THE PROSPECTS OF NUCLEAR POWER AND TECHNOLOGY Gerald W e n d t D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc.. New York, 1957. d i 348 pp. 15.5 X 21.5 cm. $6.
+
DR. WENDT presents an interesting, authentic, and vital report of the present (1957) status of nuclear fission and its potential applications industrially throughout the world. The technical aspects are held to a, minimum and the book presents primarily a broad and comprehensive survey understood easily by nontechnicsl personnel. Part 1 deals with the need for vastly more power in the evor+xpsnding world economy. While America, with her abundant petroleum and coal, has no critical need for nuclear power, the economy of Europe and Asia compels prompt development of power from the atom. Part 2, Technology, describes in surprising detail the obtainment and processing of uranium ores from a multitude of sources. The reactor materials-moderators, coolants, structural materials, and similar items are described. The relative advantages of the various procreesses are explained-boiling-wster actor, sodium-cooled reactor, breeder concepts, and similar considerations. Suggestions are made relative to the production, use, and disposal of fission products. Finally the author projectsinto the future with a glimpse of propulsion reactors, the atomic plane, and finally the possibility of power from fusion. The story related is authentic, informative, and provocative. The pleasant period of reading and studying this book was well compensated by the wealth of information provided. This is a most intereating and worthwhile book.
INTRODUCTION A LA CHIME
GENERALE
P. Colmant, Professor of Science, NotreDame DE La Paix. Maison D'Editions Ad. Wesmael-Charlier (S.A.) Namur, 1957. 504 pp. 86 figs. 1 7 X 24 cm. xiv
+
men, but will have little general appeal in this country. I t would not be fair to generalize on French books in terms of this one, but its tone does fit the impression received elsewhere that French education on the collegiate level tends to be rigorous in the sense of requiring facility in calculation, but not in giving deep insight into the fundamental problems and assumptions involved. I have, for example, never seen a. book which catalogues more "I~wB"than does this one. In general the statement of the law is bereft of any theoretical interpretation of the basis of the law. J. A. CAMPBELL H * n v ~ rMuoo C o ~ b e a ~ C b ~ n ~ h r o CAIIPORNIA n~.
ALCHEMY
E. I. Holmyard. Penguin Books, Inc., Baltimore, 1957. 281 pp. 10 figs. 36 plates. 11 X 18 cm. Paperbound.
VOLUME 35, NO. 7, JULY, 1958
FRANCIS JOSEPH WEIRS A n ~ m o ~ oV a .r n c r ~ r ~
$0.85.
IN THIS paperbound hook "the origins and growth of alchemy are described, with an account of the underlying philosophical conceptions; and the romance attaching to the a r t is illustrated by stories of some of the most celebrated or notorious of its practitioners." Few would have been better qualified to discuss Alchemy than Dr. Holmyard, and probably even fewer could have done it so well. Dr. Holmyard's fluent writing is abetted hy excellent figures and plates, an Index of Persons, a Generd Index, a. short but helpful Glossary (which could well be expanded), and excellent cross-referencing which aids the novice in keeping unfamiliar names in mind. The book includes numerous quotations from original sources, translated where necessary. The discussion of the basic concepts is enlivened by fascinating stories and the suthor'a dry humor: " . . . o n another occasion (John Dee's) presence was urgently commanded in order to prevent any ill befalling the Queen from a waxen image of her Majesty found.. . with s. pin thrust through its breast. His efforts must have been successful, for the Queen survived the event by a quarter of a century!' WILLIAM E. MORRELL
AMERICAN teachers tend to Look only a t American textbooks, thus miss many excellent innovations and hecome quite out of touch with teaching ideas and course contents in other countries. Yet foreign texts prohahly have no higher percentage of uniqueness than their American contemporaries, and perusal of a large number is not very rewarding. A review should, therefore, discriminate between a book which is uniquely rewarding and one which is only sound. This book is a sound one s t the general level of our physical chemistry courses. I t does not achieve the rigor of our best ones, but surpasses the rundf-the-mine. It might well serve as an exercise in reading scientific French for upper class-
most active fields of research in plant physiology and need t o grasp more advanced concepts of botany without having the necessary background knowledge or time to acquire it. For all these numerous scientists and technicians the fourth edition of Dr. Thomas' hook will be most welcome for study and reference. While it covers quite comprehensively the customary chapters of plant physiology, it emphasizes those thst are presently most actively investigated, such ss enzymatic activity in relation t o respiration, photosynthesis, growth hormones, and photoperiodism. The chemist will appreciate especially the appendixes containing notes on metabolio products, physical chemistry in relation to plant physiology, and such special technics as chromatography, ion exohange, and isotopes as tracer atoms. An excellent bibilography, author and subject index facilitate locating the original literature.
UNIYEBBIT). OF ILLINOI~ U n ~ m * .I ~ ~ r a o r s
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Meirion Thomas, Professor of Botany, S. L. Ranson, andl. A. Richardson, Lecturers in Botany, King's College, University of Durham. Fourth edition. The Philosophical Library, New York, 1956. xii 692 pp. 80 figs. 22 tables. 15 X 22 cm. $12.
+
IT OFTEN happens that chemists, engineers, and agronomists become scientifically or professionally interested in the
BIOCHEMICAL INDIVIDUALITY Roger I. Williams, Director of Biochemical Institute, Uniaersity of Texas. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1956. xii 214 pp. 15 X 23.5 cm. $5.75.
+
FOR many years research vorkers in the biological and biochemistry sciences, while aware of individual differences in morphology s n d mrr:,l~olirm, l . : t v t ~n r w r rltolw: s t r ~ ~ 11," ~ ~ aver:ig~ c ~ l or mvan hen presenting experimental results. I n many eases this hila gone so far as discarding data for individuals if these data were very far removed from the mean. Dr. Williams, pursuing further a. path which he explored in his earlier book "Free and Unerlual," stresses the importance of a recognition and understanding of biochemical differences in experimental animals and i n man. He points out, for example, that "sound experimental investigations have been abandoned in some cases when the measurements were too diverse or divergent from those expected to 'make sense'." Stressing the point thst extremely "abnormal" individuals in mast cases simply represent the extremes of normal variations or gradients within a population, Dr. Williams explores these gradients in such wried subjects as variations in the branching of the arteries of the aortic arch and the rate a t which ethanol is metabolized by different individuals. Of particular interest to the student of biochemistry are the chapters on individuality and composition, enzymic patterns, endocrine activities, excretion patterns, and nutrition. In the last three chapters of the hook, Dr. Williams sugge~ts implications of this concept of the importance of individual differences on research in the biological sicenees, in medicine and dentistry and in psychiatry. It seems probable to the revien.er that a reading of this book will suggest to many teachers in the biological sciences new ex-
periments which can be included in laboretory work a t the undergraduate and graduate level. Indeed, some of the m a terial in the book might be used even in teaching soience in high school. For example, simple experiments in individual differences in the ability to taste substances are suggested by the section on taste sensitivities in Chapter 9. The book is well written and is documented with many references to original papers. I t should be useful in jarring students in the biological sciences out of s, blind faith in "the average" and in giving them an initial insight into the individual differenoes already known in the fields of biochemistry, biology, and medicine. ARTHUR H. LIVERMORE Reeo Cor&~as Pon~r.*mOnzaoa
BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE AMINO ACIDS Alton Meister, Professor of Biochemistry, Tufts University, School of Medicine, Boston. Academic Press Ino., New York, 1957. xiii + 485 pp. Many figs. 25 tables. 16 X 23.5 om. $10. TnE objective of this book is to present the biochemistry of the amino acids and pertinent information on their chemical and pbysiochemical properties, especially sterochemical, in a comprehensive review of present day knowledge of amino acid metabolism and their biochemical reactions. These limitations are necessary for volumes would be required for a complete coverage of amino acid chemistry, isolation, occurrence in natural proteins, and biological significance in nutrition. The subject matter is presented under five major divisions whose titles indicate the book's scope: The Natural Amino Acids, The Role of Amino Acids in Nutrition, General Biochemical and Phepiological Considerations, Intermediary Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Abnormalities of Amino Acids in Certain Pathological Conditions. The emphasis placed on the third and fourth divisions is apropos as the author has made notable research contributions in this area. The known general biological reactions for each amino acid are thoroughly discussed. These include, for example, transamination, decarhoxylation, oxidative deamination, and peptide synthesis. Intermediates and end products formed during enzymatic degradations, enzyme eo-factors, and schematic systems for these reactions as affected by various tissues are given for many of the amino acids. The material is well documented with a n extensive bibliography for each of the major divisions. For example, there are 1072 references listed for the section on intermediary metabolism alone. The material is presented in an easy straightforward style. ORVILLE G. BENTLEY 0x10 AURICUVPOPAL EXPEBIMENT ~T*TION
W o o s ~ e n ,oxlo
THERMODYNAMICS FOR CHEMICAL ENGINWS Harold C. Weber and Hermmn P. Meissner, Professors of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1957. vii 507 pp. 156 figs. 16 X 23.5 em. $8.50.
+
THE fimt edition of "Thermodynamics for Chemical Engineers" by Dr. Weber, published in 1939, was the first of the textbooks aimed a t making thermodynamics specific to chemical engineering. The brevity with which a variety of subjects was treated in its 264 pages was frequently the dismay of the student. Approximately the same topics are covered in about twice the space, so that a. more complete treatment is given. Illustrative problems are now included, which add greatly to the value of the book for student use. As with the first edition, a number of excellent problems are given
reaction to the gas ism, and generalized P-V-T relittions. The second law then is introduced from which are derived entropy and the work functions. Thermodynamics now is applied to fluid flow and its engineering applications, power cycles, and refrigeration. The fugacity and activity concepts are introduced and applied to solutions, homogeneous and hetrogeneous equilibrium, and the effect of temperature on chemical equilibrium. State properties are introduced somewhat later than usual. Final chapters are an phase equilibrium in multicomponent systems and electrochemical effects. A modest amount of data is given in the appendix. When you read the 6rst chapter and find the ice point given as 273.15"K., you say to yourself: "Fine, everything here is going to be right up-to-date." But on the next page the I.T. B.t.u. is defined, but nowhere is the thermochemi d calorie defined. The symbols used are not always those of A.I.Ch.E., which should hold in a book designated for chemical engineers. At least at M. I. T. there should be no excuse for writing about the Beattie-Bridgman [sic] equation of state. The Diihring plot is shown, but no mention made of the simpler and more useful Othmer plot. Heat capacity data are old and the equations (Appendix, Table 2) are inexact. The data of Example 1 (page 95) are at 18'C. and me not from Table 3 of the appendix, which is at 25% This list can be lengthened by continuing to page through the book. Of course, many of these items, though inexact, are minor and can easily be corrected in tesching from the book. But thermodynamics, being an exsot science, should expect greater exactitude in its presentation. Conclusion: Much excellent material well presented and illustrated by exampl~s; but oceasionrtlly marred by minor irritations. KENNETH A. KOBE UNLYERBITY OF T E X A ~ hnsna. Texas
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHEMISTRY George L. Clark, Research Professor of Chemistry, University of illinais, and G.G. Hawley, Reinhold Book Division. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1957. 1060 pp. 17.5 X25 em. $19.50. The goal of the editors under whose aegis this volume was prepared has been to provide "convergence rather than divergence, focal condensation rather than scattering." The wide range of chemistry as it is today not only makes this a prodigious task, but also makes the result of their labors a most significant contribution to the literature. This book will be indispensable to the layman (and what specialist is not a layman outside his own narrow field?) as a starting point for gaining an appreciation far and the basic information on almost any chemical topic unfamiliar to him. Subjects range from "abrasion resistance" (Topics related to Chemistry) through "Institute of Paper Chemistry" (Scientific Societies and Research Institutes) to "Zsigmondy" (Names in Science). Meny general classifications are used, e.g.: "allicyclic compounds," "electrochemistry," or "steric hindrance." The coverage afforded descriptive chemistry is better than that far theoretical topics, e.g.: "polerization" is treated but not "resonance." The inclusion of "qumticle theoryNisin peculiar contrast to the omission of "quantum mechanics!' Nearly two pages are devoted to "reclaimed rubber" but nowhere is "radiation chemistry" even defined. There are few figures; most are essential to the discussion. One wonders why possibly so many valuable diagrams were omitted when identical diagrams are repeated under "B.E.T. theory" and "adsorption!' The list of 500 contributors is a. Who's Who of chemistry. They write clearly and in such a way that the reader gets some of the enthusiasm of the specialist not only for his field, but for the relationshio between his soecialtv and the rest of this book.
w.P. K.
A HISTORY OF NUTRITION Elmer VernerMcColIum, Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1957. x 451 pp. 15 X 22 cm. $6.
+
PROGRESSin the science of nutrition has often been linked to chemical discoveries on the identity and analyses of various food nutrients. Furthermore, the various chemical entities which comprise the dietary of man and animals provide logical subject matter divisions far the major developmerrtarecmdat'in the vast body of scientific literature on nutrition and related subjects. As an illustration there are chapters in this book on the historical developments which have led (Cmlinued on page AS16)
IOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
