Beyond the Flyleaf Constructive U s e e of Atomic S. C. Rothmann, editor, ix pages. Harper and Brothers, 33rd St., N e w York 16, Ν . Υ.
tions allow lifting of most of the secrecy regulations surrounding the field. In keeping with the title, use of atomic energy for bombing and military purposes is not touched upon, except in so far as the chapter on atomic engines for aircraft may be put in this category. The book is characterized on the jacket as being "by leaders in atomic energy." This is true enough, b u t all chapters are reprints or adaptations of articles which have previously appeared elsewhere. As a result, although much of interest is available in the book, its organization leavps something to be desired.
Energy. -+- 258 49 East $3.00
AFTER a discriminating and thoughtful introductory chapter of a sociological nature by A. H. Compton, this book considers the application of atomic en ergy and radioactive materials t o power production and to industrial, agricul tural, biological, and medical develop ments. The latter group of applications is mostly of a research or control nature. The material is essentially nontechnical, but a comprehensive résumé of the fundamental scientific background is given. T h e bibliography and glossary of nuclear terms in the appendix are both interesting and useful. The book is qualitative, not quantitative in any significant respect. It is regrettable that books of this sort must continue to avoid quantitative discussion, but this is presumably a situation which must be borne with until condi-
FRANK T .
BARB
A History of Chemistry in Canada.
C
J. S. WARRINGTON AND R. V. N . NICHOLS.
for the Chemical Institute of Canada. χ -f- 502 pages. Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons (Canada), Ltd., 381-383 Church St., Toronto, Ont., 1949. $4.50. T H I S history of chemistry in Canada is a pleasant surprise. T o o often a h i s t o n
QUICK! Heats 200 ml. of water from room tem perature to boiling point in 5 minutes.
CONVENIENT I Dial set tings from 1 to 7 provide "finger tip" control of tem perature, approximating 100° to 700° F.
Our Thermostatically Controlled
té
Kamatik" Lab Hot Plate Controlled by sturdy positive bi-metallic thermoregulator with heavy duty c o n tact points. Nickel-chromium alloy wire heating element embedded in moistureproof "Kamlrok" insulation. T o p is 6" in diameter; housing of heavy gauge metal. Eihcient, economical t o o p erate, built for long; service!
2M2-KAMATIK HOT PLATE. With support clamp, 6-foot cord and plus. For 115 volt A . C . I I . · · Write, teletypewrite, wire or phone Dept. CEN-9, our nearest offi :e-tuarebouse
W I L L ROCHESTER
CORPORATION 3,
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·
c
NEW
YORK
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C O . , I N C . , A Ï L A Ν TA CORP., BUFFALO 5
N.Y.
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lacks the vital charm of other w«D written books, but not only have these authors given us a complete account of the development of the chemical and related industries in Canada, but their style holds the interest. Well organized chapters make it possible for the reader to start at the point of greatest per sonal interest, but he will find that this will stimulate reading other chapters as fvell and finally the entire book. T h e period covered is from 1674, when the production of potash from wood ashes was first established in Canada, down to the recent discovery of oil at Golden Spike near the Leduc area early in 1949. It includes the stories of the chemical manufacturing industries and also the work of the consulting chemical laboratories and university research in pure science, pointing out the direct dependence of future chemical industries on facts previously developed b y basic research. Another intriguing characteristic is the showing of how a particular line of manufacture came into being. Vinyl acetate, for example, and its property of polymerizing to a resin, was discovered as a result of the insistence by the director of research at Shawinigan Chemicals, Ltd., that the by-products of acetic anhydride from acetylene be analyzed. There are many such stories, fascinating to those with long experi ence but particularly to those who are just entering a career in chemistry. For those who wish to delve deeper into the subject matter, a complete list of source material for each chapter is given, and there is a good index. GUSTAVUS J . ESSELEN
The Physical Principles of Gas Lique faction and Low Temperature Rectifi cation.
M ANSEL
DAVIES.
H.
«796
CHEMICAL
vii
-+-
205
pages. Longmans, Green and Co., Inc.. 55 Fifth Ave., New York 3, Ν . Υ. $6.25. T H I S book is regarded by this reviewer as a useful text for students wishing t o acquire a degree of familiarity with the general field of low temperature tech nology. It is considered to be less than adequate either as an engineering treatise or as a survey of the existing knowledge. The physical principles are in general treated sketchily, and many fairly im portant ones are not discussed at all. A peculiar over-emphasis seems t o be placed upon the work of Kapitza, to the complete exclusion of important develop ments which have occurred in this coun try. Thus, n o mention is made, for example, of the reversing exchangers, although considerable space is devoted t o a discussion of cold accumulators, notably again in connection with Kapitza's applications. In spite of its incompleteness, the book has a certain value for the casually interested reader. I t is readily readable and fairly well organized.
AND
O.
ENGINEERING
MCMAHON
NEWS
Directory Chemical
of
Italian Production
Tecnindustria Editrice, Viale Tito Livio, N . 19, Rome, Italy, has published the " N u o v o Repertorio Delia Produzione Chimica Italiana," which is a directory of Italian chemical production. This 1,000-page volume contains a general report on the industry as a whole, with a list of associations pertaining thereto; lists of manufacturers and products with regional classification of plants ; and a lisl of exportable products and export firms. The price of the volume is $10
Bone Char
Research
"Proceedings of the Technical Session on Bone Char" has been issued and is available from J. M. Brown, SecretaryTreasurer, Bone Char Research Project, Inc., c / o Revere Sugar Refinery, 333 Medford St., Charlestown 29, Mass. The session was held in January under the joint sponsorship of the Bureau of Stand ards and those industries supporting bone char research. T h e book has 321 pages and is illustrated with figures, charts, and halftones. T h e price is $2.00
Cotton, Rayon Silk Industries
and in Germany
"Developments in the Cotton, Rayon and Silk Industries in Germany During the Period 1939-45" is the name of BIOS Over-all Report N o . 13. This 178page paperbound book is well illustrated, and is available for $1.00 from the British Information Services, 30 Rocke feller Plaza, N e w York 20, Ν . Υ
Essential
society, Mrs. Ε. Ε1»υη. Route 4, Stur geon. Bay, Wis. T o nonmembers, the b o o k is $5.00, and "Tables Related to M a l t and Cereals" is $3.50. "Tables R e lated to Beer, Wort, Brewing Sugars, and Syrups" is $3.00. In response to demand from a number of laboratories for binders, loose-leaf binders designed to accommodate "Methods" can be ob tained for $1.50 each.
Federal Services, has been issued by the National Bureau of Standards and is available from the U. S. Government Print ing Office. Washington 25, D . C , fot 25 cents.
New Books Advanced Organic Chemistry. WHELAND.
Limerock
Research
C- D. Williams and Mack Tyner of the University of Florida Engineering and Industrial Experiment Station, Gainesville, have prepared Bulletin N o . 25, "Report on Limerock Research, 194148," copies of which are available free from the director of the station.
Packaging Materials
and Handling
Papers presented at the course on in dustrial packaging and materials handling held in Chicago October, 1948, have been published as University of Illinois Bul letin, Vol. 46, N o . 57. It is available from the university at Urbana for $1.00.
Screw-Thread
Standards
A Supplement to the Handbook H28 (1944), Screw-Thread Standards for
2nd
ed.
xi
-f-
799
G. W. pages
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 440 Fourth Ave., N e w York 16, Ν . Υ. $8.00. Chymia, Vol. 2. T . L. Davis, editor-inchief, χ 4- 143 pages. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, Pa $4.00. Encyclopedia of Chemical Reactions. Vol.
III.
C.
A.
JACOBSON.
xi
+
842
pages. Reinhold Publishing Corp., 330 West 42nd St., New York 18. S12 General Chemistry. A Systematic Ap proach. Η. Η. SISLER, C. A. VANDERWERF, AND A. W. DAVIDSON, Χ -f870
pages. The Macmillan Co., 60 Fifth Ave., New York, Ν . Υ. $5.00. Physical Methods of Organic Chemistry, Part I. 2nd ed. Arnold Weissberger. editor, xii -f- 1,072 pages. Interscience Publishers, 215 Fourth Ave., N e w York 3, Ν . Υ. $12.50. Practical Dairy Bacteriology. P. R. E L LIKER. ix -}- 391 pages. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 330 West 42nd St., Now York 18, Ν . Υ. $4.00. Rose's Laboratory Handbook for D i e tetics. 5th ed., revised and rewritten by Clara Mae Taylor and Grace Mac Leod, χ -f* 358 pages. T h e Macmillan Co., 60 Fifth Ave., N e w York, Ν . Υ $5.00.
Oils
A concise summary of the technology of essential oils has been written by Y. R. N a v e s of the research staff of L. Givaudan & Cie. and associate of the University of Geneva. T h e material, entitled "Huiles Essentielles," forms an 80-page section of Vol. X V I of Traité du Chimie Organique.
Radioactive
Ores
Michigan College of Mining and Technology, Houghton, Mich., has issued a 31-page booklet which contains the papers given at the Conference o n Radioactive Ores in May. Copies are available gratis from A. K. Snelgrove, head of t h e department of geological engineering at the college.
Methods of for Brewing
Analysis Chemists
T h e fifth edition, revised and enlarged, at "Methods of Analysis of the American Society of Brewing Chemists" is available from the executive secretary of the V O L U M E
2 7,
NO.
39
.SEPTEMBER
2 6.
1Q4Q
«797
