THE CHEMISTRY AND MODE OF AC. TlON OF PLANT GROWTH SUBSTANCES Edited by R. L. Wain and F. wightmon. Academic Press, Ino., New York, 1956. xi 312 pp. Many figs and tables. 16 X 25.5 cm. $9.50.
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IN TEE 28 years which have elapsed since the original discovery of auxin by F. W. Went, many plant physiologists have devoted their research careers to an attempt t o understand the mechanism by which auxin produces its multiple effects in the growing plant. I n 1937, approximately 10 years after the discovery of auxins, the First International Conference on Growth Substances was held in Paris under the auspices of the League of Nations, with Professor Peter BoysenJensen of Copenhagen acting as the president. The second conference of this kind was held s t the University of Wisconsin in 1949 and was limited almost exclusively to contributions from the United States. The third conference, more international in scope, was held in Lund, Sweden, in 1953. The first two conferences led to publications of summary volumes, whereas the third has resulted in the publication of short abstracts. The conference held a t Wye College (University of London), in July of 1955, was orranized bv Professor R. L. Wain and wasaided by"agrsnt from the Governing Board of Wye College and the Agriculture Research Council. Attendance was truly international, with many representatives from the U. S. A,, England, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and Germany. The sessions were divided into three general subjects. The first, natural auxins, includes papers on the methods for the extraction of natural auxins, bio-asmy procedures, types of substances found in natural plant, and the relation of the natural auxins to flowering and trapistic responses. The ~eeondsection, on chemical structure and biological activity, contains many contributions on the relation of form to function in phenoxyacetic acid series, indole series, and related auxins. The third section, on metabolism and mode of action, contains the results of investigations on the fate of indoleacetic acid administered to plant cells and the effect of auxin on chemical activities of cells. The fourth section, spplication of kinetics to auxin-induced growth, is essentially a. debate between the Pasadena School under J. Bonner, and the London School under Bennet-Clark. It is clear from this volume t h d there is tremendous activity in the field of investigation of plant growth substances. I t is also elem that, despite prodigious effort, very little has been discovered which explains either the activity of certain molecules or the mode of action of
auxins in the cell. The conference was undoubtedly productive of a great many ideas and stimulating discussions. This volume, as a chmnicle of such an international gathering, is valuable. As is the case with most volumes of this sort, i t suffers from a heterogeneity of approach on the part of the authors. Several authors have properly construed their function as that of reviewing activity in a given field including their own work. Others have written detailed papers in s, very limited field, thus rendering their contributions somewhat less interesting to the general reader. The absence of a proper index is, of course, a deterrent to the use of this book for reference purposes. Despite the fact that i t does not include papers on the gibberellins, and only one paper on the kinins, this volume should certainly be in the hands of all those interested in the detailed progress being made in the field of the regulation of plant growth by chemical means.
digestive tract, and will find no experiments illustrating the properties of oxidative or transferring enzymes. The authors who are responsible for this revised edition state that an effort, was made "to retain the familiar plan of Cole, a plan to which we have long been accustomed, formerly as students and later as teachers." Perhaps this explains the failure to bring the book up-to-date. In spite of the 222 experiments, qualitative and quantitative, that are presented, i t isdoubtfulif this book will gain any wide acceptance in this country, for use in biochemical courses for medical students.
ARTHUR W. GALSTON Y*LDU ~ l v e s s l ~ r NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
Forrington Daniels, Professor of Chemistry, Joseph Howard Mathews, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, John Warren Williams, Professor of Chemistry, P a u l Bender, Professor of Chemistry, and Robert A. Alberty, Professor of Chemistry, all of the University d Wisconsin. Fifth edition. McGraw-Hill Book Co., 482 pp. Inc., New York, 1956. xi 134 figs. 24 tables. 16 X 23.5 cm.
COLE'S PRACTICAL PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY Revised and rewritten by Ernest Baldwin, Professor of Bioehemidry, University College, University of London, and David James Bell, Senior Biochemist, Agricultvral Research Center, Edinburgh. Tenth edition. W. Heffer and Sons, Ltd., Cam261 pp. 24 figs. bridge, 1955. r 14.5 X 22 Em. $6. Available from The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore 2, Maryland.
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TEEnumber of former medical students in Cambridge and other English universities who have used "Cole's Practical Physiological Chemistry" since the book first appeared in 1904 must be legion. The last edition appeared more than twenty years ago. Since then new techniques have appeared for the chemical investigation of biological material. Medical schools in this country generally have incorporated many of the newer methods in their laboratory courses in biochemistry. I t is disappointing to find that this revised and rewritten edition of such a well known laboratory manual as Cole's does not reflect the changes in laboratory teaching that accompany the rapid advances in biochemistry that h w e occurred since 1933. The student using this book will have no experience with ehromatography, which has proved so useful in the laboratory. He will not come in contact with ensymes other than those of the
F. A. CAJORI OP COLORADO UN~VERBITI SCHOOLOI. MEDICINE DENVER, COLOR*DO
EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
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$6.50.
THE fifth edition of this well-known book retains the orgmizational pattern of previous editions which is designed to instruct both the undergraduate and the more advanced student in experimental methods. The descriptions of laboratory techniques are supplemented with enough theoretical material to give the book a completeness which has been one of its distinctive features for many years. Part I of the book deals with Laboratory Eaperiments and Part I1 with Apparatus and Methods. The emphasis in the present edition has been shifted somewhat to favor the laboratory experiment section, there being approximately twice as many pages devoted t o Part I as to Part 11. The laboratory experiments are well chosen and are distributed with reasonable uniformity over the subject matter presented in most American textbooks on physical chemistry. There are fifty-nine experiments grouped in chapters. A chapter on General Experimental Techniques is new and describes experiments on glass blowing, high vacuum, and electronics. Other experiments which are new with the fifth edition deal with differential thermal analysis, osmotic pressure. ion-exchange chromatography, and the Szilard-Chalmers process and the halflife of radioiodine. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
