The only fault this reviewer could find is not in the book itself, but in the statement on its jacket. "General readers" do not have sufficient background to read even the first four chapters. Seniors majoring in chemistry should have-in fact, the book might very well be used for part of a course in "advanced chemistry" t o he given during the senior year. In the opinion of this reviewer the discussion of the heavier elements could have been a little more clear-cut if the author had not refused t o abandon the Mendeleeff form of the periodic table for one based directly upon atomic structure [see THISJOURNAL, 20,21 (194311. On theother hand. it was good t o see an unequivocal discussion of the following covalent compmnds which the reviewer has used for some time to disillusion students with regard t o the sacredness of the octet theory: BeCI., BCla, CC1,. PFs, SFe, IF,, 04F8. The classical formulas for HpSOaand are also supported, i . c., twelve valence electrons around the sulfur atom rather than eight. Every chemist (especially every teacher of chemistry) should buy this hook, not only to read from cover t o cover, but tomake i t part of his personal reference library. I t is well worth its modest price. W. F. L u n m
methods and ideas presented here have been developed and used over a period of two decades in commercial testing." The subject matter is divided into 39 chapters. Much of the print is small, so that actually the wealth of material is greater than appears from the number of pages. There is profuse cross reference, and generally to specific portions of the text rather than t o general paragraphs or chapters. The reader will find here not only what he has a right t o expect, namely discussion of the methods of examining waters, alloys, paints, cements, paper, soaps, gases, pigments, rubber, rotenone, etc., etc., hut also modern methods for analyzing substances of recent impprtance, suchassynthetic plastics and synthetic elastomers. There is an excellent chapter on the preparation of indicators and reagent solutions, and the standardization of t h e titrimetric solutions. The index is unusually complete. This is no cookbook. hut rather a real euide and counsellor t l m makrs w r y inrerrstiq and profitahle reading lr is OIK of the 1mnk.i the rrvivwer would like to take wirh him if he were destined to he ctrandtrl in hts lalwratory.
NO)ITABIST&PN UNIYBI(SITI BOSTON, MASSACHVSBITS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICALMETHODSROR ENGINEERINGSTUDENTS. 0.M. Smith and L. F. Shemar, Professors of Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc , New York, 1944. viii COMMERCIAL METHODSOF ANALYSIS. Forter Dee Sndl and 118pp. 22 figs. 21 X 28 cm. $2.50. Frank M . Biffen. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1944. vii 753 pp. 152 figs. 44 tables. 13 X 21 The authors indicate in the preface t h a t this laboratory manual cm. $6.00. was written for a laboratory course for engineering students who This book fills a long-felt need. The senior author's extensive have completed the freshman year of chemistry. They state that experience as a teacher and director of a commercial laboratory "some of the aims of the book are: (1) To teach through the doing of a task which the student knows t o be practical and in was precisely t h e right combination t o produce a hook t h a t will serve as a guide for students and also as an authoritative reference which he is interested and finds enjoyment. (2) To teach techwork for the practicing analyst. The authors have done their niques in t h e use of the chemist's tools, such as the analytical balaqce, volumetric equipment, and standardized solutions. work well and the hook can be recommended t o both novice and The* skills are developed in the exercises t h a t deal with the experienced analysts. Any serious student will make this textanalyses of fuels and water. (3) To add experiences and t o assist book a part of his permanent library. The preface tells the objective and method of the book. t h e student t o acquire skill in testing and analyzing those ma*'Many meritorious and deservedly well-known textbooks have teriak which all engineers, regardless of branch, will be using in been published on theoretical analytical chemistry. This book theirjprofessional work, which include the examination of fuels, has another nuroos-to show the method of a o ~ r o a c hto analvsis gases, lubricants, metals, and alloys, and the corrosion resistance . tenals. (4) To conduct experiments t h a t illustrate and o i ihc i~murncrsblcconrplcx cummercinl prallrcts &>ling on t h r market today. lluny of thrsc arc colloids, some arc cmulrionq sup ement the theoretical portions of a study of the chemistry that may ror~tainhalf a down ingwditnts hcstdcs water and oil, of erigineering materials." The manual contains a section on detailed instructions for a majority contain organic as well as inorganic ingredients, and writing the reports, followed by a section entitled "An Introducas unknown samples most of them would present problems extion to Chemical Literature." The first exercise is a series of tremely difficult of solution b y the inexperienced chemist. Standard methods have, in many cases, been introduced, though assignments which necessitate the use of the literature of chemoften not in t h e exact words of these methods. . Simplifications istry and engineering. The succeeding exercises are, in order: "Use of the Analytical Balance"; "Analysis of Water"; "Proxihave been adooted in some Darts. and. what is more imoortant. explanations of strps, the reasurn for w h i ~ ~ish not swrlicicntlg mate Analysis of Coal"; "Determination of the Heating Value of Coal, Oxygen Bomb"; "Determination of the Heating Value of clear, hare LP+IIgiven. . . . f'articular care has bcen taken ro set forth i u logical sequence the preliminary steps that nec~sranly Coal, Peroxide Bomb"; "Gas Analysis"; "Distillation of Gasoline and Similar Products"; "Flash and Fire Points"; "Viscosity precede the actual analysis of samples of unknown composition. Both in this and in subsequent procedure, an endeavor is made of Oils"; "The Alloys of Lead and Tin"; "Microscopical Examit o clarify the meaning of each step and often t o give the reason nation of Iron and Steel"; and "Conosian of Metals." Diafor it. This is t o develop the inexperienced analyst into an ex- grams of apparatus are given where necessary and duplicate perienced one by logical methods. . Methods are as simple and data sheets are included after each experiment. The writing is direct as Dossible. com~atiblewith accuracv. Where data are clear and the printing excellent. The reviewer found the experiments interesting, but doubts available. limits of accuracv are discussed as t o what is desirable whether thev much material which is not alreadv cav* reoresent . ered in approved chemical engineering curricula. Such courses commercial laboratory has been emphasized by methods t h a t aim usually include a course on library use as well as technical analysis. a t general economy of time and materials without sacrificing Some of the experiments are also covered in the usual physical reliability of results. A feature of the hook is a n attempt to set chemistry courses. The situation in other engineering courses is forth succinctly, frequently b y stating the reactions involved, quite different. If time can be found in such courses of study to include the material of this hook, such time would he very well the methods of calculating t h e results of determinations in order t o show reason for the formula eiven. . . . Soecial methods have spent. ARTEURA. VKRNON
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