BOOK REVIEWS
The inclusion of summaries of theoretical conceptB helps to meet some of the criticism of the original volume. Emphasis has been given to nuclear phenomena. Students can atart their searchen for material on such term-paper topics as periodic table, resonance, or gas chromatography profitably with this book. The arrangement of entries is alphabetical; cross references include titles in the major valume.
discussion of the reactions that has been exhibited in the other volumes of this series. Indeed there is a certain esthetic beauty in a n exhaustive treatise of this kind since one has available in a single source not only the ordinary classical knowledge hut also a thorough examination of the less well-known aspects of the subject,. W. F. K. The literature has been surveyed up to 1957 in all sections except that on the nlkylenimines which covers that period Organic Colloids un to 1956. There are a ~ ~ r o x i m a t e l r Bruno Jivgensons, Biochemist, Cni3 i ~ 0entries in the suhjeci'index and versity of Texas, M. D. Andexson ROO0 in the author index. Hospital and Tumor Institute; Assoeiate Professor, University of Tesaa Postgraduate School of Medicine and Baylor University School of Medicine. Elsevier Publishing Company, distrihuted hy D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, N. J., 1058. xiv 655 pp. The Encyclopedia of Chemistry 160 figs. 96 tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. (Supplement) SIG.75. George L. Clark, Editor-in-Chief, -4sstated by the author, thi? writing is a Gesmer G. Hawley, Managing Editor, general survey of organic colloids mad,. as and William A. Hamor, Advisory elementary ns possible. I t is not advoEditor. Kcinhold Publishing Carp., r a t ~ dthorofirc, , far the sperialist to spnreh New York, 1958. v 330 pp. 18 out new information in his own area hot X 26 cm. $10. would he useful to him in presenting genThis is the supplement to the Encyclopedia since the publishers plan no other. I t increases the coverage of the original effort yet maintains the same high standto cxtend their knowledge of marromol:rrds (se? THIS JOURNAL, 35. 374 (19583). rculps and colloids.
+
+
A374
/
Journal of Chemical Education
The first sirtern chapters generally rcview methods for preparation of organio colloids, properties of maeromoleculea and colloids, and procedures by which maeromolecule components may be charact,erized. The remaining eighteen chapters present a highly condensed survey of individual polymers both synthetic and natural. The extent of over-condensation of certain subjects is exemplified hy infrared spectroscopy which is d o t e d twothirds of a page. Not everyone would agree to some of the definitions and nomenclrtture wed. Thus the statement on page 5 that mmolecular colloids are true d u t i o n s may be open to debate. Chapter 22, entitled "Starch and Other Branched Chrtin Polysaccharides" by inference neglects linear starch amylose and high amylose starches. On page 6, introduction of the term "micromolecular" might he opposed hy some people. Definition of a micell as a colloidal particle eompo~rdof many aggregated small molecules is not common. Aside from what after all are p e r h a p minor criticisms in such a. large volume, the work meets well the author's intended objective of a general and elementary heatment and compares with earlier but similar hook8 by other authors. I t should nerve well to acquaint penons with a, comparatively new and certainly exciting and rapidly gl.owing field of chemistry.
