NEWS literature embodying t h e latest develop m e n t s in analytical chemistry, a n d d e m onstrations of new techniques will b e features of t h e symposium. A special exhibition of historical chemical litera ture, including t h e J o s e p h Priestley Collection, will b e o n view in t h e H a r d ing Library. A n u m b e r of visits t o local industrial establishments will be arranged. I n addition t o a n u m b e r of original papers, there will b e r e p o r t s o n recent advances in selected branches of a n a l y sis. Industrial Applications Iron and Steel. B . BAGSHAWE. Nonferrous Metals. G. W. C. MILNEH. Coal and Coke, R. Α. Μ ο τ τ . Coal Tar.
T. A. VAUGHAN.
Paints and Varnishes. C. WHALLEY. Ceramics. H. BENNETT. Foods. D . DICKINSON. Plastics. J. HASLAM.
Special Techniques Inorganic Chromatography. F . H. POL LARD.
Mass Spectrometry. J. R O B B . Polarography.
W. C U L E D A VIES.
Spectrography. R. L. MITCHELL. Absorptiometry. W. N . ALDBIDGE. Biochemical Analysis. GARFIELD THOMAS.
Qualitative Analysis. H . HOLNESS. Ion Exchangers. G. H. OSBORN. The Quantometer. F . SLATER.
T h e symposium secretary is J . W. Robinson, 139 Stourport Road, KidderMinster, Worcs., E n g l a n d .
International Instrument Congress T h e I n s t r u m e n t Society of America and various other associations a n d so cieties will cooperate in p u t t i n g on t h e First International I n s t r u m e n t Congress and Exposition in Philadelphia Septem ber 13 t o 25. T h e congress will last two weeks b u t t h e exposition only one. L a b o r a t o r y a p p a r a t u s a n d equipment, as well as measuring and control instru ments of every kind, will be available for inspection a n d discussion. T h e Dechema, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur chemisches Apparatewesen, as one of t h e societies invited to participate, will or ganize t w o scientific journeys t o t h e U. S. which will facilitate travel for all interested persons a n d societies in Europe.
Achema XI Chemical Apparatus Congress At t h e Achema X I Chemical A p p a r a t u s a n d E q u i p m e n t Congress a n d E x hibition, t o be held in F r a n k f u r t - a m Main, M a y 14 t o 22, more t h a n 600 firms from 12 countries will show regular lines a n d latest developments in a p p a r a t u s a n d equipment. T h e exhibits a r e divided into laboratory technique a n d 32 A
practice, measuring control a n d regulat ing technique a n d practice, materials, operation a n d production technique, a n d new chemical materials a n d products. T h e space required is approximately 5 0 % greater t h a n for t h e exhibit of 1952.
Office Equipment Exposition T h e National Office M a n a g e m e n t As sociation, Detroit, Mich., h a s planned an Office Machinery a n d E q u i p m e n t Exposition t o be held in t h e Kiel Audi torium, S t . Louis, M o . , M a y 24 t o 27, in connection with t h e association's 35th international conference. I n addition t o t a l k s on office manage ment, a panel discussion on office prac tices, privileges, a n d problems is sched uled.
NEW
BOOKS
Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. I V . Editorin-Chief, John C. Bailar. xii + 218 pages. McGraw-Hill Book Co., 330 West 42nd St., N e w York 36, Ν . Υ., 1953. $5.00. Reviewed b y S. E . Q. A S H L E Y , General Electric Co., Louis ville, K y . E v e r y true chemist who visits a n u n familiar laboratory a n d finds a collec tion of inorganic compounds assembled in a " m u s e u m " gets a thrill which is not diminished b y t h e chastening dis a p p o i n t m e n t h e sometimes experiences when h e h a s t o use one of t h e neatly labeled preparations a n d finds t h a t it is not w h a t t h e label represents it to be. A book, such as this one, of recipes for preparing a wide variety of inorganic substances is as fascinating a s t h e in spection of a museum collection. B u t this collection carries with it a certifi cation t h a t t h e apocryphal products in the m u s e u m often lack. A distinguished board of editors a n d advisers is a good guarantee of t h e quality of t h e contents. T h e preparations themselves a r e sub mitted t o a t least one referee for authentification. T h e names of many of the contributors a n d referees are guaran tees of a high order of reliability. T h e book is of considerable special interest t o t h e analytical chemist in several regards. I t h a s been said t h a t analytical chemistry is t h e science of preparing compounds in a high degree of p u r i t y . Since t h e objective of in organic preparations is t o find pro cedures capable of high yields, t h e objec tives of t h e analytical a n d inorganic chemists a r e similar. B y these tokens t h e preparative m e t h o d s described m a y in themselves suggest procedures which m a y be developed into processes of analysis. F u r t h e r m o r e , according t o t h e preface, "If t h e analytical methods
[used t o establish t h e identity of t h e preparation] a r e sufficiently distinctive to w a r r a n t description, t h e y should b e presented in detail." D a t a a r e reported b y which t h e iden t i t y of t h e compounds described m a y be established. T h e d a t a presented a n d t h e literature references on each com pound often provide useful criteria for t h e establishment of t h e p u r i t y of a compound a s well a s i t s identity—a most i m p o r t a n t p a r t of t h e analytical chemist's j o b . Unfortunately it is n o t always clear whether t h e d a t a a r e for the product prepared b y t h e authors or a mere recapitulation of information gleaned from t h e literature. This is important, a s t h e analytical chemist a t t e m p t i n g t o establish t h e identity of inorganic compounds often finds such extraordinary discrepancies in d a t a t h a t t h e existence of even simple "well k n o w n " compounds m a y b e called into question. T h e preparation of standards a n d of reagents in a high state of p u r i t y a r e common activities in t h e analytical laboratory for which this collection m a y prove useful. A collective index b y subject a n d b y formula of t h e four published volumes in this series is a n extremely useful p a r t of t h e present volume.
Eleclroanalytical Chemistry. James J. Lingane. ix + 430 pages. I n t e r science P u b l i s h e r s , 250 Fifth A v e . , N e w Y o r k , Ν . Υ . , 1953. $8.50. Reviewed b y S. E . Q. ASHLEY, General Electric Co., Louisville, K y . N o t every book t h a t publishers a d d to t h e growing shelves of o u r technical libraries m a r k s a n advance in t h e literature of chemistry. M a n y a r e growths on rather t h a n growths in t h e chemical literature. Lingane's " E l e c troanalytical Chemistry'' is one of t h e rarer sort t h a t m a r k s a trail for t h e analytical chemist a n d provides h i m with something he h a s n o t had before. T h e a u t h o r makes clear in t h e intro duction t h a t it is his object t o supple m e n t existing works in t h e electroanalytical literature, and t h a t his aim is not t o m a k e t h e work comprehensive. It becomes inappropriate, therefore, to n o t e a n y omissions, such as t h e lack of a n y reference to so-called " m i c r o " methods in t h e portions of t h e book devoted to methodology or in t h e bibli ography of literature. On t h e other hand, t h e book is unique in a t t e m p t i n g , for t h e first time in t h e reviewer's knowledge, t o bring into a comprehensive relationship t h e princi pal methods of analytical chemistry which a r e called "electrical." T h e a u t h o r presents t h e first "complete a n d s y s t e m a t i c " account of coulometric ANALYTICAL
CHEMISTRY
