TnE CHEMISTRY 011 THE ALIPHAT~C OR&OESTERS. Hmard W . Pod, Department of Chemistry. University of Buffalo. (A. C. S. Monograph, No. 92). Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York, 1943. 188pp. 15.5 X 23.5cm. $4.00. Summaries of the literature on limited fields in chemistry always are welcome. This little monograph on the esters and thioesters of aliphatic orthoacids and of orthocarbonic acid begins with a brief introduction which is followed hy a chapter on methods of preparation and physical properties. Four chapters deal with the reactions of orthwsters with inorganic acids or catalvzed bv, inareanic acids. with oreanic acids. acid anhvdrides, and arid halidcs, with nitrogen compounds, and with organomcralhc rornpoundr. Chapter 7 i i dcvotcd to the intcresting group of carhohydrnte orthoesters and orthoacidr, and is followed by a chapter on miscellaneous reactions of orthoesters such as the behavior on heating in the absence or presence of catalysts and reactions with halogen. Two chapters cover the preparation and properties of the silicon analogs of orthoesters and one deals with similar compounds of the other elements of the fourth group of the Periodic Table. The final chapter is a table of the physical properties of orthoesters, the compounds being listed according t o their empirical formulas. I n the introduction the author states, "The subject matter will be grouped under headings indicative of reactions rather than of compounds, and under subheadings arranged in historical sequence." While the material is grouped according t o types of reactions, there are no subheadings in any of the chapters. The choice of the historical sequence within a group of reactions is unfortunate. Thus one finds, in the extreme case. reference to the preparation of ethyl orthoformate on pages 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16, sometimes more than once on a pige. and always interspersed with descriptions of the preparation of other compounds. These faults are somewhat mitigated by the inclusion of tables a t the end of each chapter summarizing the work on each compound. Compounds are listed in the tables by condensed structural formulas and in the order of increasing number of carbon atoms. I t is difficult t o understand why a separate bibliography is appended t o each chapter. This arrangement is not more convenient t o use than a single bibliography a t the end of the hwk, and leads t o excessive duplication. For example, the 6rst 103 references listed a t the end of the first chapter are identical with the corresponding number a t the end of the last chapter, and many of the references are repeated in most of the bibliographies. Neither is it clear why the author's initials usually are painstakingly given in the bibliography but frequently are not. Typographical errors and poor expressions are more frequent than one likes t o find. Most busy organic chemists will overlook these flaws, however, and thank the author for making available this survey of the field in which he has been interested. CARLR. NOLLER
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The new sixth edition. in two volumes of aooroximatelv X7O pages tach. retains the general scheme of handling the subject matter that uas used in previous cditions, each of the 13 chapters being written by one or more specialists on the subjects treated. There is a new classification of subject matter. The treatise is divided into eight sections with the following headings: 1. Background of the Chemical Industry; 2. Heavy Chemicals and Allied Products; 3. Fuels and Their By-products; 4. Refractories and Allied Materials; 5. Metallwgical Products; 6. Surface Coatings; 7. Products of Organic Synthesis; 8. Natural Organic*Materials. This new grouping is an improvement over previous editions in that it places related subjects together. The most important thing about it, however, is the placing in the beginning of the treatise in Section 1 the background subjects, uiz., the economic pattern. the unit operations, the organic Unit processes, highpressure processes, industrial instrumentation, and water for municioal and industrial use. Thev are fundamental for the proper consideration of the process chapters that follow. They give the unity that former editions have lacked and lhe pcrspeclive that the studeut and reader need to understand the basic principles and to appraise the relative importance of the prime variables of the processes described. Much material that was included in the H t h edition has been dropped. I n its place much important new subject matter has been added. Indicative of the time is the introduction of the chanter on militarv .. eases. Althoueh the decision of whet t o include and what to leave out ul a treatise of this kind is a difficult one to make, this rrvicrrr rrgrrts that there is no discussion of industri4 biwhemiral prwci-cs. The prrwnt tendency to place them in a category outside the chemical industry is unfortunate. Another omission which is regretted even more is a discussion of chemical engineering materials of construction. A chapter on this subject should have been a part of the background section. The spectacular advancement of the chemical industries during the past decade is largely the result of outstanding developments in the field of engineering structural materials. There is better teamwork on the part of the contributing writers than in previous editions. There is a better freedom of swing in the writing which the reader will like. All of this is the result of competent editorial guidance. The classified reading list a t the end of most of the chapters is a valuable part of the "Manual." The word manual should have been dropped from the title. If the English language means anything, the hook outgrew that title long ago. The printing. flow sheets, diagrams, and illustrations are good. Many of the errors in the former editions have been removed. I t is the best treatise a t the present time on general industrial chemistry as i t is practiced in America. ARTHUR W. HIXSON ~~
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COLUYBIA UNlYBPSlTY
New Yasx. New Yosg
PHYSICALCHEMISTRY.Frack H. MacDougall, Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of Minnesota. Revised Edition. The MacmiUan Company, New York, 1943. ix 722 pp. 97 figs. 15 X 22 cm. $4.00. I n the preface the author states, "In this revision of the 6rst edition, the author has not considered i t necessary to make many substantial changes in the material dirmssed or in the manner of treatment." A page-by-page comparison of the first and second editions reveals this as a distinct overstatement. The changes are practically negligible. About one page each has been added an glasses and the glass electrode. The discussion of nuclear chemistry has been slightly amplified and the derivation of the Gihhs adsorption isotherm made more rigorous. The most recent accepted values for the various physical and chemical constants replace those used in the first edition, and the symbol E is now used instead of U for internal energy. Aside from this. the reviewer was able to find only three new problems and one or two additional references. The content and arrangement being practically identical with the very well knownfirst edition, a detailed discussion of these points is omitted.
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MANUAL oa I ~ n u s xCI a~E m m y . Volumes I and 11. Edited by the late Allen Rogers. Sixth Edition by C. C. Furas, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc.. New York. 1940. Vol. I. xiii 877 pp. 221 figs. 145 tables. 15 X 22 cm. Vol. 11. viii f 840 pp. 211 figs. 90 tables. 15 X 22 cm. $17.00 per set. The appearance of a new and extensively revised edition of this time-tested "Manual" under the editorship of Professor Furnas is mare than an ordinary event in the annals of technological publications. For three decades Rogers' "Manual." through the five preceding editions, has been a standard American text and reference hook in general industrial chemistry. During this time the American chemical industries have undergone the greatest development in their history. These developments have been so rapid and extensive that frequent editions were necessary t o keep the book "within gunshot" of heing up t o date. That is the fate of every treatise on industrial chemistry in this chemical world in which we live.
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