of sections dealing with a description of chemical reactions along the lines of unit operations and unit processes; the metallurgy of copper, iron, aluminum, magnesium, and chromium; the chemistry of catalytic processes such as nitrogen fixation, production of sulfuric acid, petroleum cracking, etc; organic chemistry including enzymes, vitamins, and carbohydrates; and an extremely superficial section on atomic structure and nuelear energy. WILLIAM B. COOK Montana State College Bozeman
Toxic Phosphorus Esters
Richard D. O'Brien, New York Stste College of Agriculture, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1960. xii 434 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 x 23.5 em. $14.50.
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Much of the pioneering work an toxic phosphorus esters was conducted in Europe in the development of nerve gases during the Seoond World War. In the past 15 years there has heen a tremendous interest developed in these compounds far oestieide usaee. Chemists have been :trtlwly q m ~ l . r s i r i n phoy>horus ~ rittm W ~ W V H . wl8tivcl~ ~ little Izt* Iwtm done on il.vriI~artitt~ tlwir Iriovlwrnietr? and physiological properties. The author has undertaken a comprehensive review of the existing information on the subject. The purpose of the book, as stated by the author, i e " t o be a source book on organophosphate research, and to show how our understanding of the events that follow organophosphate poisoning of animals can be understood in terms of events a t the molecular level." The author's accomplishment is admirable. Not only has he thoroughly and carefully reviewed his subject, i t has been done in such 8 manner a8 to be provocative reading. Although his conclusions are not always in agreement with those of 00-workers in the field, they are based on a sound knowledge of available information. Also, he attempts to present both sides of every issue. Such controversial situations, of whioh there are many, point out the inadequacy of our knowledge of the field. The author states, for example, that "the extreme selectivity of some organophosphates far some esterases remain a complete mystery." Until there is a. full knowledge of events a t the molecular and whole tissue levels, %he picture of what happens when whole animals are poisoned by these eompounds can not be constructed. An introductory chapter includes a brief historialaccount, nomenclature of esterases and organophosphates, andadiscussion of the structure and biological significance of cholinesterase. Following is s ehsptor on nonenzymic reactions, two on enzymic reactions in vitra, one on effects on isolated whole tissues, one each oneffects in mammala, insects, and plants respectively, one on selective toxicity, and the last on techniques. The importance of technique
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lournal of Chemical Education
cannot be emphasized too strongly, ss many of the recorded differences in results o m be attributed to variations in methods. I n this chapter the author briefly discusses established techniques in radio tracer synthesis and analysis of metabolites, which should be of valuable assistance to the novice. An appendix on electronic interpretations is included a t the end of the book. The author realizes that this section is all too obvious for chemists, but the book is a180 written for biologists, some of whom may not be thoroughly grounded in chemistry. Although there is a cansiderahle amount of chemistry involved in the discussions throughout the book, the interested biologist should be able to comprehend murh oi the information presented. This book fills a definite need, heing the first to exclusively and thoroughly treat this subject. Certainly it will be of value to all chemists and biologists with interests in the field and should be svailable for their perusal. The price is rather high but perhaps necessary in a. hook with an expeoted narrow circ~~lation. ROBERTE. TREECE Ohio Agrirdtural Ezperimenl Station Wooster
Von der Alchemie zur Grosrynthere. Grosse Chemlker
Rudolf Sachileben and A ~ m i nHermann, both of Munich. Ernst Battenberg Verlag, Stuttgart, 1960. 178 pp. Portraits, figures, and charts. 19 X 27 em. DM 24 (linen); DM 38 (morocco). If the author of a historv of ol.emistry examines every facet and carefully explores every side-road he is fairly oertain to end up with a rather dull book t h a t is of interest only to the specialists and the reference librarians. For the teacher, student, and reader-at-large it is far better if the Little Jack Horner procedure is applied, and the plums extracted from the large mass and joined by short explanatory essays to form a tasty digestible dish, which can he enjoyed by almost everyone. This selective method has been successfully employed by the authors of the very pleasant volume under review here. Both of these authors have had ample experience in presenting scientiho information. Dr. Sachtleben has written on a wide variety of chemical topics, espeoially from the historical viewpoint, and is also well known as t h e chief of the chemical seotion of the great Deutsches Museum in Munioh (J. CHEM. Eouc. 34, 283). His collaborator is the author of the companion volume "Grosse Phvsiker" which is now in its third edition. I n bath of these books little stress is laid on purely biographical details, in fact for even the greatest men this information is condensed into 3 or 4 lmes as a kind of footnote. As indicated by the title, t h e volume begins with the medieval period (represented by Paracelsus) and comes dawn t o
the present (Walter Reppe). The material is divided into 15 sections, and each section is prefaced hy an excellent account of what was accomplished in this particular area. Then a. group of men is selected far each section as heing the key figures responsible for the notable advance. Each of these notables is then allowed t o speak, as it were, i.e. pertinent quotations are given from their erucid publications. In this way, the reader gets his information "straight from the horse's mouth!' A notable feature of the volume is the collection of 45 full page likenesses of these "great chemists." All phases and fields of ohemistry are included: theory and practice; organic and inorganic; biochemistry and maeromolecular chemistry; discovery of the elements, periodic system, and synthetic elements; plant and animal products; chemotherapy, etc. In other wards, the general reader will derive a good idea of the development of the entire realm of chemistry and of the men who brought it to this high state. Doubtless there will be objections regarding the inclusion of some and the exclusion of others from this "Hall of Fame." A selection of this kind is so subjective in many instances that very fen will agree with respect t o all the choices. There are a good many Germans in this list; the Amerioans included are Pauling, Seaborg, Langmuir. Chauvinism has no place in any telling of the history of chemistry hut there have been instances in the past r h e n t h e text was slanted to suit nationalistic propaganda ends. -With respect to the present book, almost anyone acquainted with the field could justify the inclusion of more chemists with other national origins. This is a ver,v useful and handsome hook. I t is enjoyable and informative. I t s reception has been so cordial that a second German edition is already in preparation. Steps are being taken t o translate it into English. RALPHE. OESPER University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio
Anorganirrhe Chemle.
Band 1
Istvan Naray-Szabo, Budapest, Hungary Publishing House of the Hungarian Aeademv of Sciences. Budsoest. 1959. 664 pp: Figs. a n d ' tables: 18.5 X 24.5 om. U. This is the first of a three volume reference hook of inorganic chemistry. In the introduction the author states his purpose to m i t e 8, good medium siaed reference book, more extensive than the usual one volume type hut not as extensive as Gmelin and others; he has been successful in this as far as can be judged from the first volume. Under such conditions, it has been necessary to leave out much of the history and occurrence of all but the most important rompounds. Professor Naray-Szabo however has placed emphasis upon presenting in a very oondensed tahu1a.r form the physical
(Conlimted on page A4.94)
BOOK REVIEWS chemical properties of the elements and their compounds. He also discusses their reactions and their preparation. Unfortunately most analytical infarmntion is omitted; but even more unfortunate only little or no structural information is inchtded. Another serious drrt~rback is the absence of references, aside from the major encyclopedias, textbooks and monograms, most of ~ h i e hare pre1950. The first volume is divided into two parts, the first of which (111 pages) is an introduction containing such general topics ahout the atom as history and dcvelapment of the periodic tahlefi, clumtum theory, electronic configurations, radioactive deoay, nuclear reactions, the neTr synthetic elements, and htonlio energy. The treatment is condensed and murh important material is left out in line ~ i t h the author's announoed purpose for writing these volumes. The second part of this introduction discusses in about 35 pages the general properties of compounds, including ionic and covalent compounds and their bonding energies, intermetallic compounds, interstitial compounds, hydrates and addition compounds. The second part of the volume considers the nanmmetals and their compounds. In about 500 pages the author discusser the halogens, the oxygen and sulfur group, the nitrogen group, the elements of group IVB (silicon, eta.) and finally t,he compounds of boron. I n all of these groups, he leaves out any discussion of the compounds in these groups containing organic substituents since he wants to include no compounds containing nonmetal or metabcarbon bonds. Criticisms might he directed a t the fact that much of the work reported in the literature in the last five yean has not been included. This volume should be s, good reference book for many scientists in chemistry who do not have copies of Gmelin readily available. I t should be an ezcellent reference book for scientists in the fields of biology, mineralogy, geology, pharmncology and 'possibly even scientists in agriculture. One of its excellent features is the presentation of the physical constants of many compounds in tabular form. This volume is bound in a linen cover, the paper seems to be good but the binding itself is not up to quality.
HANSB. JONASSEN Tulane University New O~leans,Lozrisiana The Mechanism of Heterqenewr
Catalysis Edited by J. H. de Boer, Staatsmijnen im Limburg, Geleen, Netherlands. Elsevier Publishing Co. Distributed in tho U. S. by D. Val, h'ostrand Co., Ine., Princeton, New Jersey, 1060. iw 179 pp. Figs. 2nd tsblrs. 13 X 19 cm. 53.
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This small volume constitutes an excellent summary by chemists in Holland of work being done relative to the meehn(Continued on page .l@6)
A494 / Journal of Chemical Education
