MARCH, 1953 undertaking have been patterned after Richter's "The Chemistry of the Carbon Compounds," the third English edition of which became available between 1934 and 1947. The Richter classification has been retained in the present series in view of the editor's feelings that "any attempt to change it might well create more difficulties than it removed," and that organic chemists already have a working familiarity with it. In ono sense then, the present series is admittedly and intentionally another revision of "Richter." In a broader sense, however, this evaluation is inadequate in that the treatment of most topics is not only expanded and brought up to date hut also presented in a more unified manner. The subtle differences permit the present undertaking to stand on its own merit, independent of its illustrious predecessor. One important criterion of adequacy ins. reference series of the present sort is the timeliness of its documentation, and your reviewer was particularly interested in this question regarding Volume IB. The volume contains over 5300 references. Of these, approximately 16 per cent appear in the literature prior to 1900, 32 per cent between 1900 and 1930,23 per cent between 1930 and 1940,and 29 per cent between 1940 and 1952. Literature selection has thus been heavily weighted in favor of recent material, and the volume would seem quite acceptable as a guide to current information on the topics considered. As further insurance of adequacy as a reference text, the volume has a 70pago subject index containing around 7500 entries. Almost 200 different periodicals are listed ss source material for the suhjeot matter of the present volume, and extensive reference to patent literature is included. A number of other distinotive features round out the excellence of the present volume. Page references to past and future volumes are included in the text when pertinent. Frequent reference is made to the historical aspects of the topics under discussion, and numerous references are given to more extensive review articles. Considerable emphasis is given to physical properties of the compounds discussed. as well as to physical properties of their numerous derivatives. This feature is oocasionally handled in extensive tables, hut more usually merely as part of the text. Broad consideration is given to biological and hiochemicd aspects of the topics treated, and the volume contains up-to-date treatment of carbohydrates, proteins, and enzymes in its latter ohapters. Ocoasional reference to syntheses of isotopically labeled substances is made, hut in general there is little emphasis in this direction. The ovecall approach to the subject matter is factual rather than theoretical, the order of presentation being preparations, then reactions, with physical property data interspersed where pertinent. Theoretioal m e terial i~ purposely included only incidentally, but oocasional referenceis m d e to both the theoretical literature and to amore unified treatment of theoretical organic chemistry in Volume IA. Analytical organic chemistry is almost entirely considered from the viewpoint of modern micromethods. Despite the large numher of individuals contrihutine to the volume. there is an imores-
The book is not without some objections, but these are in the main quite trivial. Although unified in all other ways, Volumes IA and I B have separate indexes, and no author indexis included, undesirable features which will presumably be rectified in Volume V. I t is also hoped that a formula index'will be included in Volume V, both because of the general magnitude and complexity of the work, and because British nomenclature occasionally differs slightly from our own. The editor might have sanctioned a more extensive use of equations and formulas, although the reasons for their omission are obvious. Similarly, the occasional reference to reactions by discoverer's name only might sometimes prove frustrating. Regarding hoth textual statements and derivatives listed, references are often omitted, so that the volume suffers somewhat as an immediate bridge to the original literature. This criticism is not as serious as might he, however, since it applies mainly to the earlier literature. The frequent use of "loc. kt." is annoying in that it necessitates more extensive perusal
159 to find the reference in question. Reference style is not strictly uniform throughout the hook and nomenclature, especially in the carbohydrate chapters, is occasionally antiquated or incorrect. In Chaoter XVIII no attention is aid to uniform confieurational designation, d-, D-, and (+) -, for example, being used indiacriminately and ambiguously. In general, however, the volume is remarkably free from hoth typographic$ and, apparently, factud errors. A sheet of "Addenda and Corrigenda" to Volume IA is incuded with IB, a practice which will preaumahly be continued in future volumes. It is interesting that this sheet contained only 14 additions or corrections to Volume IA. The number of such errors in the present volume does not appear much greater. In fields where your reviewer had some familiarity, it appeared that the incidence of important omissions was not particularly high. If future volumes in this series maintain the high standards to he found in the present volume, the series is certain to find a key position on the bookshelves of mast practicing organic chemists. From the viewpoint of quick, accessible, upto-date information st moderate cost, the present undertaking looks highly promising. WILLIAM A. BONNER
OAKR ~ D O ETENNE~BBB ,
0
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CHEMISTRY OF THE HYDRIDES
Dallas T. Hurd, Research Associate, General Electric Research 231 Laboratory. John Wiley &Sons, Inc., New York, 1952. x pp. 4 figs. 1s X 23 cm. 55.50.
+
T m s bookconforms well toits title, for it may be read withsome profit by chemists who know very little ahout inorganic hydrogen compounds, and it emphasizes substances having hydridio reaction tendencies rather than any appreciable protic acid oharacte-uhstances which must beeame far more familiar to the chemical public if the most neglected parts of the chemistry of hydrogen are to progress as well as they deserve. The author presents some of the least known aspects of the subject almost as fully as knowledge permits, while omitting much of what is known or understood ahout topics which are surveyed by advanced books. This principle of selection correlates fairly well with a tendency to treat most accurately the subjects most closely related to the author's own very significant reseaxch stuaiesalthough his effort to cover a far broader field is not a complete failure; The presentation is fairly clear and at some paints even careful; and the novice will be shle to extract some useful hints as to what should he studied further in order to arrive at a good understanding, even though the literature references are very meager. The general pattern of organization would he good if it were well filled out: first a clifisifieation of types of hydrogen compounds; then in Chapter 2 there is a quick survey of chemical bonding principles, with especial reference to hydrogen compounds; then the descriptive chapters are developed in the periodic-system order, with explanatory chapters interspersed for purposes of integration of ideas and stating generalizations. Experts who are well informed on the chemistry of inorganic hydrogen compounds inevitably will dislike this hook for its frequent errors of f a t or meaning, for the superficiality of its attempt at integration of similar topics, and for its lightness of contact with subjects deserving better discussion. They will also
heavier elements in a periodic group behave chemically according to the electronegativity rules observed in right-to-left seriestrends. Thus on page 153 one reads that Se and Te are good electron-donors (which they are not) and that their hydrides have practically no tendency to form hydronium ions in water. Acturtlly, Kt for H.S is 1.15 X 10-7;K , for H2Se irr 1.7 X lo-'; and K,for H*Teis 2.3 X trend of increasing acidity opposite to the decrease of ionic character of the bonding, hut quite
