electrolysis by electrode potential, electrode material, nature of the medium, concentration of depolariser, agitation, and time. This chapter is followed by another which gives det,ailed consideration t o the instrumentabion and techniques of eleetrol,ysis. Three chapters on cathodic reductions follow and bhen three more an anodic oxidations of organic compounds grouped in the conventional manner. The last of these chapters deals with the vew interesting subject of substitution reactions brought about anodically, including the supreme achieve ment electroorganic preparative chemistry, the industrially important fluorination of organic compounds.
Therc in very little adverse criticism of tho hook which could be made. There is the u ~ n s l prinkl ling of typographicnl errors to be found in the first printings of most books (the literature reference, "Trans. Amer. elektrochem. Soe." is perhaps north a. smile) and the reviewer would quarrel with certain definitions. He also feels that certain of the theoretical d i e cussions are a hit archaic. But these criticisms are trivial. Unquestionably the major ohjeetive of the book is the practical one of discussing the techniques and over-all results of the eleetralysis of organic compounds. This ohjeetive has been admirably achieved. Furthermore, the book has been written in such a way that the alert reader will be ntimulated by a vivid realization of the many unanswered questions with which this field of chemistry
abounds. Dr. .4llen appropriately closes the book with a quotation from Winston Churchill: "This is not the end. I t is not wen the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the m d of the beginning." A. EDWARD R E Y I C K w*,-v= ST*"'= ua,rens,.n,D r l ~ n a l >~ l, r c ~ r o * r
BIOCHEMISTRY Abraham Cantarow, Professor of Biochemistry, and Bernard Schepartz, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Jefferson Medical College. Second edition. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1957. xxviii 867 pp. 151 figs. 77 tables. 16 X 24 cm. $12.
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THE new edition of this textbook, appearing three years after the first, has heen revised t o reflect the recent advances in various areas of biochemistry. No major changes have been made in the siee or the presentation of the subject matter. However, some modifications have been introduced, e.g., the adoption of the Haworth formulation of carbohydrates in place of the projection formulation, abbreviation of the discussions on the m e tabalism of individual amino acids by the use of schematic illnstrations, and the addition of new data and structures to several chapters. The excellent subject index (80 pages) was further expanded in the second edition t o extend its usefulness as a source of biachen~icalinformation. The b o o k is lucid, condensed, and easily rcad. I t is mitten primarily to meet the needs of the first year medical student and i t adequately achieves this aim. In the belief that the medical student in his preclinical study years is not in s. position to appreciate the significance of clinical biochemistry, the authors intentionally avoided the discussion of biochemical abnormalities in disease. I t is the reviewer's opinion, however, that indicating the present and potential medical applications of biochemistry to the student arouses his interest in the subject. A brief and simple discussion of the common metabolic diseases, at the appropriate places in the text, would have been a helpful contribution toward this aim. I t is an admitted fact that failing t o inform the medical student of the significance of hiochrmist,ry to his professionsl training leavw him ~ i t little h ent,husiasm for this field of st,udy, which is often, to him, hard t o grasp. For the sake of hrevity, the authors condensed a large bulk of biochemical subjert matter, as known today, without reference to its historical development. Although they have done n fino job in giving a. concise, up-to-date presentation, such an approach has its limitations. Using the historical harkground in discussing some topics u-odd have provided the student with a better understanding of the nature and development of the scientific endeavor, not only as a means of acquiring facts, but also ss a powerful tool for fighting the plagues of humanity.
( C o n h u e d on page A.584) JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
These omissions me minor, however, and the second edition of this text d e serves the same cordial reception offered to its predecessor. EZZAT 8. YOUNATHAN FLORD*STATEU N I Y E R B I T ~ T*mm*sses. Fmnlo*
THE PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTIONS Herbert S. Horned, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, and Benton B. Owen, Professor of Chemistry, Yale University. Third edition. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1958. xxxi 803 pp. 16 X 23.5 cm. $20.
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INTHE eight years ~ i n c ethe appearance of the second edition of HarnedandOwen's well-known treatise on electrolytic sohtions, the literature dealing with this field has been quite extensive with important advances having been made in some cases. For this reason, the third edition should be of considerable importance t o thoseinterested in the field. The previous material has been substantially revised and approximately 150 pages of new materid has been dist,ributed among the same 15 chapters. One of the most serious criticisms of the earlier editions oouoerned the inclusion of data based on incorrect values of the fundamental constants. This has been re* tified by changing the appropriate tables and the numerical coefficients in all numbered equations throughout the hook to conform with the values recommended by the Subcommittee on Fundamental Constants. National Research Council. 1952. f he inclusion of both a subject and chemical index is commendable whereas the reduction of the excellent table of contents of the previous editions to a. mere title for each chapter is most regrettable. The paper used in this edition constitutes a definite improvement and although the new material contains a number of typographical e m s , many are of a trivial or obvious nature. The main importance of this new edition consists in the coverage it gives to some of the lat& developments in the field of electrolytes. These include: irreversible
ter ~ ; m Theory for tlhe calckation of activity coeffioients; Onsager and Kim's general theory of the Wien effectfor strong electrolytes; Fuoss and Onsager's conductance theory, that includes higher order inhomogenwus terms and the ion size parameter, and its application to both associated and unassociated electrolytes; McKay's method of handling activity coefficients in solutions containing two electrolytes. In each case above, the book contains a t least an outline of the theory, a table of constants necessary for calculation, and an application to recent
measurements. (Continued a page A686)
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
