book reviews referencing, footnoting of sources, hihliogritphy, etc. The second section on treatment of experimental data h s more ~ than the usual treatment of the statistics of measurements along with propagation of errors and curve fitting. At the end of the book is s. nice 30 page introduction t o electrical measurement and simple electronic circuits. This section, written by D. T. Opalecky, covers dc and ac measurements and then dedls with simple operational amplifier circuits and various other instruments. The bulk of the text contains 49 student experiments. Twenty-one of these make use of a single ohsmical system-binary mixtures of dimethyl sulfoxide and water. The attempt to provide aunifying theme is laudable but the author carries the idea too far. The idea works well for many of the traditional physical measurements such as viscosity, vapor pressure, etc.; i t is of more questionable value when meesuring electrolytic conductance and transference and has led t o poorly formulated experiments using X-ray diffraction and nmr. In the nmr experiment the " 4 0 6 0 Mops" (MHz) are referred to as in the "microwave range." The explanation for proton resonance shifts in hydrogen bonded systems implies a static model. No mention is made of kinetic effects which result in chemicdshift averaging, a necessaryconsideration for a n understanding of the resonance ~ o s i t i o nin most hydrogen bonded systems. The X-ray experiment suggests t,hat the instructor can readily obtain powder diagrams a t low temperatures although thevast maiority of available powder cameras (inchtding the one described in the experiment) require signifiosnt modification for use a t other than room temperature. The ilh~strrtted "cooling device" gives no indication of how you get the cooled nitrogen onto the smnple without exposing the film. Many far more suitable experiments are given in other texts and in T H E JOURNAL. These examples illustrate some of the more significant problems but the book has others such as the diagram on p. 246 of the motor driven spiralstirrer that surrounds a thermometer. I assume the motor most be hooked up to an oscillating crankshaft arrangement but no mention is made of this. Unless there are rules of topology I don't know, rotation of his stirrer will lead to destruction of the appastus. JAM^ H . LOEALIN Welleslay College Wcllesley, Mass.
Methoden der Oraanischen Chemie. Band S/lCTeil 3. Kohlenwasserstoff. Conjugated Diener, Dielr-Alder Reaction ~
Edited by Eugen Miiller. Fourth Completely RevisedEditian. Georg Thieme 1296 Verlag, 1970. Stuttgart, xxviii pp. 5 figs., 120 tables. 17 X 25.5 cm. D M 468; subscription price, DM 412.2.
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There was the old professor who, on reading "Die Methaden Der Organischen Chemie," gained a new insight on a prob-
A42 / Journal of Chemical Education
lem of synthesis. He hurried into t'he laboratory to inform his graduate students, a young man and woman. The students likewise were so impressed they joined han& and bowed their heads in reverence while their tescher read several p a w graphs of enlightenment. With a deep sense of satisfaction, the professor returned to his office while the students, not understanding a word of German, hurried on their honeymoon under the impression that he had married them. Synthetic organic chemists likewise will find much enjoyment, srttisfrtetion, and inspiration in this classical work. This series will eventually appear in about 45 individual volumes and undoubtedly will be recognized as s. monumental work of organic literature. The arrangement and presentation of the material makes i t a. convenient and indispensable source of information to anyone seriously interested in the synthesis and reactions of the various classes of organic compounds. This particular volume on hydrocarbons is an excellent summary of the chemistry of dienes. The first part (854 pp.) describes about 100 different reactions with their variations leading to the synthesis of this class of compounds. The second part (121 pp.) outlines the reactions of conjugated dienes with reagents which do not produce new carbon to carbon bonds. This is followed by s. section dealing with reactions which involve new crarboncarbon bond formation then extended to eyeloadditions producing three, four, five, six, and higher ring systems. The concluding parts survey the information on photochemical reactions, dehydrogenation, aromatiaation, substitution reactions, isomerization, metal complexes, etc. The subject index lists about 5500 individual compounds. There is slsa a. special index of the Diels-Alder types of reactions giving the dime plus the dienophile combinations of nearly 2000 such reactions. This volume is an exhaustive survey of the literature through 1967 and in part of 1968. I n view of the considerc~ble academic and industrial interest in conjugated dienes it should be a valuable addition to the library of research chemists.
G . H. RICHTER Rice Uniuersity Houston, Teras
Development of the Chemical Balance
John T. Stock, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1969. v 48 pp. Photogrsphs and diagrams. 18.5 X 23 em. Flexible covers. 10 shillings ( = spprox. $1.25).
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Weighing has been sn important step in chemical operations almost since t,he beginning and i t certainly has been the central operation in practically all quantitative operations. The two-pan equal arm scale or balance (from the Latin bi-lanz = "two dishes") was known to the ancient Egyptians, and balances were used by the early jewelers, money changers, and
metallurgists. The various details of balances (both one and two pan) have undergone modificstions over the years; the operation of weighing is being automieed more and more. Much of the preliminary work with the balance ibself' and the ancillary calibration of weights is now omitted from courses in quanlitative analysis, which in some curricula are now omitted entirely. Despite its importance, the literature dealing with the construction and use of balances is relatively small and consequently additions t o this body of puhlished comment are always welcome. This short history of the chemical balance is based on a study of the Chemical Balance Collection a t the Science Museum in London, and in view of the low price of the work and its outstanding excellence its purchase is recommended. The material is resented in a clear straight-forward fashion, and is directed to the average reader rather than to the specialist. All aspects are inchtded as demonstrated by the chapter headine: The importance of weighing in chemistry; Factors governing the sensitivity of 8. balance; Early balances; The rider system; Weights and booymce effect; Modern balances; Micro balances; Recording halances. Each of these topics is discussed in adequate detail for the average reader. The wealth of photographs of balances and their various parts a 6 an integral part of the text and add greatly to the vahte of the book. The list of references will be of much me to those readem who may wish to go farther into the subject. R.\LPHE. O I ~ P I : R University of Cincinnali Cincinnati. Ohio
Atoms and Molecules: An Introduction for Students of PhysicaJChemistry
Martin Karplus, Hervard University, and Richard N. Porter, University of Arkansas. W. A. Benjamin, Inc., New York, 1970. xiv 620 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $17.50, hardbound; $7.95, softbound.
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There is an increasing tendency in undergraduate physical chemistry courses to get away from general textbooks and to substitute specific texts on coherentblocks of important subject matter. Examples are thermodynamics, atomic and molecular structure, and statistical mechanics. This reviewer applauds, and has tried to aid, this trend. The approach woids the hodge-podge of special; seemingly nnrelated special topics treated in generalphysical chemistry texts; instead it covers aset of fundamentals in enough detail so that useful tools in understanding further chemistry are acquired and so that many interrelationships become viaihle. A disadvantage of the approach is that many people's pet special topics are omitted from undergraduate coverage. Also, the level of coverage is often precariously high, frequently rtt the level of graduate courses taken just a few years previously by the faculty members involved, and the under(Continued a page A441
