Solid Solutions. The Determination of the Formula of Silver Iodide, the Determination of the Molecular Weight of Ether, and the Catalytic Preparation of Hydrogen Iodide are new experiments which have been developed by the author and his students. Some of the less satisfactory experiments of previous editions have been omitted. While most of the assignments can he performed with anoaratus and materials readilv available. a few are quite complicated, and same rrquk aplnmtus not usanlly available to elementary srudmts. The Large n u m l m of expcritnents, however, makes a wide choice possible. Experiments bearing on theoretical problems are preceded by lucid discussions of the principles involved. The questions accompanying the experiments are particularly well done, and should sharpen the student's powers of observation and encourage clear thinking. The appendix (seven pages) should prove useful both t o student and teacher. This book is certainly one of the better current laboratory manuals. Conservative in approach, it is yet readable and stimulating, and is a splendid companion t o Professor Holmes' GENERAL CHEMISTRY and INTnoDucronv CI~EMISTRY. JOHN C. Bnnnn. JR. ~
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AN OUTLINEOR OROANIC CHEMISTRY.Ed. F. Degering, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University; R . E. Nelson. late Professor of Organic Chemistry a t Purdue University; J . R. Herrod, Professor of Chemistry a t Ohio Northern University, and others. Barnes and Noble. New York City. 1937. xvi 3li'pp. 13 X 21 cm. $1.25.
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Thisoutline, in addition to the authors mentioned ahove, bear.; thenamrs of scvcnry-seven asiirrnnt ?ditor\ from almost as many universities, colleges, and industries In $pire of the hrge numlxr .of callahorators there seems to he no lack ot uniformity in the presentation of the material. As the name indicates, the hook is in outline form and. except in the special chapters, most of the information is riven bv eauations with further discussion onlv in - exceptional or unusually important cases. The relative importance of the material has been indicated by the use of different sizes of type. After the usual introductory material there is a chapter on the electronic basis of valence. This is followed by one hundred thirty pages devoted to aliphatic chemistry, three to alicyclic, forty-six to aromatic, and four to heterocyclic compounds. There are additional chapters on fwds and metabolism; non-metallic and metallic alkyl derivatives; miscellaneous compounds; pronunciation and nomenclature; antiseptics and germicides; dyes, stains, and indicators; terpenes and rubber; synthetic resins; isomerism; and a summary of "named" reactions, processes, syntheses, and tests. Most of these special chapters and the section on carbohydrates are especially well done, although the material on dyes and on carbohydrates seems rather comprehensive in comparison to the rest of the hook. The inclusion of a chapter on pronunciation and nomenclature is an idea that is worthy of general adoption by authors. The chapter on "named" reactions seems to have been carried t o extremes. I t contains one hundred sixty-nine processes, syntheses, or tests, including the following: Ciamician-Dennstedt synthesis, Crum-Brown and Walker reaction, Diels-Wolf reaction, Engler-Weissberg hypothesis, Freund reaction, Gladstone reaction, Komppa synthesis, Prileschaiev reaction, Schorisin reaction. ~~~-~~ ~.Walker reaction. Wohl-Schweitzer electrolysis, and \\'i.;lictnw synthesi,. These ore reactions that are grnrriilly tarniliar to organic chcmisrs, but it i, doubtful if the majority of rrpcricnced organic tcarhrrs would recognnt- all of thrm hy their names. While the chapter on electronic structure is well done, it is ignored in the rest of the book; in fact, the next chapter begins with the explanation that hydrogen and carbon have valences of one and four, respectively. No mention is made in the body
of the h w k of the structure of oxidized sulfur compounds or of amine salts. The continued use of such names as ethanoic acid, sodium ethanaate, ethyl ethanoate, and ethanenitrile does not seem wise. since these are not the names the student will find in the literature. It would seem better to accept the index of C h e m i d Abstracts ar a guide for practical usage. The hook is quite free from misprints, hut several errors of facts were noted. Noteworthy among these is the mechanism of the Skraup synthesis and the structure of the products formed by the reaction of mercaptans with olefins. Time will probably make correct the statement that acetic acid is made commercially from carbon monoxide and methanol. The omission of copper from the equation for the preparation of phenol from chlorobenzene and the failure to show acetal formation as reversible might be considered as errors. The manner in which rectangles are drawn to indicate the elimination of water, halogen acids, and other simple substances may lead to incorrect conclusions on the part of the student; for example, this gives an improbable mechanism for the Fittig-Erdman synthesis and i t might be inferred that aldehydes are formed by the hydrogenation of acids and esters, that the reaction of sodium hisulfite with ketones is general, and that the aldehyde ammonias are simple addition compounds. The presence of a catalyst is often indicated in cases where the specificnature of the catalyst might he mentioned. The stated purpose of the outline is to replace "prolific" [sic] lecture notes rather than as a substitute far a text. I t is probably unjust for one who has had no experience with the book to attempt to evaluate its success from this standpoint. While the reviewer is unconvinced that this would be an improvement upon the customary lecture system, the number and character of the assistant editors indicate that it does serve the purpose in many courses. I n addition, students in courses which are not based on the outline will find it valuable for review, especially if their lecture material has been poorly organized. RALPHCONNOR
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THERMODYNAMICTHEORYOF AFFINITY:A Book of Principles. T k . De Donder and Pierre Van Rysselberghe, Stanford University. Stanford University Press, Stanford University. California. 1936. xx 142 pp. 16 X 24.5 cm. 83.00.
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The objectives and methods of this brief treatise are v u y different from those of familiar thermodynamical texts. Superficially it bears considerable resemblance to them, for many of its equations are formally similar t o those of conventional thermodynamics. The meanings of the symbols in some of the most important of these equations, however, are quite different from the familiar ones. The usual basis for applications of the second law of thermodynamics is the following equation relating the heat absorbed in a reversible process t o the temperature and entropy dQ - T d S = 0 De Donder and Van Rysselberghe are concerned with the heat absorbed in ineuersdlc chemical changes which is given by dQ - T d S = dQ' where ~ - do' ~ - is the so-called uncompensated heat of the irreuersible transformation. I t is claimed that De Donder's methods are applicable to such problems as reaction velocities, statistical theories of physical chemistry, overvoltage phenomena, etc. Numerous papers on such subjects have already appeared and the authors plan to contribute, in the near future, several books dealing with these and similar subjects. Dr. Van Rvsvsselberehe has rendered a service t o physical chem. ists in presenting this convenient summary of numerous papers on De Donder's methods. The coming hooks will be awaited with ~~
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