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solutions of its normal salts, giving rise to splids of alniost a n y degree of basicity or to solutions n i t h decreased osmotic effects. -%ccordingly,results of analysis, freezing points, etc., give little evidence of the true nature of its compounds, unless accompanied b y proved definiteness of composition, a proof too often omitted throughout the whole field of inorganic chemistry, h u t nowhere more than in studying beryllium and its compounds. "Nore labor has been expended upon the bibliography than its limited extent may seem to indicate. I t is believed that i t will he found to contain references to all or nearly all the original articles on berylliuni and t h a t the reference to abstracts ~ i l also l he found fairly complete through 1902. Since 1902 the original articles and chief abstracts have alone been entered: I t has been deemed nd\-isable to include a brief abstract, a t times critical in tone, of each article, b u t i t is not clainied that these abstracts always cover the full suliject matter of the original, although nothing important is intentionally omitted." Monographs of this sort are extremely valuable and this one is no exception. T h e author was Ivell qualified for the task. H e has given us what is probably the best determination of the atomic iveight of beryllium and his use of the methods of physical chemistry has enabled him to bring order out of the chaos of alleged basic salts. lT-ii&~D . E i i i iroojt The Elements of Physical Chemistry. E14 J . Lkziigst J H I?. .\ior~aiz. Foitvlii editioii, ucz'ised utitl ciilnrgcd. 12 X 19 ciiz; p p , 1 - i~ 539. S e a . 1-ark: J o i i i i TI-iZrj, Soil c . Londoii: Cliapntiiiz uiid H a l l , 1908. Pvicc: $3.00.-In this new edition we find references to the work of llills on the heat of vaporization; t o t h a t of Morgan and Stevenson on surface tension; t o Hawley's work on white lead and C o s ' s on chromates; to the work of Bell and Taber on the copper sulphates: to t h a t of Moore and Frazer on osmotic pressures; to t h a t of Luther and JIcDougal on reaction velocity; to Osaka's work on ionization of weak acids; and to Soyes's work on the temperature coefficient of ionization. Stress is laid on the electrolytic separation of metals by graded electrornotil-e forces, 11. 473; but the student is left to struggle for himself with the theory of electrolytic separations as actually made. The reviewer notes ivith sorroxv the unjustifiable spelling of ' catliion.' curious point of view crops up on 11. 1 b 3 where the author says: ' ' h s this theory [of electrolytic dissociation] to-day is much misunderstood by man!-, and is the subject of much speculation on the p r t of others, i t will be necessary for us to consider carefully just what is fact and \That assumption, and to see clearly which portions are hypothetical, and which are destined t o remain under any hypothesis or lack of hypcithesis ; in other \\-ords which are experimental facts. I t may lie said ho\\-ever t h a t that which is hypothesis in this theory is unessential, a s far as the use o f the data is concerned, and the only hypothesis present, as \ \ e shall consider i t , is that inherent in the terminolog)-, \rliicli is a relic oi the atomistic hypothesis and s o utterly beyond cur p o ~ e to r prove or disprove. "The salient facts which have been grouped in this theory, j o y it 2's n theory i i i flic sciisc flitit it is n /ais o j iintitrc holdiiig i ~ c t ~ e c certnziz ii Ziwizts, although these are not a s yet definitely fixed. are a s lol1on.s:. . . . . . . " The italics are mine. To me this seems to he either a nery definition of a 1I.ildcv U . iiui!oo;t theory or of a Ian. of nature.
