has it, has been justified theoretically and the explanation readily lends itself for use in discussing systems where silicon is bonded to nitrogen, oxygen and the h a b gens, and is invoked to explain nearly all the differences in structure and reactivity between organic compounds and their analogues containing other elements of the fourth group. It is, therefore, an apprw priate time to prtU8e and take stock. Thk exercise runs as a thread of argument through the entire book and marks perhaps its leading feature. Dr. Ebsworth has produced s, highly critical compilation of the wide variety of phyaicel rtnd chemical evidence now available and he draws wise and careful conclusions concerning the limitations of its application. The approach throughout is from the modern physico-chemical viewpoint and much space is devoted to the resulta of spectroscopic studies, especially NMR. Again judicious use is made of the data, and the author is continually a t pains to point out the limitations of the methoda as with the relative values of the proton chemical shifts in methane and silane. Along the way we are treated to the concept of the "Scandanide Contn~etiau,"a clever construct helpful in rationalizing the relatively small change in covalent radius between silicon and germanium, and perhaps a cause of the alternating electronegativity found in the fourth group as well. Certainly s. great handicap in summarizing present knowledge in 80 active a field is that conclusions drawn in the manuscript will be dated by new work by the time of publication, and West's stable silieonium ion (C&EI\', Dee. 30, 1963) may be only the first case in point. But the effect is surely less the more cogent the analysis, and Dr. Ehsworth has distilled into 163 pages an extremely well-thought out and highly critical reexamination of the physical and chemical evidence available on these interesting systems. I t is important to point out in conclusion that "Volatile Silicon Compounds" complementa Professor Eaborn's "Organosilicon Compounds'' 11960), but stands separately from it and should certainly be of interest to anyone who finds this latter workuseful.
Chemistry in Nonoqueour Ionizing Solvents. Volume 4, Chemistry in Lower Fatty Acids and Derivatives
Edited by Gerhart Jander, Hans Spand m , and C. C. Addisa. Interscience Publishers ( a division of John Wiley and Sons, Inc.), New York, 1963. xv 313 pp. Figs. and tables. 17 X 24.5 cm. $12.
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Properties of solutions in nonaqueous solvents have been studied since the beginning of this century and there is now an abundant literature on this subject which is both of academic interest and of
originated dy the late G. ~ & e r and by H. Spandm, in which our present knowledge
is presented concisely, is a timely and welcome addition to the literature. The volume under review deals with acetic acid, formie acid and some of their derivatives, acetic anhydride, acetamide, formamide and substituted amides. All ehaptern are in German, except the last section on amides, which is in English. The most extensive treatment in 129 pttges is that of acetic acid by K. Heymann and H. Klaus. Exteneive discussions with tables and figures are given of the following topics: physical properties, purification, solubility of inorganic and organic compounds, conductance, viscosity, transference numbers and ion mobility, potentiometry, acidity function, autoprotolysis constant, aeid-base equilibria and titrations, polarography, cryoseopy and solvalysis. This is the most complete review availilable on this subject. Although reference is made to a paper by Higuchi el al. (1956) it is regrettable that the formation constants of their set of indicrttors are not listed in a table. Also, neither photometric (e.g., the ingenious method of Higuchi, Rehm and Barnstein, Anal. Chem., 28, 1506 I19561 is not mentioned) nor thermometric end point determinations are reported. In general, the same order of treatment is maintained in the chapters dealing with acetio anhydride (69 pages) by H. Surawski, with acetamide (20 pages) by G. Winkler, and with formic acid (28 pages) by H. Knauer. It is unfortunate that the more recent studies by A. Popov and J. Marshall in formic acid are not included. The last part (30 pages) deals with formilmide and derivatives of amides by the well known expert L. R. Dttwson. An excellent review of conductance, ion mobilities, solubility and degree of dissociation is presented. Unfortunately, hardly anything is said about acid-base properties of the solvents and acid-base equilibria and titrations. Also the literature on polarography in these solvents is not reviewed. A subject index of 24 pages concludes this book. Although in some chapters s. more critical discussion, especidly of the older literature, might have been desirable, the authors deserve our gratitude for having made available a wealth of systematically presented information. The book, which undoubtedly will stimulate many readers to pursue further research in nonaqueous solvents, can be recommended without reservation.
and rendered into the ten languages. Unfortunately the latest standards are not used ("C, Kr light, etc.) for the defitions. A second extensive table lists the national units for 69 countries and gives conversion factors to the US., U.K. and metric systems. Lists of defining words (absolute, reciprocal, etc.) and prefixes (tera to pico) are also translated into the ten languages. Two complete indexes, one for Russian only, are provided.
W. F. K. Naturally Occurring Oxygen Ring Compounds
F. M. Dean, University of Liverpool, England. Butterworths, London, 1963. 661 pp. Figs. and tables. viii 16 X 25.5 cm. $24.95.
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Among the nrtturdly occurring heterocycles, which constitute one-half of all natural products, oxygen heterocycles are fewer in number than the nitrogencontaining heteroeyoles and have received less attention in surveys both of natural products and of heterocycles. This book renreaents the first a t t e m ~ to t deal svstematically with the extensive chemistry of these oxygen heterocycles. Fifteen chaptera me concerned with the common classes of five- and six-membered oxygen heterocycles, such as furans, benzofurans, pyrans, unsaturated lactones, coumarins, chromans, chromens, chromonea, chromanones, xanthones, and flavonoid compounds. Two chapters deal with rings of other sizes, rings with two oxygen atoms, and compounds containing two fused oaygen-containing rings. Not all naturally occurring oxygen heterocycles are included: saturated bctones, 1,3benzodioxoles (i.e., derivatives of methyleuedioxybenzene), cyclic hemiscetds and hemiketals (e.g., carbohydrates), and compounds with rings containing both oxygen and nitrogen atoms have been arbitrarily excluded. The compounds discussed me almost exclusively of plant origin since only a. few oxygen ring eompounds have been found in animda. For each chss of compound, a general description of the structural characteristics and chemical properties is given, followed by a eatslog of specific compounds. For each of the latter there are presented the ocI. M. KOLTHOFP currence, synthesis, proof of structure, and, Uniuwaity of Minnesota often, biological properties. The find Minneapolk chapter is an excellent survey of biosynthesis of oxygen-contsining compounds. Although the emphasis is on oxygen ring Lexicon of International and National eompounda, numerous related types of Units compound me necessarily discussed, so that this chapter is of general interest as Compiled and arranged by W. E. an introduction to the theories of bioC h n , N. V. Philips Gloeilampensynthesis, the methods for determination fabricken, Eindhoven, Netherlands. of hiosynthetic pathways, and some of the American Elsevier Publishing Co., Inc., very convincing data which have been 76 pp. 13 X New York, 1964. vi obtained in support of hiosynthetic 19.5cm. 54.95. theories. Although the author states that his This book will be valuable for all who treatment of the field "is in no way exhave to translate units into or from the haustive, despite theinclusion of more than following languages: German, Spanish, two thousand references," the literature French, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, appears to be well covered through 1961. Portuguese, Russian, or Swedish. Three Some of the clmses of compounds discussed hundred terms are defined (in English)
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Vol. 41, No. 9, September 1964
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