BOOKS Pyridine Chemistry Pyridine and the picolines have been known for more than a century. How ever, it is only within the past 25 years that they have attained the stature of industrial organic chemicals. Coal tar, the primary condensation product resulting from the carboniza tion of coal, was the force that gave impetus to the growth of industrial organic chemistry. Until a few years ago, all the pyridine and picolines of commerce came as by-products of the carbonization of coal. The past quar ter-century has seen a tremendous ex pansion in the demand for pyridine and the picolines. The quantity that could be obtained from the carboniza tion of coal was limited. To close the gap between supply and demand, processes have been developed to pro duce pyridine and picolines syntheti cally. Today, the synthetic produc tion of pyridine and of the picolines is so substantial that the amount derived from the carbonization of coal is as suming a less important role. A book which "deals comprehen sively with the preparation of pyridine compounds from nonpyridine sources" is most timely and welcome. Section II of the present volume is devoted to a review of the literature, through 1956, concerned with preparation of pyridine compounds from naturally oc curring materials and the synthesis of pyridines from nonpyridinoid com pounds. The scope of the survey may be seen by a glance at the bibliography of more than 1800 references. The authors of Section II, Frederick Brody and Philip Ruby, have done a fine job of classifying the synthetic methods for the preparation of pyri dines. Their presentation of these re actions in a series of tables is most helpful. The title of Section I is "Properties and .Reactions of Pyridine and Its Hydrogenated Derivatives." If because of its title, one expects a rather com plete treatment of the subject matter, disappointment will result. On the other hand, if one's interest is in possi ble reaction mechanisms, a stimulating account will be found. R. A. Barnes is the author of this section. While it has not been the reviewer's purpose to look for possible minor errors in this welcome addition to pyridine chemis 66
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try, he cannot let pass the statement that the melting point of pyridine is - 3 8 ° ; it is - 4 1 . 5 5 ° C. On the lighter side, the typesetter must have been politically minded, when on page 3, he refers to "the un shared election pair." Pyridine and its Derivatives. Parts.
Part One.
In Four
ERWIN KLIXGS-
BERG, editor, χ + 613 pages. In terscience Publishers, Inc. 250 Fifth Ave. New York 1, N.Y. 1960. $49. Reviewed by F. E. Cislak, Reilly Tar & Chemical Corp.
H2S04 Technology Brought up to Date The largest tonnage industrial chem ical is the subject of the new -ACS Monograph No. 144 on "Manufacture of Sulfuric Acid." An up-to-date treatise on American sulfuric acid technology has been badly needed for several years. Since Andrew M. Fairlie's ACS Monograph No. 69 on the same subject was pub lished in 1936, there have been a num ber of important developments and changes in the technology. As exam ples, the ratio of contact process sul furic acid production to chamber proc ess production has increased from about 1:1 to 7 : 1 , vanadium catalysts have almost completely supplanted platinum catalysts, and new processes have been developed to regenerate or recover waste sulfuric acids from pe troleum refineries and other sources. This monograph deals chiefly with the various types of plants and equip ment used to manufacture sulfuric acid, by the contact process, from sulfur, sulfide ores, smelter gases, and waste sulfuric acid. Theoretical aspects of the technology are generally well treated. Space allotted to the chamber process is small, appropriate to its diminished present-day import ance. Chapters on the economics, shipping, safe handling, and storage of sulfuric acid will be valuable refer ences for the user of sulfuric acid as well as for the manufacturer. The ap pendix consists of 39 pages of graphs and tables of valuable data on physical properties of sulfuric acid, sulfur trioxide, and sulfur; the corrosion resist
ance of various materials of construc tion to sulfuric acid at different strengths and temperatures; and a di rectory of manufacturers who produce corrosion resistant materials and equip ment. Twenty-four men who possess spe cialized expert knowledge in various phases of sulfuric acid technology and economics wrote this book. It is highly recommended to everyone interested in the subject. Manufacture of Sulfuric Acid. Monograph No. 144.
ACS
WERNER W.
DUECKER, JAMES R. W E S T ,
viii +
515 pages. Reinhold Publishing Corp., 430 Park Ave., New York 22, N.Y. 1959. $12.50. Reviewed by Max L. Spealman, Stauffer Chem ical Co.
NEW BOOKS Air Pollution Manual. Part I. Evalua tion, xx -f- 194 pages. American In dustrial Hygiene Association, 14125 Prévost, Detroit, Mich. 1960. Members $5.50. Nonmembers $8.50. Written in everyday language, this book explains procedures of evaluating air pollution. Public and community relations discussed. Aluminum from Water. SABRA HOLBROOK. 121 pages. Coward-McCann, 210 Madison Ave., New York 16, N.Y. 1960. $2.75. The Asphalt Handbook, rev. ed. xii -f398 pages. The Asphalt Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, Md. 1960. $1.25. New and completely revised edition of standard reference in the field of asphalt technology and construction. Chemical Instrumentation. HOWARD A. STROBEL. xviii -f 653 pages. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, Mass. 1960. $9.75. Written as a text for advanced undergraduate or graduate, on instrumental analysis. Gives background chapters on various related sciences. The Chemistry of Natural Products. Vol. IV. The Natural Pigments. K. W. BENTLEY, vii -f 306 pages. Interscience Publishers, Inc., 250 Fifth Ave., New York 1, N.Y. 1960. $5.00. Evidence for structures of representative members of each general group of pigments presented, with outline of synthesis of the pigment concerned, if this has been achieved. Chromatographic
Reviews.
Vol. 2.
MICHAEL LEDERER, editor,
viii + 195
pages. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 120 Alexander St., Princeton, N.J. 1960. $9.00. Articles on recent progress in chromatography, electrophoresis, and related methods published in the Journal of Chromatography. Continued on page 87
