DECEMBER, 1950 cited. Volcanic action is offered as the most probable origin of the craters on the moon; the action of steam on metallic oarhides is offered as a reasonable origin of petroleum. There are a few rather serious errors that should be pointed out. The "ring around the mwn" is due to cirrus clouds, not high humidity in the earth's atmosphere; sodium chloride crystals consist of a network of ions, not atoms; a substance is colored hecause it absorbs some umve lengths of visible light and reflects others, it does not radiate the color in question. On the positive side, the chapter on rocks and minerals was unusually complete, the fact that an airplane is supported by pressure on the underside of the wings is made clear (most nuthors give the impression that the suction on the upper surface is responsible), the applications of many scientific principles to everyday use stre carefully presented. Many of the illustrations are excellent; the paper, printing, and proofreading are first rate. RICHARD WISTAR
edge of methods for sample preparation, separation of interfering ions, elimination of interferences by chemical and physical means, isolation and concentration of desired constituents, color systems and their development, and the nature of verious reagents and reaction products. From this beginning the treatment develops through chapters on elementary physics applying to radiant energy and its measurement, color comparators, filter photometers, spectrophotomcters, photographic methods of speetrophotometry, applications of spectraphotometric data, infrared spectrophotometers and their applications, and finally, a chapter on the measurement and specification of color. The respective chapters were written by M. L. Moss, M. G. Mellon, W. B. Fortune, R. H. Miiller, K. 9. Gibson, E. R. Holiday, E. I. Stearns, L. J. Bradv. and Deme B. Judd. rtpplications, and instrumentation of colorimetry and spectrophotometry. There can be little doubt that this will become one of the standard references in analytical chemistry,
AN INDEX OF NOMOGRAMS Compiled and edited by Douglas P. Adams, Associate Professor of Graphics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Massachusetts. Technoloav Press and John Wilav and Sans. Inc.. ~ e YOA, w 1950. ix l i 4 pp. 19 x z s cm. $4.
PHILIP W. WEST Lourar*~&STAVEU R ~ E R ~ I T T BATONR O D ~ EL.O ~ S I A N A
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Tms is an index to over 1700 nomogram published in 21 selected fields of science and engineering. The section on chemistry and chemical engineering is largest by far, with 379 nomograms. Some of the other divisions would be classified as chernical technology, as oil and gas and by-products, waterworks and sewage, paper, and food. Mathematics (117 nomograms) and physics (36) are the two other sciences included. The index is divided into an Index A which lists key words and refers to Index B whieh is subdivided into the 21 divisions. For each nomogram is given a title, the variables plotted, and the reference to the original journal. The list of journals shorn 97 titles. All of the common chemical and chemical engineering journals, other than Chemical Enginewing Progress, are listed. Although the index is stated to start with nomograms published in 1923, the stopping date is not mentioned. No mention is made of books containing collections of nomograms, as D. S. Davis, "Chemiml Engineering Namographs," all of which are not abstracted. A blank page between divisions would have been useful to allow the user to record new nomograms in which he was interested. KENNETH A. KOBE U ~ m e n s r r vop TBXAS A u s r r ~ .TEXAS
ANALYTICAL ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY Edited by M. G. Mellon, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. b h n Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 19%. vii 618 pp. 281 figs. 48 tables. 16 X 24 cm. $9.00.
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THISis an authoritative and comprehensive discussion embracing the general field of absorption spectroscopy. The spectral ranee considered includes the ultraviolet. visible. and infrared
color compaximeters, filter photometers, and spectrophotometers are described and their operational characteristics discussed. There has been no attempt to present a. comprehensive review of ahsorptimetric procedures, although many applications me disc u m d in considerable detail. Instead. the authors have directed their efforts touerd the development of chemical and physical principles of impoltsnee in absorptimetry.
FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY FOR PREMEDICAL STUDENTS
H. D. CmcWord and Samuel B. Knight, Professors of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York, 1950. xi + 366 pp. 68 figs. 37 tables. 14 X 22 cm. 84.25.
INMANY institutions, one-semestercourses in physical chemistry are being offered, primarily for students who plan to enter the medical profession. These courses are also taken by students who wish to go further into chemistry but who either do not h w e the mathematical preparation or do not feel that they can afford the time to take the usual full-year course in physical chemistry. Several books suited for such courses have been published recently, of which the present text is the latest. In writing a text for a oneaemester course in physical chemistry authors are faced with two alternatives, or a compromise between them: on the one hand, they may treat thoroughly a very limited number of topics; on the other, they may treat many topics but compress each severely. The authors of the present text have tried to strike a sensible balance, and in the reviewer's opinion they have been quite successful. Chapters on gases and liquids follow the usual brief, and probably nearly useless, introductory chapter. Very sensibly, the authors have omitted solids (except for about six lines and one figure), presumably an the assumption that they are adequately covered in physics courses. (But why not make the same assumption regarding liquids, particularly surface tension and viscosity?) Then come three chapters on solutions, then conductr rtnce, chemical equilibrium, and ionic equilibrium and buffer action; then electromotive force, pH by e. m. f., p,H by indicators, and oxidation-reduction potentials. Reactmn kinetics, adsorption, and colloids follow, and the book ends with a brief chapter on rt~diaactivityand nuclear fission. I t is evident from the above that the choice of topics is thoroughly conventional, but this is not necessarily adrawbmk. The method of appromh is pretty consistently up to date (those who still dislike HaO+will be very unhappy) and the presentation is clear and generally straightforward. I t seems quite possible that many students will find the explanations helpful in straightening out the muddle in whieh the lecturer has left them At the end of emh chapter are references, review questions, and. where ~ossihle.a verv " eeneraus numher of moblems. to about half of which ansu-ers tLre given in an appendix. A large number of relevant examples are worked out m the body of the
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