Chemical Evolution or Revolution

pages. Putrefaction Bases are briefly treated in 12 pages. To. Animal Bases are devoted 184 pages, dealing with amino acids, purine bases, urea, cereb...
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December, 1930

INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

pages. Putrefaction Bases are briefly treated in 12 pages. T o Animal Bases are devoted 184 pages, dealing with amino acids, purine bases, urea, cerebrosides, lecithins, imino bases, and betaines. Particular attention is given to the separation and quantitative estimations of amino acids. Many structural formulas and microphotographs are shown. Animal Acids, including uric acid and its derivatives, urinary calculi, hippuric and glycuronic acids, aromatic hydroxy acids, acids of bile and ketonic derivatives, are treated in 74 pages. To the Cyanogen Compounds are devoted 150 pages. The monograph on Proteins (81 pages) includes methods for the separation of the hydrolysis products of proteins, the amino acids, classification of proteins, preparation of proteins and methods for their estimation, and several pages on their physical and chemical constants. The Digestion Products of the Proteins are considered in 32 pages dealing with polypeptides, proteoses, peptones, proteoclastic enzymes, methods for examination of digestion products and for tracing the course of a digestion. This book should be of value, not only to commercial analysts, but t o all interested along lines of biochemistry. The volume is replete with references to original articles.-D. BREESEJONES

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and to physical chemists. A study of the contents will convince the organic chemist that physical methods are providing a novel method of attack on some of his major problems. So also the physical chemist will be brought to a fuller realization of the fact that many of the most fascinating problems of a theoretical nature are those which deal with the compounds of carbon. The title might lead one to infer that consideration would be given to methods of synthesis of polymeric substances, but “Aufbau” was not extended to include this subject directly The book deals in particular with the assistance given by x-ray diagrams and molecular models in the elucidation of the structure of complex organic substances. Thus, such topics as the following are treated: lattice structure and various lattice types; applications of molecular models in correlating various physical properties; generalities concerning substances of high molecular weight; the approach t o the structure of cellulose, cellulose derivatives, pentosans, lignin, rubber, starch, inulin, albumins, etc. ; and finally, the fine structure of plant and animal tissues. Of these naturally occurring substances, cellulose is given by far the most extended treatment, one-third of the entire book being devoted to it. The authors write interestingly and with conviction. Yet, the very complexity of the subject makes the work something of a “progress repOrt.”-cHARLES D. HURD

Der Aufbau der hochpolymeren organischen Naturstoffe auf Grund molekular-morphologischerBetrachtungen. BY KURT H. MEYERAND H. MARK. 264 pages. 19 pages of photoThe price of the Index to Volumes I to V of Tables annuelles de graphs and 70 drawings. 14.5 X 21.3 cm. Akademische constantes et donnBes numeriques de chimie, de physique, de Verlagsgesellschaft, m. b. H., Leipzig, 1930. Price, paper, 16 biologie et de technologie, mentioned in the review of Volume VI1 of this work which appeared on page 1262 of the November marks; bound, 18 marks. issue, is $16, but there is a pre-publication offer of $12, ending This book provides a survey of an interesting and quite recent December 31, 1930, for members of societies and subscribers t o chapter of chemistry which appeals equally t o organic chemists International Critical Tables.

NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE Chemical Evolution or Revolution ? During the past few months the writer has had occasion t o recall a remark made by his friend and former instructor, the late F. A. Gooch, that “one does not wait many years t o see some research t h a t has been developed and published appearing again in the journals as new work.” In one of our chemical journals last April a statement was made t h a t the reaction between arsenious and chromic acids was first used for the determination of chromium in 1911. The fact is t h a t a volumetric process based on this reaction was developed and published by the writer in 1896, who stated a t that time that Kessler had used the same reaction for the estimation of arsenic in 1855. More recently a paper appeared describing the use of amyl alcohol for the separation of the alkalies and alkali earths as bromides. Here again no mention was made of the application of amyl alcohol to this same problem using the nitrates, bromides, and chlorides, by the writer in 1892 on the alkali earths, and by Doctor Gooch several years before on the alkalies. Still more recently a method appeared for the detection of aluminum using the formation of the insoluble caesium aluminum sulfate as the detecting salt. Here again the writer’s paper on the separation of caesium and rubidium as the ferric alums, which also described experiments on the detection of caesium as the insoluble caesium aluminum sulfate, published in 1916, was overlooked. These items are not mentioned from any feeling of personal injury, but only t o show that some of our investigators are slipping on historical background. Probably the reason for some of these omissions lies in the fact that the greater part of the three hundred or more papers by Doctor Gooch and his associates, between 1890 and 1918, were

published in the American Journal of Science, and so did not come to the attention of a large group of chemists. In 1912, “Methods in Chemical Analysis,” by Gooch, published by John Wiley and Sons, brought together the greater part of the analytical papers included in the above list of three hundred. It is hoped that reference t o these publications may be of help to those wishing to acquaint themselves more fully with this particular record of chemical research. PHILIPE. BROWNING YALEUNIVERSITY NEWHAVEN, CONN. October 16, 1930

Dust Control i n Phosphate Rock Grinding Correction In my article under the above title. IND.ENG. CHEM.,22, 1077 (1930), an error occurs in the last sentence in the first column. This sentence should read: On the basis of these figures the 1800 c. f . m. of vented air carry away 124 grains of moisture per pound, or approximately 127 pounds of moisture per hour from the two mills. This is equivalent to removing as moisture 0.8 per cent of the weight of the material ground. This error came about in the transcription of the calculations to the typewritten page. W. H. GABELER Preliminary figures, announced by the Bureau of the Census, showing United States production of natural dyestuffs, indicate a smaller value for 1929 ($2,026,499) than reported in 1927 ($2,068,893), the preceding census year. Logwood continues to lead the group of natural dyestuffs processed in the United States.