JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
474 pounds classified according to the seven groups and four tmnsition series of the periodic table of the elements. The various simple fluorides are discussed, together with many types of double and complex salts in which the central elements participate in many different valence states. Emphasis is placed upon preparative methods, physical and chemical properties, the progression of these through many series of related substances, electronic structures, crystal lattice configurations, steric considerations, and many other factors designed to present in minimum space the clearest possible picture of the respeotive compounds. A number of specially interesting features such as acid base reactions are in the ionizing solvent bromine trifluaride (BrFZt.BrF4-) also presented here. The fourth and find chapter, which eons t i t u t e ~more than half of the book, covers the chemistry of organic fluorine compounds. These are divided into fluorinated haloalkanes. acids, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, amines, defines, aromatic compounds (nuclear and side-chain), and finally the fluoroeitrbans and other perfluoro compounds. Here, as before, much space is devoted to preparative methods, physical, chemical, and biochemical properties, relative resetivities and tabulations of related data, all well illustrated by numerous examples; together with descriptions of reaction mechanisms (bothionic and atomic), structures, polymeric processes and industrial applications in both the aliphatic and aromatic series, includine a considerable discussion of direot and indirect fluorinations, t h i fluorocarbons and various types of perfluorinated compounds. For such a compact volume the material is quite well doeumented by nearly 160 references covering the field up to the summer of 1950, and an adequate subject index is appended. In the reviewer's opinion the authors have succeeded well in fulfilling their o~iginalaim. A large amount of material covering 8. wide range all the way from theoretical considerations concerning atomic and molecular structures on the one hand, through electronic mechanisms and relative chemical reactivities to preparative methods and industrial uses on the other, have been brought together in a very smell space, and little which should have been included seems to have been omitted, conaidering the size of the hook. The organization is good, and the presentetion, which is profusely interspersed with illustrative examples throughout, is clear and has been written in such a way as to he understandable to anyone with a sound basic scientific training. Errors in the text are few and entirely trivial in nature, akhhaugh reference t,o the "boiling points" of sulfur hexafluoride and oyanogen fluoride, both of which sublime a t atmospheric pressure, would seem t,o be a bit confusing. The binding, printing, and pitper of the little bookare good. This volume, obviously intended as la handy working tool, is definitely recommended for the personal library of the fluorine chemist, but in the reviewer's view i t should be found more frequently in his coat pocket than on the shelf. Any scientist in need of basic information on fluorine chemistry who looks quickly through its pages is not likely to be disappointed, and students in eeneral should find it a valuable source of information on the
LUCIUS I.BIGELOU' Dnlte U N I V E R B I T ~ Dun"*,", NORTHC*ROGIN*
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HIGHER CHEMICAL ARITHMETIC
F. W. Goddord, Senior Soienoe Master, The CoUege, Winchester. 221 pp. Longmans, Green and Co., New Yo&, 1951. viii 13 X 19.5 Em. $1.60.
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BY THE use of thin (but sufficiently opaque) paper the publishers have compressed the 230 pages of this little boak into a. thickness of onlv 1 cm. The author's st& is eauallv . economicd oi s p ~ c c .\ VPQ ~.firpt:H111011111 01 mnt;.riol i q cover+,^ will. exe n I s . This hook i.i no ~ u h ~ l l tfor u l clmi ~ ~ 0 1 .ill k tlc d f l j w t *w w r d I W *paw i* nwted i t , w p l ~ n . ~ t ~for o mthv un-
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instructed. But i t could well be in the pocket of every graduate student studying for comprehensives, for it contains brief, clear, and direct instructions for nearly all conceivable types of calculations involved in (to quote the table of contents) gravimetrie and volumetric analysis, solubilities, molecular a-eighhs, equivalent and atomic weights, law of mass action, thermochemistry, electrolysis, ionic equilibria, and electrode potentials. The object of this hook is to enable students to pass "the various Higher Certificate and University Scholarship Examins, tions," and to that end it contains over 400 excellent problems, with answers in an appendix. A strong point in its favor is the complete absence of proportion sebnps; all problems are set up solved for z. A weak point is the use of antiquated methods of writing and-balancing chemical equations. Ionic equations are rarely used, and then almost with an apology, while the method of balancing redox equations should be seen to he believed by the younger generation of American chemists. E. g., after giving the following equation for permanganate in arid solution: 3HzSOd-KSSOI ZMnSO, 3H20 50, the 2KMnOl author states, "It may help the student to write the key perman2Mn0 50. I n ganate equation thus: KsO.MnzOi-KnO modern dress i t is, of course: 2Mn046H+-2Mnt+ 3H,O 50." The late H. P. Cady was teaching the valence change method of balancing redox equations to freshmen 40 years ago, to this reviewer's personal knowledge. Conceivably our oonservative cousins may take note of the ion-electron method some time after the year 2000! But this is incidental: the boak does not claim to teach the balancing of equations, and what it does, it does well. The typography is pleasing and no errors a,ere noticed.
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EWIKG C. SCOTT
BIOLUMINESCENCE E. Newton Harvey, Henry Fairfield Osborn Professor of Biology, Princeton University. Academic Press, Inc., New Yo&, 1952. rvi X 649 pp. 185 figs. 15.5 X 23.5 om. $13. ALTHOUGH hiolumine~eencehss long been a. fascinating subject of investigation from various points of view, it is only within the last decade that its outstanding usefulness in the study of fundamental biological problems has been fully s.ppreciated. This usefulness stems from substantial evidence that the intensity of emitted light a t any instant is propartionsl to thr reaction velocity of a specific enzyme system. This system, therefore, has a unique, natural indicator of its own reaction velocity, and it has provided an efficient, convenient, and fruitful approach to the kinetic analysis of enzyme activity in relation to numerous factors including, in particular, temperature, hydrostatic prerrure, drugs, and different kinds of ohemiertl agents. In other 71-ays also bioluminescence is advantageous in the study of hasic p~.oblemsof cell physiology, biochemistry, biophysics, and other fields. In view of the significance of the work that has been accomplished since the publication of an earlier monographpn thesubject by the ssme author in 1940 ("Living Light," Princeton University Press), this n e m r and much more comprehensive book is a timely contribution indeed. "Bioluminescence" is expressly "intended as a complete guide to knowledge on the subject"; a task for which the author is preeminently qualified, and in which he has admirably succeeded. The bibliography of nearly 2000 references gives ready access to a11 the pertinent litectture from ahout 1800 to 1951 and somewhat later. Moreover, all the important referenres pertaining to a specific point are conveniently cited together in the text, by author's name and year, Usefulness of the bibliography is enhanced by the inclusion of complete titles and nun~hersof pages, indicative of the length as well as precise suhjrrt. There is no authors' index, hut a subject index lists the names of organisms and the chief topics, under a total of some 1500 headings. The voluminous literature that exists on bioluminescence will perhaps be surprising to anyone who has not heen actively en-
SEPTEMBER,1952
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gaged in its study and has not been aware of its possibilities. In addition to the recent advances, the book makes adequste reference to numerous problems which were touched upon around the turn oi the century but which still remain unsolved or cell for more witirxl examination. The accumulated knowledge has been sifted and organized into an impressive compilation of the facts, problems and theories bearing primarily on luminescence, but a h on more general problems. In plan. the various examples of luminescent organisms are considered in phylogenetio order. The 16 chdpters are devoted to Bacteria. Fungi, Protozoa and Porifera, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Miscellen~ousSmall Groups, Annelida, Mollusca except Cephalopod%,the Cephalopoda, Crustaeea, Arachnaidea and Myripada, Insecta ?wept Coleoptera, the Coleoptera, Echinodermata, Tunicata, and Pisces, in this sequence. Although the higher plants seem conspicuous by their absence, the very reoently ohserved orcurrence of detectable chemiluminescence in conjunction with photosynthesis in green plants mean that every major group of ohnts. 8 s well as animals (short of the hieher vertebrates). co&,in &resentatives that produce light though metabolic reaetionp. Among the groups listed above, the taxonomic position of exampks known or alleged to exhibit luminescence is indicated, followed by a brief discussion of the various species, their natural history, and the chief facts that have been established concerning the morphology, histology, physiology, hiochemi~try and biophy~iesof the luminescent cells, tissues, organs, and in a few inteneively studied instances, luminescent extracts. As much information is given as could be feasibly included. While not d l of it is equally interesting to specialists in different fields, the enthusiasm, wide experience, and dignified humor of the author are rombined to make interesting reading of the factual material as a whole. The bezt is generously illustrated with well-chosen figures. A smooth surfare paper is used throughout, rendering not only the print and line drawings but also the half-tones pleasingly sharp and clear to the reader. Typographical errors itre remrkably few. Conaidering the immense amount oi literature covered, errors of fact are likewise few and minor: e.0.. Sarcina lutes foaee
thorities might find debatable. In sum, "Bioluminescence" is a highly informative and scholarly contribution, virtually indispensable to those who are actively engaged with any aspect of the production of cold light h,v living organisms, and potentially useful to all those whose int~rcstshear on fundamental biologicel problems, whether from a phy~iological,hiochemical, evolutionary, or other point of view. FRANK H. JOHNSON P n r s c ~ ~ or xn v m m r r PRINCETOS. SEWJ&RSET
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ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA OF AROMATIC COMPOUNDS
Robert A. Friedel, Physical Chemist, and Milton Orchin Organic Chemist, Bureau of Mines, Bruceton, Pennsylvania. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1951. vi 52 pp. 579 graphs. 20.5 X 27 cm. 510.
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RECEATyean have brought a greatly increased interest in, and use of, ahsorption spectra for the ultraviolet region of the ~peotrum. .\vailability of instruments, such as the Beckman (Model DU) and the Cary spectrophotometers, has iacilitated determination of such data. Publication of the results in widely scattered sourcps, in a disturbing variety of graphioal and tabular forms, has made reference work tedious and troublesome. The general aim of this neu. oornpilation was to present, in a consistent platting form, the data available for 579 aromatic compounds. About half of the curves are from the authors' awn laboratory, many previously unpublished, and the others are from the literature. The plotting form used employs log e (molar absorptivity or extinction coefficient) as the ordinate and
wave length in angstroms as the abscissa. With the curve are included the name and structural formula of the compound, the solvent used (if known), and the reference (if published). The spectral region covered is mostly the ultraviolet, but it ranges from near 2000 A.to as high as 5600 A. for rubicene and 6100 A. for pentacene. Although contained in a. spiral-bound cover, the sheets are punched for a standard k i n g , loose-leaf book. The introductory section deals briefly with the following topics: scope of the collection; nomenclature, symbols, and conversion of units;instruments and experimental procedure, ineuding spectral band widths used by the authors; theoretical aspects; use of the spectra for qualitative and quantitative analysis; and use of the catalogue. The spectra are indexed both by names and by empirical formulas of the compounds. The latter range from CjHjN to CrlFIla. For workers concerned with the compounds listed, this eamplilation seems very valuable to the reviewer. He has long wished for suoh a publication covering colored systems.
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THE CHEMISTRY AND ACTION OF INSECTICIDES
Harold H. Shepard, lnsedidde Division, Livestock BranchProdudion and Marketing Administration, U. S. Dept. of Agricul, ture. McGmw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, 1951. vii 504 pp. 22 figs. 123 tables. 16 X 23.5 em. 57.
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THIS book is the outgrowth of a mimeographed eidition puhlished in 1939 under the title "The Chemistry and Toxicology of Inseoticides." I t deals with the chemicals used to control insects rather than with specific insect pests. I t discusses insecticide~in their chemical, physical, and toxicologicsl aspects, and also presents historical and economic information concerning them. The author is especially well qualified to u~riteabout insecticides. He has experimented with them in the laboratory, lectured about them m the college classroom, and passed judgment upon them as a member of the federal agency which enforces the federal insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide act. At oresent the author determines aericulture's need of insecticides.
manufacture. The book is divided into 14 chapters which treat of the compounds of arsenic, fluorine, sulfur and copper, miscellaneous substances (compounds of barium, bismuth, boron, mercury, selenium, zinc, etc., and diluents suoh as clay, talc, and pyrophyllite), plant products such as nicotine, pyrethrins and rotenone, synthetic organic compounds, and attractants and repellents. One chapter deals with the relative toxicity and mode of action of insecticides. Information ia given on the effects of insecticides on plants and warm-blooded animals as well as on insects. In the t,wo chapters on synthetic organic insecticides up-to-date information is presented on the newer materials including DDT, bensene hexachloride, chlordan, toxaphene, aldrin, dieldrin, and parathion. The reviewer heartilv recomn~endsthis book to all seekine
R. C. ROARK
u. s. B u n e ~ no r E s i b x o ~ o a r& PLANTQOARAVTINE BELTSV~LLE. M*RIL*ND
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MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY. VOLUME I1
Alfred Burger, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Virginia. Interscience Publishers. Inc., New York, 1951. xv SO5 pp. (579 to 1084). 1 Fig. 60 tables. 15 X 23 cm. $10.
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THE~eeondvolume of this tno-volume treatise includes eleven
