GENERAL CHEMISTRY
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Harry H. Sisler, The Ohio State University, Calvin A. Vander Werf and Arthur W. Davidson, The University of Kansas. The 870 pp. IllusMacmillan Company, New York, 1949. I trated. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $5
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THE authors state in the preface that it is their intention to present general chemistry in s. oless, logical, and interesting manner by continuous application of principles t,o the orgsnizstion and discussion of descriptive matter. This is well done, showing that these authors are experienced in the difficulties and requirements of goodinstruction in general chemistry. They have successfully maintained the delicate balance between sound pedagogy and scientific integrity, so difficult in an elementary text. The problem of how closely such a text should follow the frontiers of an advancing science has also been solved in a sstisfactory way. The writer questions the desirability of presenting the ionization potentials and the electronic arrangements of subshells so extensively as is done in this hook. With regard to the electronic arrangements the authors state on page 166: "This discussion of electron shells and subshells has been presented with no attempt to give in detail either the experimental or theoretical basis upon which it rests." In the opinion of the writer, it is not wise to confront the beginning student of chemistry with so much material, the basis of which he is not expected to understmd. In accepting these things on authority he may well develop the habit of accepting many other things without making an effort to understand them. The printing, binding, topography, and arrangement of the text are excellent. I t is a. work that should not be overlooked by anyone who has occasion to select s text for a course in general chemistry. HOSMER \V. STONE U m v e n a ~ r ror C ~ ~ ~ s o n n u Lo8 A N ~ E L 24, . ~ C~~rronar*
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KURZES LEHRBUCH DER KOLLOIDCHEMIE
not even refer to duNouy's tensiometer or to the pendant drop method of Andreas, Hauser, and Tucker. In discussing the ultramicroscopes there is no reference t o Leits' Ultropak instrument. In discussing stream double refraction reference is made only to vanadium pentoxide sols and organic colloids; the suthom seemingly do not know that colloidal clay sols are far more effective in this respect. In discussing the structure of soap solutions the name of McBain, who must he considered as the pioneer in this field, is not even mentioned. The authors are seemingly also not familiar with the fact that eleetron microscopic results are not too reliable when studying colloids or they would not have spent six pages of the book discussing that instrument. The explanation offered for the phenomenon of sensitiaation is contrary to known facts. The statement that colloidal protection is based on an excess of a lyophilic colloid deposited on the surface of s. lyophobic colloid is incomplete. The clay minerd, bentonite, will only form thixotropic gels under very specific conditions. Resides this, i t is confusing to speak of thixotropic materials eight pages before the term is explained. The explanation offered for the phenomenon of thixotropy is absolutely incorrect. Finally, when discussing X-ray diagrams of stretched gels, the authors seemingly did not realize that the basic contributions were not made by the persons they list in the footnote. will certainly not serve the purpose for which i t was intended. ERNST A. HAUSER M*ss*c""sm~sI N B T I T ~OEF T E C A N O L O . ~ A N D W o n c ~ s r s aP o ~ r ~ ~ c x n I Nr c~ T I T ~ T E C*YBRI..E, M * S ~ * C H O B ~ T T ~
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MOLECULES AND CRYSTALS IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
A. E. van Arkel, University of Leiden. &den. Germany. Translated by J. C. Swallow. Interscience Publishers. Inc., New York, 1949 ix 1 233 pp. 45 figs. 34 tables. 14 X 22 cm. $3.85.
THIS~ book is a translation third Dutch~edition, the~first ~professors of~ chemistry ~at edition ~publishedof the ~1941. , In~spite of the having been in the University ~ ~ hgland, ~ and the university ~ of h ~ ~ ~ ~ rather , implied by~ the title, Missouri, school M ~ ~,,ll~, ~ M~ ~ ~ respectively, , ~ ~ F, ~broad scope ~ ~ , the topics covered are special in Gergmann-~unchen, s ~ ~ ~ 1949. ~ ~viii +~282 ~nature, - thevgreatest ~ stress ~ being~laid on ~ ionic~compounds / ~and their ~ ~ ~
B. Iirgenaons and M,s f,
f,,
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175 illustrations.
17 X 26 cm. 21.60marks.
INTHE preface the authors state that they have endeavored to discuss the most important results and problems of modern colloid chemistry in as elementary a way as possible. They have failed to accomplish this. They also state that they have selected the examples of inorganic colloids according t o the work of Wo. Pauli's and the organic ones from H. Staudinger's school. What would the founders of German colloid chemistry, men like H. Freundlich and Wo. Ostwald, have to say to that7 Since the book claims t o be devoted to modern colloid chemistry, why did the authors pay no attention whatsoever t o other texts written by American, British, Dutch, and French colloid chemists, like Hartmrtn, Rideal, Hammaker, Verwey, Bary, just to mention a few. As proof for my criticism I would like to offer just a few particularly disturbing facts. Colloid chemistry is not only the chemistry of small particles, but that is the impression the reader must get from Chapter I. There is no reference to electrical dispersion as means of producing sols in Chapter 11; the reader has to wait until he gets to page 178. The chapter on surface tension does
properties, with undue emphasis given to numerous mathematical relationships derived from simplified structural theory. I t is stated in the preface that "this book is intended for students in their first year of science or medicine!' Only a most unusual first year student, however, would be able to grasp the majority of material without being led through it by a careful teaoher. Terms and concepts with are familiar only to students a t the senior or graduate level are introduced abruptly without m y explanation whatever. For this reason, this book is recommended only, to students who have acquired the background equivalent to, a t the very least, two years of chemistry and basic physics and mathematics. Furthermore, since the discussions of the properties of molecules me based almost entirely on the point of view that all bonds are ionic in nature, this book should be used only in conjunction with another text in which the approach is more conventionsl. I n the opinion of the translator, "the electrostatic theory can only be regarded as an approximation of the general theory, yet it clarifies a large part of chemistry." This may be true, but the present reviewer does not feel that any clarification is aoeomplished by the methods of presentation used in thia book. For 169
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