NMR Spectroscopy H Guniher. John Wiley 8 Sons., New York. 1980. xiv 436 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 24 cm.
+
Harald Giinther has produced an outstanding text on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the tradition of those by Recker and hy Bovey. Although the titular purpose of the book is introductory. the author very adroitly treats concepts and techniques that are both modern and snphistieated. The hmk emphasizes proton NMR spectroscopy. About 1070of the total is addressed specifically to two other nuclei.fluorine-19 and carhon-13. The material on proton spectroscopy includes continuous-wave (CW) methods, the chemical shift, spin-spin coupling, spectra! analysis, effect5 of molecular symmetry, Fourier transform (FT)methods, dynamic effects, and special techniques (double resonance in particular). Especially thorough or enlightening are the sections on CW and F1' experimental methods, ring currents, proton-proton couplings applied to structure. ruhspeetral analysis, molecular symmetry. dynamic processes, the nuclear Overhauser effect. and fluorine-19 spectroscopy. These sections are compnrsble to the hest available on these subjects. The quantum mechanical description of spectral analysis is also quite readable in Chapter 5, although some readers may be intimidated by the earlier quantum mechanical sections in Chapters 1 and 2. Several chapters include problems. Though not numerous, the problems are extremely good and serve as very successful vehicles for illustrating the concepts. More thomugh treatment of electric field shielding (Chapter 41 and of applications of spin-lattice relaxation to structure (Chapter 101 would have been useful, and IESS thomugh treatment of spin tickling (Chapter 9) would have hren acceptable. Problems are lacking in the Fourier transform chapter (Chapter 7). Some of theearlier CW material such asdisewsion of audiosidehand calibration and use of the r scale. is not very useful today. The major structural flaw ofthe h w k is its failure to integrate Fourier transform methodology and carhon-13 speetrmcopy throughout. The FT material is scattered among three later chapters (7.9. and lo), wherens early treatment along with other experimental methods (Chapter B) might have heen preferable. The impression is given that ?T is an advanced technique. hut many routine instruments are currently available FT-only. Structural analysis today tends to combine proton and carbon-13 methods. Placement of the I3C material in the last chapter appears to indicate that 1% iseither less useful or moreadvanced than proton spectrmcopy. Carbon examples of dynamic effects and of the influence of molecular symmetry would have been welcome in Chapters 6 and 8. Chapter 7, which introduces FT methods, would have benefited from a previous intrnduction to 'F spectroscopy. Finally, in kday's multinudear world, sections on nitrogen-15. phosphorus31. oxygen-17, and some metals could have provided. in addition to organic examples, some from inorganic and biochemistry. The text is printed in two colors. Unfortunately, the red overlay is freqently badly offset, so that the desired effect is marred. These drawbacks are minor when viewed in the context of the high overall quality of the
book. The reader may confidently expect a clear and thorough introduction to NMR spectroscopy as practiced today. Joseph 6. Lambert Nwthwestern Universily Evanston. IL 60201
feedstocks. While these same factors partend increased interest in peat as a fuel and in horticultural applications. the scope of this review is restricted to chemicals production. As such, it must be acknowledged to fill a gap. While not a comprehensive review of the literature, this work represents an admirable effort to review a body of technological information as aptly laheled "muck" as is the feedrtoek to which it oertains. lnconsistencv in thp "1- of op~rationaiterminolog~,inad. equate rhnrartrriratiun of thc fwdstwk.and incomplete identification and nmtrul of processing parameters render correlations of data from the international literature difficult. Accordingly, compilations of various processing methods and corresponding ~ r o d u c tanalyses are presented with only modest attempts a t comparison and generalization. While understandable, this approach results in rather tedious reading in some sections. The introductory chapters present a helpful explanation of pest eiasdication and peat extraction terminology as used in the book. Nonetheless, the general reader will find some unfamiliar terms throughout the hook whieh are left undefined. The vagueness and subjectivity of some operational definitions further complicate assimilation and interpretation of the information presented. Although Fuchsman strives to clarify the situation, he is not universally successful. Details of the various reported techniques for extraction and de-resination of peat wax, de-asphalting of bitumen, acid hydrolysisof peat. chemical oxidation and reduction of neat humic acids. eokine and semi-cokineof Wal, diitillntim of pent &r, and manuiac&re of activated carhrm f n m pent are presented in ser~nlhshwn. Sonw tahulntion of data ir included: however, more use of tables in comparing results of different processes would have been welcome. The usefulness of such comparisons without parallel comparative data on feedstock composition would. of course. he limited. The brief introduction u,mrl~.,hydrnlesf m n s a n adequate l~nsisfbr thr sul,sequent d~rrwsionu i t~tilimtlcrnof peat carbohydrates. Chapter sixteen isdevoted toeompilation of methodsof peat analysis. Many of the details of the methods, as well as resulting analytical data, were presented within earlier ehapters. Placement of this chapter immediately fallowing those on classification and extraction terminology would appear more logical. However, since many of the operational terms are defined in the intervening chapters, simple transpoeition of the chapters by the reader is probably inadvisable. Compared to the treatment of production methods, less experimental detail is included here. The treatment is a guide to the literature rather than a laboratory manual. Concluding ehapters on economic, technological, and ecological perspectives for peat utilization are the most readable and thought-provoking. Two of the four photographs employed appear here. These are not really illustrative and were presumably included as visual seasoning to stimulate reader inler~st.Perhaps they would had they heen used earlier and more liberally. Fuchsman states that his purpose is to provide "administrators and technologists ~~~~
Metal a n d Metalloid Amides M. F. Lappert. P. P. Power, A. R. Sanger. R. C. Srivasiava, John Wiley 8 Sons. New York. 1980. 5 847 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $145.00.
+
This is an invaluable book for those who wish to know about the preparation or physical and chemical properties of compounds with a t least one amido (R2N) functional group of the p-, d-, or f-block metals and non-metals. The authors are to be congratulated for a most useful service to the chemical community for writing this reference text. The first part (pp. 24566) gives an encyclopedic treatment of essentially all of the rompwnds thnt have been prepared while the second pnrt (pp. 527-:MI desrrhes their reaction rh~mirtry.Thertrengthd t h e book is theeasy to uaehbular display of the voluminous amount of literature (through early 1969) associated with the amides. The topic is treated somewhat along the lines of Cmelin and accordingly is neither critical nor scholarly. Thus, the principles that govern amide chemistry (pp. 1-23 aresacrificed for completeness. This is a virtue since the hook is relatively free of dogma. Libraries will doubtless wish to purchase this bmk.The orice l9167.M)) is a -eood value particularly for them indiwdusls whodesp~se resrrhlng CIwntcrol Airrtmrli The suh~ect i n d e r . ~most imporrant fealurr fora hw3k of this type, is gmd. It is unfortunate that the authors did not include the reformulation of Ta(NP.44 and Nb(NRnIr as ( R * N ) . & ~ H R (Y. Yakahashi, N. Onoysms. Y. Ishikawa. S. Motojima, and K. Sugiyama, Chem. Let., 1978,5251. since this clarifies some of the chemistry on pp. 478 and 637. R. A. Andersen Universily 01 Calltwnia. Berkeley Berkeley. CA 94720
P e a t Industrial Chemistry a n d Technology C. H. Fuchsman. Academlc Press. Inc.. New York. 1980. vii 279 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.4 X 15.8cm. $28.00.
+
Scientific interest in peat has ehbed and flowed over the years with fluctuationsin the sociaeconomic factors governing supplies of various commodities for which peat might serve as an alternative source. Charles Fuchsman'svolume thus reflects a resurgence of interest as energy demands threaten supplies of coal and petroleum as chemical Volume 58
.
~
~
~~
(Continued an page A316)
Number 10
October 1981
A315
