BOOK REVIEWS Chemical Reactor Theory
K . G . Denbigh, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. University Press, Cambridge, England, 184 pp. Figs. and tables. 1965. xii 14.5 X 22 cm. $6.50.
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The field of chemical reaction engineering has seen much formalisation in the last few wars. Recent hooks such as those bv
range of practical engineering experience. I n this context, "Chemical Reactor Theory" is a throw-hack to the late forties and early fifties when there was very little in the way of a. systematic treatment of reactor design. The first three chapters, whirh introduce the basic idealized reactors, are not concise clear statements of theory and experience. Instead many topics and concepts are briefly mentioned which are not always relevant to the subject a t hand. Too often, the author expresses physical relationships with words and never sets down a formulation with precise quantitative mathematical erpressions. This lark of formalization leave.; too much interpretation to the reader. The final three chapters have merit in the topics covered hut again the treatment of the problems is not generdized. Professor IDenbigh writes in the prefa r e that "This hook. . . has been written mainly with the student requirements in mind. . " This reviewer's opinion is that the hook would not he a satisfactory text. Important reasons for this are: The continusl citing of the authors' names along with almost every reference and having much of the technical matter in fontnotes-me feels he is reading a. Who's Who with technical footnotes rather than a textbook. Problems are limited in number and in scope, and usually not of t,he type that help the student understand the important points of the subject. For example, problems 1 and 2 of Chapter Two happen to represent. two special eases of the same performance equation. This is nowhere indicrtbed; in fact., the exmession " eiven in moblem 2 is restricted to pure reactant, and this again is not mentioned. In the same chapter his treatment of dispersion in laminar flow follows the early Bosworth treatment hut completely ignore$ G. I. Taylor's classical work in this area and the consequences of it. The last three chapters on reactor choice, optimization, and thermal characteristics draw heavily on the aubhor's wartime experiences which are unique and made a great contribution hut a comprehensive disrussion of such things as residence time distribution are missing. As a whole, the hook will not make a good t,ext and provides a t best a short and incomplete review of the field.
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HERBERTWEINSTEIN lllinois Inslilule o j Technology Chicago
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Optical Pumping:
A n Introduction
R. A. Renheim, Pennsylvania State University, University Park. W. A. Benjamin, Ine., New York, 1965. Frontiers in Chemistry serie?. ix 272 pp. Figs. and tables. 18 X 23 em. Clothbound, $9; paperbound, $4.95.
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When one considers that optical pumping has been around for about fifteen vears, it is somewhat surprising that this is ihe first and only book which treats the subject exclusively. Being a Benjamin monograph, the hook does not pretend to he a tmlv de force; it is intended for the reqearcher who wants an introduct,ion to this relatively new field of double-resonance atomic spectroscopy called "optical pumping." The first part of the book consists of fourteen brief chapters, all very readable if for the reason that difficult material is generally avoided. Throughout this section the treatment is held to an introdurtory level and oriented toward the physical chemist. While this survey may be useful, the 200-page appendix of reprints and bibliography probably will he more valuable to most readers. The particular selection of articles is good. In contrast to the elementary text, these articls are specific and advanced. This lends halance and depth to the book, but the lack of reference to any introductory articles is unfortunate. Hence in large measure, Dr. Bernheim's book represents s, valuable tlbstracting and reprint duplication service for partisans of optical pumping.
given in the hook should be helpful to freshmen science students having some familiarity with analytic geometry and trigonometry. "Mathematics for Introductory Science Coorses" is not a substitute for a formal course in calculus and vectors; however, it should aid both students and in3tructom of some beginning ncience courses by permitting the introduction of certain topics a t a n earlier date t,han would otherwise be feasible
Norman
Das Lustige Atom
FriLz Wolf. 3rd ed. Vulkan-Verlag Dr. W. Classen, Essen, Germany, 1965. 218 pp. Drswings. 11 X 18 cm. 14 DM(ahout$3.50).
There is now available a tremendous literature dealing with the atom and related topics. Most of this is intended for professional and educational purposes and hence is presented in serious language. The volume under review takes a ,miformly lighthearted approach, but though humorous is never flippant. The author is a t home with the subject matter and thongh nonconventional, is accurate with respect to such matters as names, historical development, theories, etc. The many clever sketches scattered throughout the text make the book still more enjoyable. The entire title (in trandation) reads: J. R. BR.~NDENBERGER"The Merry Atom-How man brought College qf Wooster i t forth, how i t moved, and how man U'ooster. Ohio smashed i t into frsgments." The unique feature of this volume is that the whole text including the Table of Contents is in rhymed couplets (sa,hh, co, etc.). Theauthor is to becongratulated Mathematics for Introductory Science a n the successful completion of this treCourses: Calrvlur and Vectors mendous feat. Our readers who have a. command of German will thoroughly enDaniel A . Greenberg, Columbia Unijoy this versified presentation of perhaps versity. W. A. Benjamin, Inc., New the most important chapter of chemistry 214 pp. Figs. and York, 1965. xiv and physics. tahles. 15 X 22 cm. Clothbound, $5; RALPHE. OESPER paperbound, $2.45. University of Cincinmti This book consists of three sections: Cincinnati, Ohio a brief review of high school mathematics, an introduction to the calculus, and a short treatment of vectors. The author Bioenergetics has written the hook "to fill the mathematical requirements of first year Albert L . Lehninger, Johns Hopkins courses in the physical and biologicd University, Baltimore. W. A. Benjsr sciences." His approach t o mathematical 258 min, Inc., New Yark, 1965. xv concepts is intuitive and pictorial rather pp. Figs. and tables. 14.5 X 22 than rigorous. cm. Clothbound, $6; paperbound, Psrt I, Review of Elementary Msthe$2.95. matie?. is lareelv a collection of definitions.
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formulas, and graphs of functions; however, it may serve an a useful reference for students just beginning their study of calculus. Part 111,Vectors, is too sketchy to provide the student with much more than a set of rules for manipulating vectors in simple applicat,ions. The book's value attaches to the generally clear, intuitive treatment of the calculus given in Psrt 11. Although the material presented can he gleaned from any of a number of textbooks on analysis and calculus, the abbreviated exposition
This is a disappointing book. The long experience and high achievements of the author in biochemical research rr-ould seem to guarantee the excellence of his writings, but in this book, which covers the thermodynamics and mechanisms of energy production and utilnation, as well as protein biosynthesis and information theory, it is evident that he has gone into topics in which he is not a t home. The book is designed, according to the
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B O O K REVIEWS preface, for college students of biology and chemistry, as well as for pre-medical and medical students; in the opinion of the reviewer, the teacher will have his handc; full correct,ing errors and false impressions. This is particularly serious because the heaviest users of the book will probably be biology students, and the average biology teacher is probably not a t his best in thermodynamics, catalysis, and msthematics. The hook opens with a. brief section on thermodynamics, and near the end is one on information theory. These sections are not really bad, only useless, for a smattering of these subjects can convey no deep understanding of their significance, nor transmit to the student a feeling for their use. If biologists m a t have more thermodynamics than a few brief, dogmatic statements, then t,he place to learn it is under a physical chemistry teacher, from a text by a. writer who takes the time and space to develop the subject carefully, with regard for its meaning and with attention to its many pitfalls. To point out specific errors, the section on catalysis contains the statement that a catalyst lowers the activation energy by allowing a larger fraction of the molecules to react a t once. Later, in the discussion of enzymatic catalysis, the author mentions saturation ~ , i t hsubstrate, but neglects t~ define or explain it. He also as tfw cites deformation of the enzvme " explanation of catalytic a h v i t y , without mentioning that this is only one possible factor. A mathematical error of the type all too likely t o be perpetuated hy unmphistieated students occurs when the author states that the fact that all muscles have a similar mathematical relationship between maximum tension and veloritv of rontruclim implieo thal tl.ry all l.;tve I I W >.in\e m ~ ~ l w u lmwIt,wi.-n~. w In the h~wlwnwnlpart of thv Iwok, the author is extremely unorthodox when he states that the second ATP formed in glycolysis results from oxidative energy produced when one %carbon fragment oxidizes another (pyruvate oxidizing glyceraldehyde-3-phnsphate)! This strained interpretation results from his attempt to justify his repeated assertions that all biochemical energy is oxidative energy. In the same connection he says that NAD becomes reduced by accepting electrons from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, hut later he attributes the reduction of NAD to the acceptance of hydrogen atoms. This is confusing, as is the ohvious misprint on p. 91, where pyruvate is abbreviated PYR in the reaction scheme, but PY in the accompanying table of abbreviations. The errors cited a unfortunately. only a sample. There are of course many fine things in the book. For example, the author in his discussion of the free energy of biachemical reactions very properly emphasizes that the cell is not a t "standard conditions," a point too often overlooked. His explanation of coupled reactions is
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splendid, as is his description of the replication of DNA. His remark that the cell provides an example of t,he ultimate in the miniaturization which is so widely sought in these times is quite provocative, and his point that pyrophosphorolysis provides an extra thermodynamic pull for many reactions is well taken. Because of the many good ideas with which the book is seamned, it may be recommended to advanced and experienced students and teachers who are seeking new and stimulating points of view.
two-step mechanism of electrophilio substitution is not given proper recognition. Kinetic experiments, especially those of Zollinger and Grovenstein, are equal in significance t o intermediate isolation and kinetic isotope eKects, which are cited. I n the book as B whole, the main focus of attention is substituent effects on suhstitution rate. Numerous tables and charts showing partial rate factors a t various nuclear positions in various reactions are presented. In view of the success of modified Hammett prr treatments in correlating rates of aromatic eleetraphilic substitutions, it. is not apparent PETE=OE~PER why kinetic and orientation data. were Huhnemann Medical College not discussed reactian-by-reaction with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania respect to such relationships, instead of such quantitative treatments being withheld till nearly the end. Such an organization would have improved both Electrophilic Substitution in Benzeneid clarity and compactness of presentation. Compounds A long footnote (p. 63) concerning the R . 0. C . Norman, Oxford University, Ho and Hn (or J o ) acidity functions expresses views current ten or fifteen years and R . T a y l o ~ ,University of Sussex. American Elsevier Publishing Ca., Ine., ago which are now recognized to have a t New York, 1965. ix 343 pp. Figs. most limited validity. and tables. 14 X 21 cm. Clot,hThe printing is at,tractive and seemingly bound, 312.75; paperbound, $7. free of typographical errors. But I can not understand a publisher putting out a The first two of the twelve chapters in $7 book with only a paper cover. Nor this book present basic principles a t a does it seem right that he should charge level intended for undergraduate students. an extra. $5.75 for hard covers that cost The next eight deal with various kinds of him not more than seventy five cents to aromatic eleetrophilic substitution, elassiput on. fied according to what element becomes Despite its imperfections, this volume bonded to or separated from aromatic is an important one which every college carbon in the course of substitution. library should contain. However, I eanChapter 11 concerns linear free energy not visualize using it as a textbook. correlations and the question of ortholpara ratios. The last chapter deals with JOSEPH F. BUNNETT preparative applications. Brown University I t has been a long time sinre a book Protidenee, Rhode Island has been writt,en about this field as a whole, and this volume is t,herefore aelcomed. I t brings together much of the modern work, and I know that my copy will get frequent use as a. guide to the recent literature. The literature coverage appears to go through 1963. Although most of the important work does receive mention, the treatment is not exhaustive. I noted the onlission of Ibne-Rasa's 1962 study of nitrosation and nitrosodecarboxylation, and of the clarification, which Hoey and I published in 1958, of the seeming dealkylation during diazo coupling with phenol ethers. Although this will be a useful book, it falls considerably short of greatnesr. First, Chapter 1 does not bear a. reasonable relationship to the rest of the book. I t is done a t a very elementary level but without the thoroughness and care necessary for an effective elementary presentation. For example, the Hammett p a relationship is introduced without any representative Hammett plot being shown. I n Chapter 2, The Mechanism of Eleetrophilic Substitution, it is unfortunate that no mention is mzde of that mechanism in which the leaving group is removed first, forming a carbanian intermediate, and then the entering electrophile bonds to carbon. This mechanism, of which many examples could be cited, is the counterpart of the S u l mechanism of nucleophilic substitution. Another difficulty in Chapter 2 is that kinetic evidence for the generally-accepted
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