JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
54 chapters have cross references so that, after the first few, the order mav he chosen.
recently by Dr. Killisn a t a meeting of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. A statement on page 521 that carhoxylase contains five s t o m of magnesium fails to consider that only one atom of magnesium per mol of cooarbmylase was found by Kubowitz in Warburg's laboratory. To describe carbaxylase (which has the function to split pyruvio acidinto acetaldehyde and CO,) as an enzyme which "transfers phosphoric acid to and from other participants in the carhohydrate cycles, for eample adenosine triphosphate" is incorrect. The author apparently confuses this enzyme with other thiamine-pyrophosphate-containing enzyme systems, suoh as pyruvic acid dehydrogenase. On page 522 structures of a thial and a disulfide form of thiamine are shown with the statement that these compounds participate in redox systems during the biological utilization of glucose. There are no experimental facts to supportsuch claims. The reviewer encountered only relatively few misprints in this book; for example: asculatary (page 319) should read auscultatow. The shortcomines mentioned above are not too serious and Dr. Burger's treatise is quite useful to anybody who wishes to have a compact survey of the field of medicinal chemistry.
in favor of wods or phrases already adequate. Rut the second quarrel cannot he dismissed lightly. Repestedly the author uses the followine sentence oonstruction as illustrated hv an examnle t a k e n fronl iBige 89: '.Th? ~ w x tmohiliry of hydro& thnt is 1 r 8 Rnse of t r t i n ~ ffntm ~ r clnr rlrctmn-:~ttnvtinyrlrmrnt to another \Vhilt. I am not a strict constructionist on punctuatiou. the sense of this sentence cannot he garnered in one reading unless "that is" is set off by commas. If the Latin signpost "id est" were used then one comma might be considered sufficient since the reader would have warning of what was coming. LEALLYN B. CLAPP ~~
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Bnowm U N ~ V E R ~ ~ T Y
PROTIDBNCE. RAODZ ISLAND
Alfred Burger, Associate Professor of Chemisby, University of Virginia. Interscience Publishers. Inc., New York. 1951. xviii 577 pp. 15 figs. 5 7 tables. 16 X 24 em. $10.
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THE QUANTlTATlON OF MIXTURES OF HEMOVOLUME1 of this comprehensive treatise contains 28 chaptern, 0 GLOBIN DERIVATIVES BY PHOTOELECTRIC SPEC to be followed by an additional 15 chapters in Volume 2. The TROPHOTOMETRY first 6 chapters (72 pages) deal with subjeots of a general nature, such as Relation of Chemical Structure and Bialaeical Activit,~. Fmncis T. Hunter, Associate in Medicine, Hamard Medical School; Associate Physician and Clinical Pathdogist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Ill., 1951. xx 226 pp. 6 figs. 44 charts. 16 X 23.5 cm. drugs, analgetics, analeptics, cardiavrtseular drugs, and diuretics $8.50. are followed by a discussion of drugs acting an the gastrointestinal THIS small book is directed to biochemists, especially those in tract, expectorants, adrenergic drugs and blocking agents, parasympathetic stimulants, curare and curmifarm drugs, and anti- medical schools. The specific objective i~ the popularization of spasmodics. Chapten on antihistaminic drugs, diagnostic spectrophotometric methods. The illustrative examples are agents, antithyroid drugs, drugs for the treatment of cancer, and polycomponent systems containing hemoglobin derivatives. There are essentially two parts to the book, the description and vitamins conclude Volume 1. I t is an ambitious enterprise for one person to attempt to cover charts. The first half of the descriptive material (Part I, 34 such a. vast field singlehanded. The advantage of having only pages) deals with the general principles,, including the theory of one author for such a treatise is that a much more uniform, com- wectrmhotometric measurement of nolvcom~anentsvstems. and pact, and even treatment of the various subjects is possihle than could be hoped for if 28 specialists had collaborated in writing this volume. A disadvantage is-nd the suthor seems to be aware of this-that one individual cannot handle equally well oxyhemoglobin, hemochromogen, carbon monoxide saturation, all the aspects of medicinal chemistry. Dr. Burger's reseakh oxygen saturation, neutral methemoglobin, hemoglobin pigments work has dealt mainly with synthetio organic chemistry and his in serum, and erythrocyte volume. Appendices I and I1 comprise most of the second half of the description of the organic chemistry of various drugs is, therefore, authoritative and exact. However, when the author leaves his book, some 100 pages being devoted to transmission curves, field of specialization and discusses developments in neighboring simple calibration curves based upon suoh data, infomstion on the experimental conditions (but without cell thickness), and sciences his statements are not always equally reliable. A table on page 19 states that Warburg's respiratory enzyme nomographic aids. All data. are for the Cenoo-Shnard Speotrowas found to contain riboflavin. Biochemists call the rihoflavin- photelometer. Isosbestio is not spelled correctly. Two ususual usages are the plural form, millimiera, and quanticontaining enzymes "yellow ensymes" as differentiated from Warburg's respiratory enagme or cytochrome oxidase, which contnins tation for the analyst's word, determination. The reviewer s. hemin-type prosthetic group. On pages 2 5 6 7 plasma-acoeler- would have preferred closer adherence to the symbols recomator globulin is persistently referred to as globin, which is the mended by the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (and other protein moiety of hemoglobin. On page 220 it is reported as a groups). The few references would be more convenient as footfact that chlorophyll absorbs odors and may he taken orally t o notes on the pages cited. The work of E. S. Miller, F. P. Zscbeile, preclude. various body odors. However, the National Bureau of and E. I. Stearns on polycomponent systems might have been Standards and the National Institute of Health stated in 1944 mentioned, especially Stearrw' use of log log ordinate plotting. that ohloronhvll was an inert ineredient in a certain household ~-. M. G. MELLON deodorant, and the ineffectiveness of chlorophyll preparations PORoXJE, UNWEB-Tr LAIATBTT& INDIANA (taken orally) far control of perspiration odora was painbed out
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