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the wisdom of introducing the “absolute zerc” of electrode potential (Fig. 64),and of explaining the quinhydrone electrode in terms of small amounts of molecular hydrogen; in the main, however, the material is presented simply and clearly. In carrying out this simplification, however, Professor Bircher may have left out material which should be included, even in a course for non-chemists. In the chapter on reaction rates, the idea of activation energy is. scarcely more than mentioned, and the temperature efieet is not discussed quantitatively at all. The ultracentrifuge is mentioned in only one sentence. Dipolar ions are not discussed (even in connection with the isoelectric point of proteins), nor are membrane equilibria. In the reviewer’s opinion, the discussions of conductivity of st,rong and weak electro1yt)es and of electrokinetic phenomena might well be ampiified. To summariee, then, the book should be valuable in an elementary physical chemistry course which is designed to present certain topics of physical chemistry, in a simpiified, understandable way, to students whose main interests are in other fields. The physical make-up of the book, like all in the Prentice-Hall series, is excellent. BRYCE L. C R A W F O R D , JR.
Catnly8is-Inorganic and Organic. By SOPHIA BECKMAX, J. C. M o n R E L L , . ~ S D Gus‘TAYEGLOFF.9 x 6 in.; xi 1130 pp.; 44 figures; 570 tables. S e w York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1940. Price: $18.00. This book is undoubtedly the rnost comprehensive summary and review- of t,he literature on catalysis that. has ever been published. I t therefore will prove very useful to a large group of workers in the field. Of particular use will be the extensive bibliography that the book contains and the detailed claasification of catalysts presented in chapter 10. However, the very comprehensiveness of the book, coupled with numerous ambiguous statements, mistakes, and typographical errors, appears t o the reviewer to render i t much less useful ‘to those only slightly acquainted with the field than t o the specialists engaged in catalytic work. Chapters 1 t o 9 present a background of catalytic theory and a detailed description of the art of catalysis. In these chapters one will find most of the ideas on catalysis that have been expressed in the 1iterst)ure. However, this part of the book gives the impression of being a rather non-critical collection of abstracts arranged roughly in the diviaions indicated by the chapter headings. To the beginner i t will be bewildering and probably will fail to convey a clear idea of the current, concepts of the fundamentals of adsorption and catalysis. Unfortunately, some of the abstracts oi articles have been very badly garbled; others are reported in such ambiguous lengunge aa often to be misleading. As one example, attention may be called to the following sentence appearing on page 376: “Similariy, the poisoning of an iron catalyst promoted with aluminum oxide (1.3%) and potassium oxide (1.59%) in the rynthesis of ammonia by hydrogen adsorption waa found to be eight times greater a t -78” for an equivalent amount, of adsorbed hydrogen than a t 100°*a.” Three serious erroix occur in this one sentence. To begin with, the reference should be 58 Instead of 28. Secondly, the poisoning action referred to is not poisoning in the synthesis of ammonia but i n the catalytic low-temperature conversion of ortho t o para hydrogen. Finally, hydrogen adsorbed a t -78” was not eight times aa poisonous for thia convexxion aa that adsorbed a t 100°C.; the exact opposite was found to be true, the hydrogen adsorbed a t 100°C. being per unit volume eight times as poisonous for the reaction 88 that adsorbed a t -78”. The reviewer hopes that this illustratiou is exceptional rather than representative. Kevertbeless i t would be well for those using the book to check important statements in the original references. Chapter 10, comprising a summary of the literature on catalysis, is unique in its arrangement and impresses the reviewer as being t,he most valuable part of the book. Part I of this chapter summarizes in seventeen p;tges of fine print the grouping of
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catalysts according to the various types of reactions for which they are effective. The catalysts are arranged in various groups depending on whether they catalyze primarily decomposition, hydration, hydrogenation, oxidation, chlorination, sulfurization, alkylation, condensation, polymerization, isomerization, or cyclization. This portion of the chapter also contains a list of catalysts effective for performing various of the above-mentioned operations on each of a series of industrially important substances, including ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide, methanol, benzene, naphthalene, saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, aromatics, terpenes, aldehydes, acids, ketones, alcohols, nitro compounds, ethers, esters, oils, coal, tar, and wood. Parts I1 to XIX of this chapter summarize in three hundred and twenty-five pages of fine print a large number of catalytic articles giving in each case the reaction, the catalyst, and the reference. The titles of the eighteen parts into which this portion of the chapter is divided are as follows: Part 11, Catalytic Synthesis (Inorganic) ; P a r t 111, Catalytic Synthesis (Organic) ; Part IV, Catalytic Decomposition (Inorganic); Part V, Catalytic Decomposition (Organic); Part VI, Catalytic Hydration (Organic); Part VII, Catalytic Dehydration (Organic); Part VIII, Catalytic Reduction (Inorganic and Organic) ; Part IX, Catalytic Oxidation (Inorganic); P a r t X , Catalytic Oxidation; Part XI, Catalytic Hydrogenation; Part XII, Catalytic Dehydrogenation (Organic); Part XIII, Catalytic Halogenation; Part XI\’, Catalytic Sitrogenation (Organic); Part XV, Catalytic Alkylation (Organic) ; P a r t XVI, Catalytic Condensation (Organic); Part XVII, Catalytic Polymerization (Organic); P a r t XVIII, Catalytic Isomerization: Part XIX, Catalytic Cyclization (Aromatization). Another useful contribution is the comprehensive bibliography that is contained in t,he book. Several thousand references on catalytic subjects are listed. The reader should not gather the impression, however, that all of the catalytic articles have been included in the book, for such is certainly not the case. Furthermore, the author index a t the end of the book does not seem to include all of the names that are listed a t the ends of the various chapters, though doubtless it contains most of them. I t is regrettable that in chapter 10 and in the bibliography so many mistakes have been made in spelling the names of authors and in arranging articles in the various tables. For example, of sisteen papers of one worker in the field of catalysis mentioned in the book, the reviewer has found that only six are correctly reported both as to context and spelling of the authors’ names. Five of the sixteen citations contain serious errors in the description or classification of the context; seven of them have the name of one of the authors so badly misspelled as to be unrecognizable. Accordingly, i t seems fair to suggest that references and classification listings should be checked by t,he reader for accuracy before being quoted or used. Chapter 11 appears to give a concise and yet detailed description of the part played by catalysis in the petroleum industry. The authors seem to have drawn on their special familiarity with this portion of the field of catalysis to make the chapter very readable and instructive. The book as a whole, in spite of its too frequent ambiguous statements and errors, should prove to be a handy and very useful source of information on both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis when correctly and critically employed by workers who are fairly familiar with catalytic work. P. H. EMMETT.
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184 pp.; 4 figures. Higher Chemical Calculations. By A. J. MEE. 5 x 7 t in.; viii Brooklyn, New York: The Chemical Publishing Company, 1941. Price: $2.00. This book is a collection of problems and answers, illustrating in a simple way some
