The Last portion of the book correlates solid state properties and electrochemical behavior of metals, and gives a brief introduction to electrochemistry in solid electrolytes. Perhaps the most useful chapter in the hook for the novice is the last, in whieh a synopsis of industrial applications of electrochemistry, e.g., fuel cells, hatteries, memory elements, thermoelectric devices, energy storage devices, etc. is given. The value of the hook is enhanced hy having an author index as well as a subject index. The subject index could have been improved by references to Tafel on pp. 37, 146, and 169, in addition to that given on p. 39. I n addition, the omission of "tungsten bronzes," or "tungsten oxides" from the index leads one to wonder if other important subjects have been missed. Bernard C. Gerstein lowa Ststs un1vemity A m , 500 70
Basic Concepts in Electronic Instrumentation
Charles K. Mann, Thomas J. Viekers, Wilson M. Gulick, Florida State University; Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1974. vi 249. Figs. and tables. 15 X 23 cm. $6.95.
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This book departs from approaches used in many of the texts suggested for further reading hy maintaining an orientation toward those circuits, networks, and tecb-
niques used in current instrumentation. While no instruments are specifically mentioned, a thorough reading of this b w k and careful examination of almost any instrument schematic will show that the authors both know instrumentation and write effectively on the topic in general. The style of writing and treatment of mathematical relationships is necessarily terse. The authors have successfully cow ered almost all of the contents of "Electronics for Scientists" by Malmstadt, Enke, and Toren plus portions of "Digital Electronics" by Malmstadt and Enke in fewer pages than the former. The strangest areas are the first four chapters, the fundamental principles, passive devices, and amplifiers. These ehapters have an adequate number of problems, whieh have no answers. More recently developed small-signal solid-state devices are carefully considered; however ac power control and visual display devices are omitted despite the recent wide spread use of both, pmtieularly display devices and display drwer systems in instruments eurrently available. Since the authors have established a basic level, the remaining five chapters are quite general; the hloek diagrams should not he used for breadboard construction without further reading. A detailed table of contents drawn from section and sub-section headings precedes each chapter. Although the index is adequate, the paper used for the detailed chapter contents could be effectively used ro prwide prublem answers. further rcading, or references to Fourier arynai analysis. Ch. I,and Fmrier wanstorm processes. Ch.
6, and bridged-T filters, Ch. 3. The novice in the field of electronics frequently henefits from other points of view; additional sources for chapter 3-7 would be helpful, particularly if cited by chapter or pages. Well motivated upperelass undergrsd"ate or graduate students and facultv could gain an adequare basic background in electronics deipitn the lack of answers U, pwbI c m . The book cannot bt reermmended as appropriate for a first electronics course, yet would be of value for review and serve as a hrief general reference. David C. Taylor Sllppe'y Rock Stale College Slippery Rock. PennsyI~ania76057
W. L. Jolly, editor, University of California, Berkeley. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc., Stroudshurg, Pennsylvania, 1972. avi 448 pp. 26 X 18cm. $20.
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Compounds Containing PhosphorusPhosphorus Bonds
A. H. Courley, editor, University of Texas, Austin. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc., Stmudsburg, Pennsylvania, 1973. aiii 336 pp. 28.5 X 22 em. $18. Continued on page A486
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Volume 52. Number 10. October 1975 / A485
book reviews Hard and Son Acids and Bases
R. G. Pearson, editor, Northwestern University. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc., Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, 1973. xiii 496 pp. 26 X 18 cm. $23.
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These three volumes form the nucleus of the "Benchmark Papers in Inorganic Chemistry" under the editorship of Professor H. H. Sisler. The series, according t o his preface, will he one "in which outstanding papers in the development of various fields of inorganic chemical research are collected by a major expert in the field and published along with explanatory notes which put these papers into content." T o what extent has the series thus far achieved these goals? In Professors Jolly, Cowley, and Pearson, three noted experts have been chosen to deal with areas in which they have been intimately involved for some time. Although each editor attacks his task according to his own perspective, the resulting volumes substantiate the claim t o expertise. Furthermore, I found the editorial comments accompanying the papers very enjoyable and worthwhile reading. Before dealing with these volumes individually, perhaps a brief discussion of their common features is in order. Each consists of from 33 t o 63 papers from the original literature, often with complete or partial translations of foreign articles. The papers are arranged singly or in small groups according t o subtopic and the editor has made introductory comments t o put them in perspective. Occasionally these are rather terse and trite and tell little more than can be gleaned from the title of the paper. Often, however, they tie the papers together, indicate their importance, and occasionally they serve as vehicles for the expression of the author's opinions and conclusions. I found the indexes t o be good (all authors, whether of the reproduced papers, or in footnotes of the papers, or editorial comments, are indexed). The volumes thus serve as an extensive bibliography of the subject far beyond those papers reproduced. In addition, all of the editors give explicit references to important papers which could not be included for lack of space. The quality of reproduction varies, naturally, but I found little difficulty in reading. Professor Cowley's b w k is in a larger format than the other two, perhaps because i t reprints a larger number of articles from "big" journals like the Journal of the American Chemical Society. However, both Jolly and Pearson have some articles from these journals and although the print is small, i t is clear. If the larger format is the source of the higher rice per page for that volume, I would suggest consistent use of the smaller format. "Metal-Ammonia Solutions" contains 63 papers, ranging from 1864 to 1971 in puhlication date. The choice of papers is well done; I am sure the reader, even if he is acquainted with the liquid ammonia literature, will find important papers that are new t o him. The historical and human asA486 / Journal of Chemical Education
pects of the work are put into perspective, making this volume more than a compilation of research progress on this topic. I was disappointed that there was not a brief summary a t the end, a sort of "state-ofthe-art-and-where-it-is-going" finale. "Compounds Containing PhosphorusPhosphorus Bonds" contains 33 papers ranging in date from 1877 to 1972. Professor Cowley's Introduction serves partially as the desiderate "overview" mentioned ahove. Again, the choice of papers is good. Several articles in German and Russian are presented with partial translations of the most important parts. In view of the judicious editing that went into the choice of papers and the most important parts for translations, one wonders why some 28 pages of structure factors are included in the crystallographic papers. That these are important data to crystallographers and should be included somewhere in the original paper is not disputed, but surely they serve no useful purpose here, especially since same are illegible. Professor Pearson was the father of the concept of "Hard and Soft Acids and Bases" and this volume of 45 papers reflects the passion each of us has towards his brain-child and his interest in seeing that it is declared Legitimate. He presents a short history of the development of the concept including many interesting anecdotes. His Introduction is reminiscent of Watson's "Double Helix" in its portrayal of the human side of science: "To my relief, R. J. P. Williams. who had oreviouslv castigated me at the Chemical Soctety merrlng ~n Oxford, d d not ntrend l a 196: mertlng in London un HSAB) " Naturally, m8,*t of the papers are by workers accepting the HSAB concept. Some papers, however, critical of one or another phase are included, perhaps, one suspects, so that Professor Pearson may have the last ward! I do not say this t o diminish the value of this hook: Better to present the evidence, weigh it, and come to a definite conclusion than t o equivocate lest one step upon unknown toes. When I first saw these volumes, I was impressed with their usefulness t o the active worker in each area. By coincidence, all three happened to he concerned with areas in which I have an intense interest and they seemed t o he ideal reference works. I t was less obvious where they might fit in the educational scheme of things. With increasingly tight budgets, one could look askance a t volumes (sometimes unkindly called "nonbooks") that duplicate material already on the library shelves. I can see two very useful ways in which they can be helpful: (1) Even in those libraries having ample series of primary journals, the compilation in one place of a series of related artieles renders a unique service. Do not textbooks, handbooks, review journals, and Chemical Abstracts "replay" material already published elsewhere? I can think of no easier way for the student to make the sometimes difficult transition from textbooks (where too often the answers are "Yes" or "No") to the real world of journals (where too often the answers are "Maybe yes," "Maybe no," or "I don't think we've asked the right question!"). (2) For the school with a wry limited budget where journal subscriptions are prohibitively expensive, "Benchmarks" allows the
inclusion in the library of a variety of journal articles in English, German, Russian, ete. While not every chemist will want every volume of "Benchmarks" on his desk, I think that every inorganic chemist will find certain volumes in the series useful on his own book shelf and those of his library. The present review has dealt with three volumes in specialized areas of inorganic chemistry; a subsequent review will deal with aspects of the breadth of scope of "Benchmarks" in disciplines related to chemistry that may he of interest and usefulness. James E. Huheey Southern lliimis University Carbondab Xlinois 62901
Laser Light Scanerlng
Benjamin Chu, SUNY a t Stony Brook, New York. Academic Press, New York, 1974. xii 317 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 em.$31.50.
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With the growing importance of the applications of laser light scattering in chemistry, this hook serves as a comprehensive review of not only the fundamental principles hut also the most recent advances in the field. In the first six chapters, a tharough theoretical treatment was presented, and this includes topics like scattering theory, optical coherence, interferometry, and photan-counting autocorrelation. The last five chapters gave a general overview of the numerous applications of the technique, from the well established methods for the study of macromolecules t o the relatively unexplored methods for chemical kinetics The author has intended this book for the beginner in the field of light scattering, with theoretical training comparable t o a physical chemistry graduate student. However, be'cause of the theoretical rigor cammon to most of the first sir chapters, the reader may find it difficult to follow certain sections unless he has been previously exposed t o the material. T o fully appreciate the material presented, the reader should have competence in the areas of electrodynamics and statistical mechanics, a t least t o the level of a n undergraduate physics student in the former and to that of a graduate chemistry student in the latter. The author included as the second chapter a review of classical electricity and magnetism. This is present for completeness but unfortunately is of little use otherwise. Those who are familiar with the topic can skip it and those who are unfamiliar with the topic will need a more detailed discussion anyway. There is no good way to treat light scattering without a moderate amount of mathematical derivations, and the author made every attempt t o be complete without overwhelming the beginner. Still, certain parts could be omitted because they are not pertinent to the discussion. Two examples are the list of moments of the Gaussian function (p. 37) and the derivation of the sum of a power series (p. 88). The effectiveness
