RECENT BOOKS APPLIED CHEMISTRYFOR ENGINEERS.E. S. Gy&l, Ph.D., B.Sc., Lecturer in Applied Chemistry, Northamptan Polytechnic, London. Edward Arnold and Co., London; Longmans, Green and Ca.. New York City. 1940. viii 328 pp. 135 figs. 14 X 21.5 cm. $&.00. The purpose of the book is t o explain the chemistry of certain materials and processes which are of importance t o the engineer. The text is divided into six sections as follows: Section 1, Fuels and Combustion, 177 pp.; Section 2, Metallic Corrosion, 48 pp.; Section 3, Paints and Varnishes, I 1 pp.; Section 4, Water Treatment and Sewage Disposal, 40 pp.; Section 5, Cements; 14 pp.; Section 6. Lubrication, 12 pp. The book is written so that those with very little training in chemistry will he able to understand the material, and the topics have been picked by the author as those having primary interest for the engineer. The size of each section has been determined by the author's opinion of its importance t o the general engineer. I t would be hard to obtain general ameement on the ~ O D ~ CtoS be included in a book with the aims stated by the author, hut accepting the distribution presented, the purpose of the hook has been fulfilled. I t is doubtful if any of the topics, except possibly Fuels and Combustion, would give the engineer any more than a mere introduction. They would, hbwever, give him a starting point for further reading if he desired t o cqyer the subject more thorou~hly. The references are primarily English publications. and fo; a ~ h o o kof this type i t would seem that they should be much mare extensive. From the viewpoint of chemical education, it is rather diEcult to see where this hook would fit in with the standard courses in chemistry or chemical engineering. It would be useful for assigned reading in courses in other branches of engineering. The book is well written, and many excellent graphs and figures are presented. ARTHURA. VERNON
+
NORTAEASIERN UNIWBSIIY BOSTON, MASSACHUSBTTS
THE HUMANWORTHon Rlconous THINKING. C. J. Kcyser, Adrian Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Columbia University. Third Edition. Scripta Mathematica, New York City. 1940. vi 323 pp. 13.5 X 21 cm. $2.50. The hook consists of seventeen nddrcsscs and eways from the early yearsof this century. first collected in 19IG, and rrpublishcd in l!i25. H y "rigorous thinking" the author means mathematics, and most of the hook is devoted t o its praise. Whoever braves Professor Keyser's esoteric and polysyllahie vocabulary will experience throughout the pleasure always oh-
+
tainahle from listening t o an enthusiast. He actually believes. that mathematics is as engrossing and beautiful as chemistry! The content of these essays is by no means limited t o eulogy of "the universal art apodictic"; many other stimulating and valuable ideas are put forth. The chapter on "The Permanent Basis of a Liberal Education" is particularly to he recommended. I n it the author refutes the arguments of those who believe that in a world where all things are tossed in an infinite and endless welter of transformations, it is vain to seek a permanent basis upon abiding principles for a college curriculum. It might also he well to encourage one starting to read the book by assuring him that the non-stop sentence derby, noticeable in the first two chapters, comes to a climax with the 55-line sentence which extends from page 27 t o 29. Thereafter sentences are rarely more than a third that length. EWINGC. SCOTT S w ~ s Bru~a r ~OLLBOB
..
S W B EBLIAE. ~ VIECINIA
A LABORATORY Gums aon hGANIc CHEMISTRY.E. Wertheim, Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Arkansas. Second Edition. The Blakiston Cqmpany, Philadelphia, Pa., 1940. xvi 560pp. 20.4 X 25.4 cm. $2.00. The author cites that "in the preparation of this second edition the basic plan of the manual has been retained without any change." Twenty-four additional experiments have been included: eleven preparations, four spot tests, and eight on qualitative analysis. The manual includes a total of one hundred sixty-nine experiments, twenty-four illustrations, -a table of contents, about two hundred forty pages devoted to the fill-in type report sheet, an appendix, and an index. The appendix contains special and first aid instructions, a diagrammatic representation of a series of preparations, some tables of physical data, a table of reference bonks, a table of atomic weights, and a list of the amounts of chemicals and reagents required for each experiment. The manual offersa large variety of experiments and the time requirement is usually given. sometimes even in tabulated form. The reviewer is not convinced of the value of this feature, for he is inclined t o believe that overemphasis might be placed on the quantity rather than the quality of work done. A LABoRhTonY Gu1nB FOR CkcnN~cCHEMISTRY, a companion.^ volume t o TEXTBOOK oa ORGANIC C n ~ a n r s mis~ imitatian-leather , covered, spiral bound, reasonably priced, and represents the: . successful accomplishment of a major undertaking. En. F. DEGERXNG. PVRDOB UNIVBRSITY LAPAYBTTB.INDIAN*
+
