RECENT BOOKS
VOL.7, NO. 2
Por instance: i t is difficult to tell whether the chemistry course, as discussed, is intended for high-school juniors or seniors. The cost per pupil per year, a very important item in chemistry, is not given. It is questionable whether the work given in parts of the book is required of all, or of just a few of the best pupils. The author's treatment of the following subjects+gestion, dilution, mending apparatus, stains, adds, the furniture of the laboratory and its care, the stocltroom, and special topics for written w o r k s h o w s that she has an exceptionally complete knowledge of both the high-schwl laboratory and the high-schwl textbook work. The discussion indicates that she realizes the importance of industrial chemistry and research. This knowledge and appreciation of chemistry should create, in her pupils, a high degree of interest and inspiration. A list of minimum achievements expected from high-school pupils and a list of achievements expected only of the brighter pupils appear in chapter six. If chemistry is taught in the senior year of the high school, all but a very few pupils in each class should know practically everything given in both lists. Teachers do not like t o make out examinations or t o correct papers, but I think that most teachers would not go so far as to reduce the drudgery of teaching by allowing each pupil t o correct his own examination papers, as the author says she does. The advice t o cut down the teacher's work by requiring little written laboratory work and arranging carefully the laboratory furniture, reagents, and stock is good. Much of the material found in this book can be gotten from the ordinary highschwl chemistry texts and manuals. However, any qualified, experienced teacher can find some valuable material in the book. Por the teacher who lacks either experience or training, this book will be very useful. DONC. EVANS P A R K COUNTY HlOh LIVrNDSTON.
SCHOOL
MONTANA
483
The Constitution of Sugars. WALTER NORMAN HAWORTE,DSc. (Manchester); Ph.D. (G6ttingen); F.R.S., Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Department of Chemistry, in the University of Birmingham. Edward Arnold & Company, London (Longmans, Green & Co., New Yark City), 1929. viii 100 pp. 14.75 X 23 cm. 83.40.
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This book of one hundred pages entitled, "The Constitution of Sugars." is a valuable summary of the work of the author and his students on the methylation of carbohydrates and its bearing an their constitution. The r e d $ of these studies have attracted considerable attention. The formula of that fundamental biological unit, d-glucose, has undergone a decided revision. The methods used in the revision of the glucose formula have been extended to practically all the available sugars. From this i t fallows that all monosaccharides exist in two farms, the normal, which is a < 1,5> lactal, and the gamma, which is a < 1,4> lactal. The problem of the constitution of the disaccharides, which Emil Fischer was unable t 6 solve, has been elucidated. The final proof gf structure, the synthesis of disaccharides from intermediate of known structure, is, however, still lacking in all cases save one. The results of the methylation studies on the constitution of polysaccharides are still admittedly incomplete. The author has advanced a novel nomendatwe and diagrammatic formulas for the carbohydrates, which are receiving considerable acceptance, particularly among the German workers in the field. The experimental work described is of a very difficult nature, mainly because of the difficulty of obtaining crystalline substances in the methylated sugar series. The results now recorded are a t last based upon the isoiatian of crystalline derivatives of known homogeneity and several important previous errors have through this been corrected. The final solution of disaccharide structure has consisted mainly in the
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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
determination of the point of attachment of the component sugars. As this is based upon the methylation of open-chain structures, it is undoubtedly correct. The structures of the reference methvlated sugars is also well supported by good evidence. However. the skeptic may well doubt if the structure of the product obtained by methylation of a reducing sugar, such as glucose, truly represents the structure of a substance that is.capable of existing in such a large number of tautomeric forms. The ease of lactal shift is also being further demonstrated as work in this field progresses. The complete exclusion of lactal forms other than the < 1,4 > and < 1,5 > may also become an issue later. American chemists will be pleased to note that the writer gives full recognition to the researches of J. U. Nef on the isomeric pairs of heaonic lactones, which is so fundamental to the methods used by Haworth. The lactone rule of C. S. Hudson is also extensively employed by the author. On page 24, the important work published by P. A. Levene and H. S. Simms, in 1925, on lactone structure is omitted, althaugli their work published in 1926 is cited. M. I,. WOLFROM
FBBRUARY, 1930
fiom Professor John J. Abel of Johns Hopkins University, and is evidence of the recognition which researchers in the biological sciences have for the fundamental teachines - of chemistrv.
A serious attempt is made by the author to introduce the student who is interested in biological phenomena to the important rdles that organic chemistry and physical chemistry play in the complicated processes of the living cell. As one who has had experience in the teaching of organic chemistry t o biological students, this method of presentation is greatly appreciated. The author makes no distinction in his discussion between what he calls phytochemistry and zoochemistry reactions. I n the early development of his text, the author has laid great stress on the physico-chemical processes taking place in living cells and tissues, and he plunges a t once into a complete discussion of the colloid state of matter. Here he has given a complete review of the technic of this new branch of chemistry. The properties of colloidal systems are presented clearly, and the phenomena of hydrogenion concentration, surface tension, surface enegy, interfacial tension, and adsorption are explained and discussed clearly, and THSOXTDSTATEUN~VERSITY also special chapters are devoted to the COLUMBUS. OMIO fundamental distinction between electrolytes and colloid systems. Consideration Outlines of Biochemistrv. Ross AIKEN is also given to the properties of gels, GORTNBR,Profes~or of Agricultural methods of measuring osmotic pressure, Biochemistry, in the University of and also to a discussion of the Donnan Minnesota, and Chief of the Division equilibrium and its application t o bioof Agricultural Biochemistry, University logical phenomena. This method of presof Minnesota and the Minnesota Agri- entation is decidedly a new feature in the cultural Experiment Station. John general method of teaching the principles Wiley and Sons, Incorporated, New of biochemistry, and forces the reader and 793 pp. 15 X 23 student t o give attention t o special physYork, 1929. xv cm. 86.00. ical and chemical phenomena which many This most interesting book has been of our teachers are inclined to neglect. dedicated by the author to his several Any organic chemist who has had occasion colleagues and co-workers who have col- t o work with biological products will at laborated with him in his many teaching once be impressed with the need of deand research activities. An interesting veloping a technic which is dependent on a feature is the manner in which the author good knowledge of the colloidal nature of begins the preface of his text This is the material under examination. Nearly introduced courteously by a quotation one-half of the text. 285 pages, is devoted
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