predicted value obtained from t,he regression ansl,vsis on page 103 i8 too small by a factor of 30. The procedure which the author should have followed is clearly outlined in the second reference given on that same page. On page I34 the normd dist,rihotion is described as having 2:i per cent of its area and 5 per cent of its area ahove points one and two standard deviations up from the meen, respectively. Bath of t h e ~ evalues are quite wrong, but the reader u-ill have to check this fact elsewhere because this hook does not hnve a tnhle of the normal distribution. Tho preceding criticisms ar? only 3. small sample of what is nrong with this book. Anyone attempting to learn the subject of statistirs or an," part of it with the aid of this mrmr~nl\\-ill l,r getting off to a very had start. LLOYD S. XELSOR General Eleclvie Lamp Divisivn Clezwland 1 % Ohio Optical Rotatory Dispersion: Applicalions to Organic Chemistry
Cad Djrrassi, Stanford University, California, and Rymtes (S. A,), Mexico City. MeGraw-Hill Rook Co., Inr., SPW York, 1960. xiii 293 pp. Figs. and tnhle. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. 37.50.
+
I t has been a long time since P. A. Levene and Alexandre Rothen wrote their chapter on "Rotatory Dispersion" for the fivst edition of Gilman's "Organic Chemistry, a n Advanced Treatise," to which most graduate students in chemistry have been exposed a t least in part. Xewer npplieations and the recent accumulation of reported research have made it desirable modern treatto hnve an a~~thoritative ment. This is edited and largely written by Carl Djerassi of Stanford Univemity under the title of "Optical Rotatory Dispersion." Other writers who have contributed substantially are Albert Moseowit,~,the late William Moffitt, Elkan R. Blout, and John A. Sehellman. The book opens with a preface telling of the necessity to undertake such a writing because of the gap since the publication of T. M. Lowry's "Optical Rotatory Parer" i n 1934. There follow^ seventeen chapters beering the titlea: Introduction; Nornenrlnture; Instrumentation; Storaids: Biryrlic Ketones; Triterpenoids; Monocyclic Aliphatic Carbonyl Compounds; ~ H y d r o x yKetones; --Halo ketones; DPterminat,ion of Absolute Configuration; Detertion and Implication of Ketnl Formation; Themy and Analysis of Rotatory Dispersion Curves; Oetant Rule; Thiones, Xitroalkanes, and Other Chromophores; Blcohols; a-Hydroxy Acids, and --Amino Acids; Plain Dispersion Curves; Polypeptides and Proteins. There are two appendixes: .4. Bibliography, with a concise review of earlier literature, a.concise review of later lit,erature and sn extensive list of publications of Carl Djerassi; B. Nomew clature and Stereochemiral Conventions, with reference to Steroids and Triterpenoids. Author and compound indexes are supplied. Tables, graphs, formrdas, and diagrams are used effectivdy and clearly throughout the chapters. (Continued on page A501
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Journal of Chemical Education
This hook is obviously intended for research workers in the field and as a n introduction to the neophyte who wishes t o get started quickly. I t will find wide usage far most persons interested in stere* chemistry or molecular biology and will provide a reference or even a text for special types of graduate courses and seminars, and p ~ r h a p ssome of the more advanced undergraduate courses. Conformation, absolute coniiguratiion, m d many more complex related problems mn he solved through this useful technique. Not only is the theory presented suecinctly, hut prartical aspects like those related ta the h e points of very high precision instrumentation and their development are enlarged upon. To say that this text will he exceedingly useful is, of course, trite. It will entice many people into this field of research and will cause the development of finer instruments, modifications of which will no doubt become commercially available even with automatic rerording. Solutions t o problems like the nature of muscle contraotion and expansion and the kinds of folding and coiling of certain enzymes will be partially elundated through usage of these instruments. As a result, it will not be too long before Carl Djerassi will find it necessary to make a n early revision to keep pare with the growing information.
JOHN LEO ABERNETHY Uniuersity qf Redland3 Redlands, California
Engineering Thermodynamics: An Introductory Textbook
James B. Jones and George A. Hawkins, both of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1960. xviii t- 724 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.5 em. $8.50.
The authors state that this book is intended for use in undergraduate engineering couraes in thermodynamics. It is this reviewer's opinion that there would be s. great amount of overlapping if this text were used for chemical engineering students. Many of the chapters are covered, often in greater detail, in the energy and material balance courses in chemical engineering and also in physical chemistry courses. The hook is written in a clear manner with considerable detail so t h a t most of the content could he understood by the student a t first reading. Over 700 problems are presented for practice purposes. The hook contains many illustrated prohlems and solutions. It is interesting that the authors, although mechanical engineers, make use of the male to a great extent. I t is doubtful whether this hook will be adopted by chemical engineering departments if the staff members have a choice.
JOHN J. MCKET~A The Un-ivewit?~ of Tezar Austin (Continued on page A5.9)
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Journal o f Chemical Educotion
