spared a touch of the dramatic. For it was during the closing days of 1932 that two American physicists, each a leader of thought and possessed of strong convictions, each a Nobel Laureate, came into open disagreement on a subject of fundamental scientific importance." While the content and style of the book are designed t o intrigue the scientific layman, the Editorial Committee of the Science Book Club was sufficiently impressed with its "keen appraisal and prophetic judgment" to select it as its principal recommendation for June. From the point of view of physics and astronomy the book presents as masterly an exposition in nan technical language of recent discoveries in these fields as one may find, but when the author enters the chemical and biological sciences, he fails to maintain this high standard. Indeed,the contrast is so sharp that the book offers one of the best examples of the results t o he expected when a specialist in one field attempts to describe, even for the layman, present-day problems in another. The discussions of the first two sciences are not only vivid and animated, hut they carry that convincing voice of authority which is found only in one who has experienced iutimatecontact with the phenomena presented. On the other hand, the problems selected from chemical and biological research can hardly be said to represent those that are of major significance today, and the treatment of the same is so incomplete that in comparison with the earlier discussion it appears trite, inane, and superficial. Only Eyriug's theories of chemical combination are vitalized. while from the chapters dealing with thelife sciences. the one an Immunology is the most compl;te. JOHNR. SAMPEY PV~MINU N T Y ~ R S ~ T Y
C ~ B N Y I LSL OUT .. B . CI.O'IN*
A TEXTBOOK OF ELEMENTARY QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS. Cad J . Engelder, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1936. xiv 270 pp. 9 tables. 12 figs. 15 X 23 cm. $2.7.5.
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being mentioned), but nothing is said regarding the possible interfering action under certain conditions of oxides of nitrogen. arsenic, antimony, mineral acids, and ammonium acetate; moreover, the ingenious fluoride-phthalate-iodide method of B. Park is left out of account. It is regrettable that the apparently excellent work of R. M. Fowler and H. A. Bright a t the National Bureau of Standards on the standardization of potassium permanganate solutions has passed unnoticed. It seems improbable that anybody will obtain a "colloidal precipitate" of barium sulfate (page 186). I t is surprising that one should be directed to wash silver chloride with "hot water containing dilute nitric acid" (page 194), for a wash-liquid cooled in ice would be more appropriate, seeing that the solubility of the silver halide increases markedly with rise in temperature. The scheme for the analysis of brass (page 230 et req.) is open t o a number of ohjections: the stannic oxide, as weighed, is apt t o be in error owing to one or more of several causes: contamination, passage through the filter, or reduction during ignition; and no provision is made far either iron or nickel, which are so frequently t o be found in copper-zinc alloys. Since there is no indication t o the contrary, the reader isled to suppose that the whole of the silica is recovered by two evaporations with hydrochloric acid in the analysis of a siliceous material (page 239 et sep.), whereas a very noteworthy amount can he collected subsequently from the precipitate produced by ammonium hydroxide (oxides of iron, aluminum. titanium, phosphorus, etc.). In the sentence beginning with "Limestone consists mainly of impure calcium carbonate . . " (page 241) a redundancy obtains. The figures show signs of extremely neat drafting, the typography is satisfactory, the dark red binding is attractive, and, on the whole, the hook is very pleasing in appearance. WILLIAMM. TRORNTON, Jn
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RBSBABCB FBLLOW IN LOYOLACOLLBOB BAGTIMOP% MIEYLIWD
ANNUALSURVEY OP AMERICAN CBEMISTRY. VOLUMEX, 1935. Edited by Clarence J . West. Research Information Service, National Research Council. Published for the National Research Council by the Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York City, 1936. 487 pp. 13 X 21 cm. 55.00.
I n this (the second) edition of Professor Eugelder's quantitative text, volumetric analysis is made t o precede g r a d m e t r i c an arrangement that seems to h- of growing popularity nowadays; yet the reviewer has always felt that, while the expedient The current volume of the Survey comprises the following may have some advantages, it does not maintain what is obviously chaoters: the logical sequence; and there are others who appear t o hold a ~ h i o r i e sof Solution. Herbert S. Harned and Benton B. Owen. like opinion, among whom Doctors I. M. Kolthoff and E. B. The Kinetics of Homogeneous Gas Reactions. F. 0 Rice and Sandell may he named. K. F. Herzfeld. I n any criticism of the work now under discussion, one's Molecular Structure. E. Bright Wilson, Jr. comments will depend very largely upon the standpoint from Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry. R. E. Gibson which it is judged. As an aid to young people who are essaying Contact Catalysis. L. H. Reyerson. quantitative analysis for the first time--assuming that these pupils Inorganic Chemistrv. 1933-1935. Don M. Yost. have no particular interest in the subject and therefore do not ~ n a i f i i c a lchemistry, 1934 and 1935. G. Frederick Smith. wish t o devote much time to it, and, more especially, that they Applications of X-rays in Metallurgy. Eric R. Jette. do not aspire t o become proficient analysts-the book may serve Ferrous Metallurgy. Frank T. Sisco. its purpose reasonably well. I n fact, the following educational ' The Platinum Metals. Raleigh Gilchrist. features are distinctly meritornous: the exposition of theo- Electro-organic Chemistry. Sherlock Swann, Jr. retical principles as each new type of method is being approached, Aliphatic Compounds. M. S. Kharasch and C. M. Marberg. the detailed explanations in stoichiometry, the abundance of Carhocydic Compounds. W. E. Bachmann and F. Y. Wiselogle. simple questions and problems-all of which should help toward Heterocyclic Compounds. Guido E. Hibert. the Learner's mental development On the other hand, when Alkaloids. Lyndon Small. viewed practically, the treatise leaves much t o be desired. I n Food Chemistry. Caroline C. Sherman and Henry C. Sherman. other words, it would seem that the author is not much in sym- Insecticides and Fungicides. R. C. Roark. pathy with Doctor G. E. F Lundell's plea for "the chemical Gaseous Fuels, 1934 and 1935. Lloyd Logan and Wilbert J. analysis of things as they are." T ~ student P is put t o work on Huff. made-to-order samples and is given but a slight inklimg of how t o Petroleum Chemistry and Technology. Merrell R. Fenske. modify his course in case the commonly interfering substances Detergents and Detergency. Pauline Beery Mack. should happen to be present, and. as is worse, the hook teems with Cellulose and Paper. Harry F. Lewis. errors of omission and loose statements. Synthetic Plastics. Gustalius J. Esselen and Walter M. Scott. The operator is told t o determine copper in a water-soluble Rubber. Wehster N. Jones. salt by the De Haen process (pages 158-9). in a brief prelude he Unit Processes in Organic Synthesis. Edited by P. H. Groggins. is advised that the disturbinn - elements in ores mav be eot rid of Chemical Economics (1931-1935). Lawrence W. Bass. by depoiitiou of the capper through the aacncy of rnrtallir alu- Author Index. minum ,the all-important detailsof procedure being omitted and Subject Index. the convenient subtitution of granulated zinc for aluminum not OTTOR E ~ T E
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