physical propertics of mrmbcrs of the reries. Glycols, glycerol. un,aturated nlcohols, saturated cy~4iralcohols, and alcohols of natural occurrence arc treated more hrirfly.
6nal three chapters treat in a more advanced way atoms and molecules and their activation. I n the opinion of the reviewer the book should lend itself t o use in a wide variety of schools. For shorter courses the first ten chapters cover su5cient ground, while for longer courses the instructor can cover the first half of the book a t his own oace and then emphaci~eand claborarr on any or all of the last seven chapters as ltme permits. The idra of trarhing the law of chemical equihhrtum r x l y in thr cuurlc appeals to the revicaer. ~~
I N ~ R O A N I C CHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE. A.
J . Hamner, Iowa State College. Woolverton Printing Company, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 1938. iii 4- 36 pp. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $0.50. This pamphlet offers the beginning student an easy introduction to the system by which the simpfer inorganic compounds are named. Its chief defect is that the old-fashioned structural formulas are used, in which no distinction is made between valence, valence number, and covalence. If the modern interpretation were presented many of the formulas would be campletely altered, and a corresponding alteration in names would be suggested. There is no attempt t o weigh critically and judge between the different competing terminologies that 6 e nowha& as a result of more generalized views concerning the nature of acids and bases. Furthermore, the special terminology for coiirdination comoounds.. comolex . ions. and various classes of newlv discovered inorganic compounds receive no consideration The nomcnclalure of the iilicates has rccently hren impro\.ed, as a rcsult of X-ray invrsligations: yet the silicates rccrivc no space at all. Inorganic chemistry needs a critical review of conflicting systems of nomenclature and a clear set of rules and definitions. The author or someone else might attempt this: i t would keep a seminar class busy for a good many weeks. H. G. DEMINC ~~~~
~~
U~rvansrrvoa NseaAsa* LINCOLN.NeaaAsw*
AN
INTRODUCTORY
COURSEM PHYSICAL CAEMISTRY.W . H. D. Van 468 pp.
Rhodebush and E . K. Rodebush. Second Edition. Nostrand Company, Inc., New York City, 1938. xv 13.5 X 22 cm. $3.75.
+
This new "streamlined" second edition of this text an elementary physical chemistry takes the reader a t a rapid rate for ten chapters and then returns over the road t o re-examine some of the rough places and make a few excursions along the side roads. The first ten chapters include a treatment of the gaseous and liquid states from the point of view of kinetic theory, and the usual chapter on the crystalline state. After this the author takes up equilibrium, its relation to free energy, thermachemistry, and the first law of thermodynamics (Chapter V). I n Chapter VI, equilibrium hetween phases is discussed and solutions are met in Chapter VII. Chapter VIII is devoted to a timely discussion on surface chemistry. After a chapter on electrical conductance the second and third laws are taken up, and the trip ends as we leave the main road on an activity coefficient. The chapter on equilibria involving ions (Chapter X I ) is well written and the idea of ionic crystals is introduced a t the beginning. The reviewer would make a distinction between "completely ionized" and "completely dissociated" (page 247), and a mare careful distinction between hydrogen ions and protons in defining an acid (page 260). Chapter XI1 explains the calculation of activity coefficients from electromotive force measurements and discusses the various electrodes for determining hydrogen-ion activity. The rules for the description of a cell and the conventions as t o sign of the electrode potentials are clearly given. I n the chapter on physical properties the following statement is made. "This 'salting' out effect is easily explained in terms of the dielectric constant." A teacher would have to choose his illustration carefully to retain the easy explanation. I n Chapter XIV an excellent elementary discussion is given of reaction rates, as far as gas reactions are concerned, but very little is given on reactions in solutions. The
~
.
INTEoDucronY QUALITATIVE ANALYS~S.Warren C. Vorburgk. Duke University. The Macmillan Company, New York City, 1938. vii 222 pp. 14.5 X 21.5 cm. 14 figs. $2.25.
+
The preface states, "This book is a revision and enlargement of a hook of the same title written by Dr. Jacob Cornog and the author. The present book is adapted t o a one-semester course. Chief emphasis is on instruction in chemical principles and the scientific method rather than an the teaching of an immediately practical art." The directions for carrying out analyses have been made applicable to either macro- or semimicro quantities by reading milliliters for the former and drops (20 drops = l ml.) for the latter. In the author's laboratory qualitative analysis has been on a semimicro scale for the past five years. The directions provide for detection of the cations usually included in elementary courses and of eighteen anions including silicate. Acetate, borate, cyanide, oxalate, and thiosulfate are not considered. About equal portions of the book are devoted to laboratory instructions and to discussion of underlying principles. After sixteen introductory exercises, pp. 10-32, follow directions for systematic analysis of cations, pp. 33-71, of anions, pp. 72-89, and of solid material, pp. 90-101. Discussion of the reactions involved is collected in Part 11. Theory, pp. 139-53. The methods of analysis are for the most part the conventional ones. For the separation and detectionof the four alkaline earths the scheme of A. A. Noyes is used. Phosphate is removed before analysis of Group 111 by the tin method. Only four organic reagents are mentioned. It is admitted that small amounts of tin, zinc, magnesium, and some other cations may be missed. Teachers using the hook are advised of certain limitations as t o material given out for analysis. I n Part I1 the Arrhenius-van't Hoff theory is presented rather fully and is followed by a brief statement of the Br$nsted theory of acids and bases. Precipitation and the solubility product principle are given extended discussion. Hydrolysis receives only moderate attention. Complex ions are barely mentioned, and electrode potentials not a t all, although the ion-electron method of balancing redox equations is discussed and illustrated. In general, the exposition of chemical theory is clear and should he readily grasped by students. This text should prove useful in courses where not much importance is attached to analytical accuracy and excessive demands on the student are t o be avoided.
GERMAN GUMWAR FOR CI~RMISTS AND OTHER SCIENCE STUDENTS. John T . Folos, Professor of Modern Languages, Purdue Universitv. and Jokn L. Bray. Head of the Schwl of Chemical and ~etallurgical ~ n g i h e r i n g , Purdue University. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York City, and Chapman and Hall, Ltd., London, 1938. xxii f 323 pp. 14 X 20 cm. $2.25. This innovation in beginning German texts is sure lo interest
