RECENT BOOKS MACRO ORGANICCHEMISTRY. A LABORATORY McBain interprets the "solubilization" of substances insoluble in water by certain detergents. He offers, with many other in388 teresting statements, the fact that when a volatile, insoluble hyThomas Y. Crowell Company. New York, 1942. xiii PP. 55 removable report- and question-sheets. 63 figures. drocarbon is dissolved in an excess of aqueous detergent, the vapor pressure is far less than that of the volatile liquid alone, 15 X 22 cm. $2.75. If only two key words descriptive of this manual could he proof that there can be no droplets of emulsion present. The long chapter, forty-three pages, by Powell and Eyring on written. they should he "fascinating" and "practical." One asProperties of,Large Molecules is highly theoretical. Weiser and pect of its fascination lies in its clarity of format, type, theoretical discussions, directions, and especially of illustrations; 6. e., Milligau offer a remarkably clear chapter on the Constitution of the line drawings of apparatus are splendidly done, with all the Inorganic Gels, a subject with which they have had more than bases and supports of iron filled in solid, to avoid confusion with twenty years' experience. The text is helped by several X-ray the glass and rubber portions of the equipment. Looking a t the diffraction patterns. The present keen interest in syntheticeasily constructed semimicro pieces of apparatus here depicted, resin ion exchangers makes the long chapter by Myers very welwe are immediately thrilled with their potentialities, and with come. Other chapters on the Study of Colloids with the Electron the desire t o make some right away. The practicality of the Microscope, Surface Tension, and Streaming Birefringence add volume arises not only from the above features, hut also from the wide selection of alternative experiments offered, both for to the value of this excellent hook. H m N. H o ~ a t g s macro- and far micro-manipulation. Hence this is a book for ~EMI~~ICR AND O
MANUAL.Nicholas D. Cheronir. Chicago City Colleges.
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those laboratories which are now making the transition from the larger to the smaller kinds of apparatus, which have t o use substitutes because of scarcities of apparatus and chemicals, and which have students of highly variable capacities for laboratory achievement. The experiments are grouped as introductory, elementary, and advanced; e. g.. both the Wurtz-Fittig and Grignard syntheses are used for preparing higher hydrocarbons in elementary work, hut the students learn t o handle the Friedel-Crafts reaction in advanced work. A helpful appendix includes supply lists. special information on reagents and solutions, first-aid rules, index, and finally removable report- and question-sheets. The safe practice of wearing goggles during hazardous work is consistently urged. There are two short experiments on the properties of the nitroparaffins accompanying those on nitrobenzene. Throughout this manual, the aromatic compounds and reactions of each class are grouped with their aliphatic counterparts. Only one error has been detected as yet-on page 325 the structural formula of +sulfabenzoic imide is shown as the meta isomer. The binding is sturdy, the pages lie flat when the book is open, and the paper is of good quality, but the cover is a light shade of tan which will show spots very badly if left exposed on the laboratory bench. DAVIDLYMAN DAVIDSON MIDDLBSBX UNIVB.SITY
WAL~AW M ~, s s r c m a s ~ r r S
ADVANCES IN COLLOID SCIENCE,Vol. I . E. 0.Kraemer, Biochemical Research Foundation; F. E. Bartell, University of Michican: S. S.Kistler. Norton Com~auv. Interscience Publishers, I&., New ~ o r City, k 1942. 'xii % 434 pp. 160 figs. 15 X 23 cm. $5.50. This very useful book is the first in a series of volumes in which recent significant discoveries or advances in colloid science may be presented in a more comprehensive and unified fashion than is possible in the regular technical journals. The chapters by several authors are not offered as mere reviews of the literature but rather stress the author's own point of view. Emmett's presentation of the gas adsorption method of measuring surface areas is excellent, yet ends with the conclusion that the method is still in its test period. On the other hand, Sullivan and Hertel state that "permeability measurements now appear to provide a method of specific surface determination which is satisfactory in many respects." This chapter is almost completely a discussion of the literature. Tiselius offers detailed instructions, and theoretical considerations, for his efforts to widen the scope of applications of adsorption analysis and to put it on a more quantitative basis.
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MODERNCHEMISTRY.Charles E. Dull. Head of Science Dept., West Side High School and Supervisor of Science for the Junior and Senior High Schools of Newark, New Jersey. Third Edition. Henry Holt and Company, Inc., New York. 1942. xi 604 xxiv pp. 2 plates, 412 figs. 15 X 23 cm. 52.00
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This third edition of a standard textbook is thoroughly revised and up to date. The last chapter, Other Carbon Compounds, answers many practical questions concerning new materials and substitutes involved in our present way of life. The author claims that he has written a "textbook of chemistry and not a book about chemistry" which he hopes, however, will help a student to apply the scientific method t o himself and to his own consumer problems. Several devices are used t o help the teacher plan differentiated courses for students who go t o college and for those who do not have t o prepare for college entrance. Topics are starred which can be omitted without hreaking the unity of the course and problems are marked A and B indicating varying ability levels. In the opinion of the reviewer. the writer reaches his objectives most successfully. There are seventeen units presenting the usual or conventional fields of high-school chemistry. The material is well arranged and information is readily located. There is a general subject index and the appendixes give useful tables commonly used by chemistry students. Each chapter includes a preview of each unit, challenging questions or statements t o introduce the paragraphs or topics. vocabularies to call attention t o new science terms, excellent summaries with thought-provoking questions, and suggestions for student activities. The book is profusely illustrated with pictures of chemical applications. Men of science, past and present, are also pictured a t the close of each unit. The brief biographical sketches acquaint the student with the personalities associated with the things discussed in these units, thus emphasizing the human element behind each chemical achievement. GRETAO w n Barn HIGHSCHOOL
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INTnODUCTION T O TEE MICROTECANIQUEOF INORGANIC A N ~ Y S I S . A . A. Benedetti-Pichln, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Queens College. John Wiley and Sons. Inc., New York, 1942. vii 302 pp. 84 figs. 15 X 23 cm. $3.50.
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The publication of this hook has been eagerly awaited by all those who have used the previous text on this subject by the same author, which is now out of print.
Although the present volume has a title very similar t o that of the first book, i t very definitely is not a mere revision. I t is entirely new in arrangement of the material, illustrations, and much of content. An outstandine difference is the inclusion -~ the ~~~-~~~~~~ of quantitntive proccdurc. in ndditiuu to the qunlirntive. F u r thermore, many of thr newrr technics clevelopcd by the author and his co-worker, arc presented for thc first rtme in a complete form. While a comparison of this book with its predecessor is perhaps not warranted, i t should be observed that the present volume undoubtedly r d e c t s the author's experiences in using the former as a text in his courses. The book is divided into three main Darts. The first descrihes the aooaratns emoloved. . . . how to make it and how to use it. Thc author has w d y kft n discussion of the optics of the microscopr. to texts on the sullject, nnd limited himself to a bricf description of the rssrntial parts of thc instnxment, and thkir functioning. Experiments are interspersed to illustrate the use of the various pieces of equipment. Since there is often a choice of methods available for a certain operation, it is advisable for the beginner in microanalysis to familiarize himself with all, so that he may select the proper one for his particular purpose when he has a practical problem. These experiments are designed to illustrate basic technics using this equipment. The second part of the book consists of a desniption of the various technics of qualitative analysis, such as spot tests, slide tests, fiber tests, bead tests, etc., as well as methods for working with slides, capillaries, and centrifuge cones. Experiments illustrate each technic, and such manipulations as evaporation. extraction, etc. Although the accompanying experiments are based on the qualitative analysis of the metals, no complete scheme of analysis or separation is included. An outline of such a scheme is given far the copper and arsenic groups hut, as the author suggests, "any tried macro scheme may be applied t o the analysis of small samples once the basic technic has been learned." For greater flexibility in the application of the methods, this ~
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part of the book is divided into sections on centigram, milligram, and gamma procedures. The latter are the new methods using a micromanipulator, which approach spectroscopic analysis in sensitivitv. The thtrd part of the text dcscrihcs the quantitari\%prowdures using both the microchemicnl halancc of the Kuhlrnnnn type, and the urdmnry analyriral bala:lce and for both rentiyram and milligram samples. Gamma procedures are given rather brief consideration in this section. This part also describes the micromethods of titrimetric analysis. The appendix lists not only the reagents for bath qualitative and quantitative experiments, and the apparatus used in both types of work, hut also includes a bibliography and $ brief outline of a basic course in micro-technic. The book is written with the wealth of detail and attention to proper sequence of manipulations so necessary for the correct carrying out of the methods. The author has apparently made thecomfortable decision to describe only those methods which he found to be practicable and best suited for the particular purpose, rather than to make the hook a compendium of all puhlished methods. I n the opinion of the reviewer, a book on such a relatively new subject as this should give the reader the benefit of the author's experiences rather than present an overwhelming list of all known procedures, leaving the reader (who is probably a novice in this field) to decide which one to use. A welcome innovation is the listing of the required apparatus a t the beginning of each experiment. A statement by the author that even "experienced chemists should resist the temptation to limit their study to a few experiments which seem to be an immediate preparation for the contemplated practical use" is heartily endorsed by the reviewer. Too often micromethodo have been condemned as inadequate by persons who have not had sufficient experience with them. I t is certain that the publication of this book will give a great impetus to the adoption of micromethods in analytical laboratories, both academic and industrial.
URANIUM AND ATOMIC POWER. JackDe Mmt, Research Chemist, The Mineralogist Laboratories; and H. C. Dake, Editor, The Mineralogist Magazine. Chemical Publishing Co., Inc.. Brooklyn, New York, 1941. viii 335 pp. 16 figs. 13.6 X 21.7 cm. $5.00. This hook is a synthesis of the material in the literature to date on uranium and related compounds. I t is supplied with Lengthy bibliographies to its seven chapters which deal with: Atomic Power, The Uranium Minerals, The Physics of Uranium, Chemistry of Uranium, and two chapters on Specific Methods in Uranometry; plus six appendixes, which are full of carefully compiled data. The chapter dealing with the use of fluorescent indicators in urauometry is especially interesting in view of the authors' earlier book, "Fluorescent Light and its Applications." The study was made, in great part, with a view t o the future possibilities of uranium as a source of energy. The authors have summed this up: "We believe that we are treating some of the fundamentals of a new science which includes, hut which does not entirely consist of, the rapidly vanishing borderline between chemistry and physics. We also believe that we have described what may be the groundwork of a future industry, the possihilities of whichare fantastic to many, but not too highly improbable t o those with a mind t o progress."
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CHEMISTRY IN RELATION TO BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE WITA ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO INSULIN AND OTHERHORMONES.5. 1. Abel. Willisms and Wilkins Company, Baltimore. Maryland. 1939. 79 pp. 16 X 24.5 cm. This is the Willard Gihhs lecture by the late Dr. Ahel. The TO DUCKS WHOTRY TO SWIM IN WATER THISIS WHATHAPPEN* TO WHICHA WETTINGAGENTHAS BEEN ADDED (See pegc 38.) edition is limited and privately distributed. ,'
