broad n e w of chemical economics and hv businessmen who wish to understand the special economic characteristics of chemical industries.
chemist in his Laboratory, reproduced from the German, 1778. edition of Macquer's DlcrroNNAlRE DE CHIMIE)and portraits of Bwrhaave, Hales, Hope, Werner, del Rio, van Humboldt. de Elhuyar, van Born, Hatchett. Scaliger. Watson, Klaus. Arfwedson, and McCoy. There is a note from the late Professor Bohuslav Brauner on the splitting of didymium, the sections an bismuth, phosphorus, zinc, cobalt, platinum, barium, and cadCRYSTALLINE ENZYMES.THE CHEMISTRY OB PEPSIN,TRYPSIN, mium have been expanded, and the index is entirely new. S3x AND BACTERIOPAAGE. John H. Northrop. Columbia Uni- of the chapters are new, namely. VI. Daniel Rutherford and versity Press. New York City, 1939. xii f 176 pp. 48 figs. His Services to Chemistry, VIII. The Scientific Contributions 15 X 23 cm. $3.00. of the de Elhuyar Brothers, X. The Klaproth-Kitaibel CameOne accepts the news on the crystallization of an enzyme in spondence on the Discovery of Tellurium, XII. The Chemical these days as if it would be an isolation of "just another suh- Contributions of Charles Hatchett, XIII. The Scientific Constance." The enzymes discussed in this book, as well as the tributions of Don And& Manuel del Rio, and XVI. J. A. other crystalline enzymes (urease, the yellow enzymes, amylase, Arfwedson and His Services to Chemistry. These chapters ficin, papain, catalase, and polyphenoloxidase). are all proteins. represent original investigations by Professor Weeks, and conProteins are very sensitive t o chemical changes. Enzymes are stitute important contributions t o the history of chemistry. much more so, apparently owing to certain active groupings in But they were written, we imagine, primarily as reports of rethe enzyme-protein molecule. Thanks to well-developed meth- search. They were presented a t meetings and were published ods which are now available, however, some enzymes may be elsewhere. Each has its own unity, coherence, and emphasis. Each has its own beginning, and middle, and end. And the just as readily crystallized as sodium chloride. Concerning the scope of the hook. Dr. Northrop states in the material of each properly belongs in the book. Yet the subpreface, "The present monograph is based on the Jesup Lec- jects of these new chapters are clearly not as important in the tures given a t Columbia University in the spring of 1938. history of the discovery of the elements as are the subjects of I t contains the results of a series of investigations on the isolation the orienal ones, as that of the chapter on the halogens, for exand chemistry of bacteriophage and the proteolytic enzymes car- ample, or of that on the alkali metals. Del Rio scarcely deserves ried out in the writer's laboratory. Bacteriophage has not been a chapter when Scheele doesn't get one. On the other hand, the crystallized and may not be an enzyme, hut the results of the account of del Rio is fascinating to read, and it enhances our experiments with bacteriophage are essentially similar to those understanding of his times which were also the times of other obtained with the enzymes and are, therefore, included in the men with whom the narrative of discovet-y is concerned. The student will easily understand that the volume of the evidence present volume." As might be expected from the preface and the title, the book necessary for the determination of a n historical quesfion bears is mostly limited t o the research work of the author and members no necessary relation t o the importance of the question itselfof his laboratory. Dr. Narthrop describes in detail the crystalli- and he will benefit by seeing-these models of the sort of thing zation and general properties of the gastric enzyme, pepsin, and that researchin the history of chemistry ought t o be. The book is recommended strongly for its cultural value and the precursor of pepsin, pepsinogen; the pancreatic enzymes, trypsin and chymo-trypsin; carhoxypeptidase; the inactive general interest, as entertainment and as a fixative t o promote the precursors, trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen; and an inhibitor retention by the student of the facts of elementary chemistry. TENNEV L. DAVIS of trypsin. These proteolytic enzymes and bacteriophage are highly interesting. They possess distinct (specific) catalytic properties, and the contributions of the Princeton laboratory to the chemistry of these enzymes are of immense importance. I t should be noted, however, that there is evidence that the panCHEMICAL AND TECHNICAL DICTIONARY.H. Bennett.. creas also contains other proteolytic enzymes than those isolated STANDARD The Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., New York City, 1939. in crystalline form. While it is well known that the pancreatic xlii 637 pp. 15.5 X 23 cm. $10.00. proteases cause a rapid decrease in the viscosity, the formation of non-protein nitrogen, and so forth of gelatin, casein, edestin, "The startling and rapid advances in chemistry and the other and other protein solutions, there are no quantitative data available on the nature of the end-products of proteolysis. The chem- sciences have introduced many technical words and expressions istry of milk clotting, as caused by the proteases. is not quite into our everyday life . . . . Newspapers and hooks understood yet, although same important results have been speak glibly of atoms, cosmic rays, genes, hydrogenation, and the 'cracking' of petroleum. published in recent years. . Concise definitions rather than encyclopedic treatment The book is clearly written and is very instructive and stimulating. I t will be of great help to those interested in proteins and are given. . . . . It is hoped that this dictionary' will serve a useful purpose as a convenient reference manual. enzymes. ". . . . All the data for a given compound sre given in comHENRYTAUBER pact paragraph form with a complete listing of synonyms and JonNSoN Suruae Coa~osmron C R I C * ~ ~IL ~LK . NOIS cross-references. Each main entrv Drinted in larpre . is . - bold-face type, so that the desired term is easy to locate o p the page. DrscovEnv OF THE ELEMENTS.Mary Elvim Weeks. Associate "This dictionary . . . . gives in convenient form all the ahProfessor of Chemistry a t the University of Kansas. With hreviations and contractions found in the fields of mathematics, illustrations collected by F. B. Dains. Professor of Chemistry physics, and chemistry. Greek, mathematical, apothecary, and a t the University of Kansas. JOURNAL oa CHEMICAL EDUCA- miscellaneous symbols are treated in this special appendix. The TION,Easton, Pennsylvania, 1939. Fourth edition, enlarged tabulation of the 'Prefix Names of Organic Radicals' is particuand revised. 15.5 X 24 cms. v X 470 pages. $3.50. larly needed for those not familiar with the nomenclature of orThis new edition of Professor Weeks' b w k is larger and more ganic chemistry. attractive than its predecessors. I t has a handsomer cover, "For many decades no uniform system has been adhered to in blue cloth stamped in silver with an Egyptian picture of Hermes the pronunciation of chemical names. The general rules for the Trismegistos; it contains many new pictures, and about one pronunciation of chemical terms recommended by the Nomenhundred pages of new material. Page for page it is as interesting clature, SpeUing,and Pronunciation Committee of the American as the earlier editions, but it has more pages and therefore a Chemical Society and a list of key words with their phonetic spellgreater total of interest. ing and diacritical marks give this hook another feature of uquAmong the new features are the frontispiece (a picture of a sual value " ~~~
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