NEW BOOKS
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Conductometric Analysis. By H. T. S. BRITTON. 14 x 21 em.; ix 178 pp. London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1934. Price: 12s. 6d. Although the suggestion t h a t analytical titrations could be followed by measurement of conductivity was made by Kohlrausch as long ago as 1885, the possibilities of the method did not receive the attention paid t o the potentiometric method of titration. The chief reason for this neglect was probably the fact t h a t the accurate measurement of conductivity has been a matter of some difficulty. In recent years, however, as a result of developments in connection with the use of the thermionic valve and of the introduction of other means of producing and rectifying alternating currents, the procedure has been very much simplified, so t h a t the potentialities of the method are being more fully studied. The only collected work on conductometric analysis has hitherto been the excellent monograph Konduktometrische Titrationen by Kolthoff, and so the book under review will be welcomed by those who prefer their scientific literature in the English language. The first two chapters deal with the general theoretical aspects of electrical conductivity; they are follolTed by two further chapters on conductivity titration apparatus and methods. Although the various principles involved in the measurement of conductivity are adequately discussed, i t is strange t h a t no details are given of the actual method of titration, since it is essentially different from t h a t used in ordinary volumetric or potentiometric analysis. Sections on the titration of strong and weak acids and bases of various kinds are followed by a discussion of replacement and precipitation reactions, and of the use of mercuric perchlorate as a titrant. The next three chapters deal with abnormal acids, the precipitation of metallic bases and the application of conductometric titration t o research; they are more particularly concerned n ith the author’s own work and are of somen-hat specialized interest. The book concludes with a n interesting, although perhaps too concise, description of industrial applications which serves to show the scope of the conductometric method of analysis. It is a matter of regret that the author frequently uses the Arrhenius theory of ionization as a basis of his discussion, so t h a t the language is often obsolete and misleading from the modern standpoint ; the main principles underlying conductometric titrations are, honever, treated quite adequately. The book is well produced and contains a commendable number of clear diagrams n hich add considerably to its value. s. GLASSTONE.
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illolekztlstruktur. By H. A. STUART. 22 x 14 em.; x 388 pp. Berlin: Julius Springer, 1934. Price: paper, 32 RM; bound, 33.80 RLI. The rapid advances made in recent years in the determination of the shapes and sizes of molecules by modern physical and physicochemical methods have led to a desire on the part of many chemists for a concise and intelligible summary of the results. This is provided very well in Dr. Stuart’s book, which is characterized by a satisfactory, though brief, exposition of experimental methods, and the absence of difficult mathematics. These features, together with the numerous tables of numerical results and copious references to the literature, combine to produce a work of 1233
