SEPTEMBER, 1951
0
AMINOPLASTICS
C. P. Vale, British Industrial Plastics Ltd. Intersdence Publishers, Inc., New York, 1950. 250 pp. 19 figs. 26 tables. 13 X 19 ern. 52.75.
merely spectacular. They cover the use of lecture demonstre tions, projeots snd reports, field trips, laboratory experiments, and visual and auditory materials. There are a number of plans for demonstration apparatus that can he built with a minimum of skill and shop facilities. A long chapter covers the care of equipment. Part Two (about two-thirds of the book) is devoted to suggested demonstration experiments in general science, physics, and chemistry. There is a wealth of material to choose from, the experiments are practical and really show something, and most of them require verysimple equipment. The beginning tescher will find thenumerous line drawings helpful. It takes a. great deal of time and ingenuity to work up a good repertoire of demonstration experiments yet no good teacher would let his class down by leaving them out. Richardson and Cahoon hme done us all a service by assembling this material which hsssomething new for the most experienced of us.
group per~moleeule. ~ ~ m m e r c i aimportant ll~ members of this class are urea, melsmine, thiourea, and guanidine. The purpose of this hook is to collate the technical literature relating to these resins and to their various industrial applications. The first three chapters review the chemistry of the amino resins. Two chapters are devoted ta molding powders, processes, and products, followed by a chapter on the physical properties of aminoplastic moldings. The three remaining chapters are concerned with the applications of aminoplastics in lacquers, in adhesives, and laminatine resins. and in resins for the textile and RICHARD WIBTAR paper industries. A I& of pkrtinent references is provided a t the end of each chmter. The book I* w l i &ten by a highly qualifird authorlrv in ll~isli inrorporatm sfructurul krmwledge into the tofd fal,ric of rlrrrni*trs. Oi tlw vurio~lrutt*nrpta to ac~.orndishthis obieetive. the one under consideration has been the most suocess-
rui.
The first edition of this book was received very enthusiastically.
Teachers of inorganic chemistry adapted it ss a textbook. Reviewers commented favorably on the clear exposition of general topics without the use of advanced msthematics or thermodynsmics, on the many excellent figures designed to aid threedimensional visualization, on the excellent indexes and on the portrayal of unsolved problems. The second edition retains all of the excellent feat,ures of the first and embodies a number of distinct improvements. The extent of the revision is evident by the fact that the first edition had 590 pages, 175 figures, and 31 tables. The first part of the book deals with general principles and techniques. There are chapters a n the covalent bond, interbond angles and band lengths, ionic crystals, states of aggregation, the crystalline state, and experimental methods. Half of these have been completely rewritten and all bave been amplified. The second part presents a wealth of structural data which is organized under the following headings: hydrogen compounds, the halogens and simple halides; complex, oxy-, and hydroxyhalides; oxygen and sulfur; oxides; oxysulfides and sulfides; hydroxides; water and hydrates; nitrogen; phosphorus and Group V elements; carbon; cyanides, cerbonyls, and carbides; ailicon; boron; B subgroup metals; Group VII metals; 4f and 6j elements; and metals and alloys. Here again the material has been reorganized and considerably amplified. References in the second edition are five times as numerous znd more convenientlv located than oreviouslv. Manv of them bear rlut+soi IqlR .ln
