last chapter of this biography, The F i n d Tragedy, he is almost moved to tears that the career of this sparking, complex genius, who had won the acclaim of the entire chemical world, should come to such a pitiful end. One lays the book down with a feeling of reverence and sadness. I t is a remarkable st,ory, written in a, remarkable way. Although this biography abounds with references to chemical subjects, it can he read with pleasure by persons who know very little chemistry. For those who wish to pursue the chemical aspects, the book contains extensive bibliographies of articles and bookson coordination chemistry, and a complete list of Werner's 174 research papers, 46 lectures, 16 review articles and two books. Hopefully, all oi this will he summed up in a second voltme by Professor Kauffman.
This book, an English irmslnl ion of the Russian edition which appeared in early 1965, purports t,o he a monograph on the design, theory of operatio?, and areas of application of referenceelectrodrs for fused salts. The volume is aimed speoifically a t scientists with practical interests in the thermodynamics and strrwture of molten salts as investigated via gnlvmic eell emf measurements and surveys the pertinent literature (with emphasis on Rnesinn contributions) through early 1963. The first chapter, whirh comprises rooghly half the baak, is devoted to a discwsion of the structure of purr fosed salts and fused salt solntions and to a thermodynsmic interpretation of molten salt galvanic eell emf's pr~rented at. roughly the level of an elementary physical chemistry text. Workers familiar with the recent literature in this field will find this chapter naive, uncritienl, uninformed, and to a. fair extent inramplete. The discussion of fused salt solntion chemistry, for instance, completely ignores the important theoretical and experimental contributions of Kleppa and Blander prior to 1963, and little attempt is made to set down any theoretical guideline lo the
J o n ~C.BAILAR, JR. University of Illinois Urbana
8. F . Ahbgshev, M. F. I,anfmlov, and A . G . Morachevskii. Trans. by Adam Peiped. Sigma Press, Publishers, Washington, D. C., 1965. viii 184 pp. Figs. and tables. 14.5 X 9 . 5 em. $8.
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