BOOK REVIEWS chemistry, t,he author is put t o a difficult choice. Since he cannot possibly, without sacrificing consistency, intmduee the subject to specialists in both fields, he must decide from the huginning which group he will address prinrnrily. Since this hook was t o be published as Volume 15 of a "Seriea of M o n o ~ r s p h son the Chemistry, Physics, and Technology of High Polymeric Substsnc~s," i t was decided-fortunately from the chemist's paint of view-to write the book as an integral part of modern polymer chemistry. This required that a suhstnntial part of the book had t o be devoted t o radiation chemistry, especially the various forms of interaction het,ween matter ;tnd the dif-
ferent types of radiation. On this broad Ilasis, which will be welcomed by all chemists who are not too familiar with the rerent developments in radiation theory and terhniques, the author builds from the large amount of published experimental data .a well-ordered and rigorous scientific system that interprets the known facts ;md figures mure consistently t,han numer,,us theories crext,ed ad hoe by many investigators. The natural starting point for the essential part of the hook is the radiation chemistry of hydroearhons in which the olefinic compounds are discussed in great detail. The spectacular advances that, very recently have been made in the radiation of ~ret,ylenircompounds are not yet reflected in the text. After exhaustive disrussion of radiation-induced polymer-
ization of liquid nronomers in Imnoeene~,us and heterogeneous phase. the autliur deals with radintiw rRects on d i d polymers and the irradiation of polymer solutions. The author has i r e d l~imself from the tendency tu redore all mdiationpolymerization phenomenn t o fwe rndieal reactions, and assigns muleculnr and ionir meehnnisms s proper plnre. The last chapter of the book is drvoted to graft polymerization which recently has found increasing practical npplir,ations in many fields. Here n m ~ l dh:we been the place t o mention a most promising new field, namely the direct conversion of wood and wood waste soaked in monomer solution hy powerful gamma-rays into a host of useful prc,dwts. Y o other book on radiabiun pulymerisation can compare in campreh~nsiveness, theoretical precision, and practical usefulness with t,his treatise. Many chemistsnot onl,v those specializing in polymer or radiation chemist,ry-will want to l~nve i t for studv and permanent reference. FRANCIS JOSEPH\VKISS Division ql Seirnec and Terh,iolog~l L i b r a q ~qi Congress. M'nshinglon, 1). C .
Experiment4 Physical Chemistry
Pawington Daniels, J . W . lI~ill+tm.5, Paul Bender, Rotwrl A . .4lbert1,, and C . U . Cornwell, all of the University of Wisronsin, Madison. 6th ed. MrRaw-Hill Book Co., Inr., Sew- Ywk, 1962. xv f 625 pp. Figs. and tshks. lfi.5 X 24 cm. Bi.95.
This edition presents essentially the same experiment8 as in Part 1 ,d the Fifth Isdition. A few experiments have I m n pruned, and there has heen some regrouping of material, e.g., thp rhsptprs on ronductanee of electrdytir solutims and elertrode phenomena have been cumlined into one unit entitled Irrevrrsible Prucesses in Solution and nssorted experiments have been gathered under new headings such as Surfare Chemistry Importnnt additions are sertions "fiering experiments in powder X-ray diffraction and molerular spectroscopy which rover more than fifty pages of material. These topics introdure the student t o methods which are rentral tu much of modern physical chemistry. The view is taken that the student shm~ld rope wit,lr data obtained from various less rommon and mare expensive spertrometers even though he may not personally manipulate the "blwk boxes:' a h i r h are used to obtain this data. Other new esperirnents include spectrophntumetrir. determinaticm of equilibrium cmstants, Iinndsen cell vapor pressure d~trrnminnt i m , kinetics uf brominatioa of aretune, activity coefficients from frevring-print depression data, determination of the dielectric constant of x solid ns a funrtion of temperatore, and optiral rotatory dispersion measurements s t three wavelengths Part 11, Apparatus and >lethc,ds, I"rludes the m a t e r d of the oreccdme - edllions with some minor ehanpes and two important additims. -4 new %page
A406
/
Journal o f Chemical Education
BOOK REVIEWS section on spertnrsropic methcrls disrusses rrlnrepts such rn rcsdution, l~andwirlth and responsr time, and the prinriples n i operation of mdiofreqoenry and rq~tiral spectrometers. The serrmd mnirrr improvement is that the section on elertronirs in the fifth edition has heen more than douhled in this revisirm. 4 r rireuit theory is treated using rompler algebra, and there are disrnssims r l f semirondurtor devices, noise phenotnena, and auseful raverage of assartetl elertrrmic circuits for power supplies, phasc ~ensit,ive detertors, pulse circuits, a n d elprtrrmir measurements. I t is the feeling of this reviewer that the new sections on electronics, neressnry fur most physical chemical research work, and molecular structure and spectra help t o meet serious defirienries in the previous edition and introduce the student tu a.ork which has ocrupied n l ~ r g ecore and physical chemistry in the last, twenty years.
.JOHN P. CHESICK Hnnc~forrlPollme ?Imw:fo~d,P m n . ~ ~ , l w ~ i a
Solvolytic Dirploramenl Revctions
.4ndrmr Streitwieser, Jr., University of California, Berkeley. 3lcGraw--Hill nook Co., Ine., 1062. ir 214 p p Figs, and tables. 16 X 28.5 r m . $5.
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As indicated in t,he introduet,ir,n the major portion of this hark is s vrrbatim reprint of the aut,lmr's 1956 ('hemicnf Reviews art,icle. The new portion of the book orcupies only 22 nf I85 tcxt pzges. This srtirle contains eatrnaive rwitiws of theliteratureof S N and ~ Sn2 reactions and internal displacements, as well as briefer discussions of a number of r e l a t ~ drmetions. The eRwt of solvcnt, nucl?ophilc, and substrate structures nr? all discossrd. The author not only reviews t h l~i t ~ r a t u r r in this outsieed field but also provides new insight into many aspects of it,. Exanqdrs aro his illrrrninating trcatmtmt of the rlrwt r,f conjugation and his prcworative, unitarian. view of SNI and Ss2 reactions. T h r new portion of thv hod.: contains brief but up-t.
