BOOK REVIEWS experts in inorganic chemistry. This series of volumes was intended t o be intermediate between reference b o o b such as Mellur and Gmelin and the standard inorganic textbooks. This reviewer finds several shortcomings. The author has restricted himself t a n description of the most important salt-like compounds of thegroups whichare included in this volume. Although he discusses acetylides and carhides of some of the elements he does not-present any description of the preparation and properbiw of the numerous metal organic compounds, a field in which much work has been reported lately in t,he literature. much available information which is important t o researchers interested in other scientific areas is not included. I n many caaes physicad c o n s t ~ n t ssuch as specific heat, entropy, thermoelectric, and spectral properties are not given. Hawever this volume will he of interest t o engineers and scientist? in border areas of chemistry who need t,o get general information. The paper, printing, and binding of this volume is superior to t h a t of the first volume. The translation into German is excellent.
Inorganic Chemistry: Text
An Intermediate
C . W . Wood (deceased) and A. K. Hollzday, University of Liverpool, England. Butterworth, I . , Washington, D. C., 1960. viii f 393 pp. Figs. and t a h l m 14 X 22 cm. 84.25. Physical Chemistry: Text
An Intermediate
C. W . Wood (deceased) and A . K. Holliday, University of Liverpool, England. Butterworth, Inr., Washington, D. C., 1960. viii 322 pp. Figs. and tables. 14 X 22 rm. $4.25.
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C . W . Wood (deceased) and A . K. H o l l z d n ~ , University of liverpool, England. Butterworth, 1 Wash321 pp. ington, D. C., 1960. xxii Figs. and tahles. 14 X 22 rm. $4.25.
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The preface to each of these books claims thc~t the three hooks together "meet the requirements of the G. C. E . [General Certificate of Education] Advanced and Scholarship level examinations of the various examining bodies." From this statement one would judge t h a t the lcvd of presentation and type of material covered are those of a n advanced preuniversity chemistry course in the Engliah HANSB. JONASSEN school system. I t is also stated that the hooks should he useful t o students in first Tulane University year university courses. In the Unit,ed New Orleans, Louisiana
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States, the three books xvould cover approximately the snhjert areas of the first one and a half years of college chemistry. The actual subjert matter presented is, however, much more heavily weighted towards descriptive detail than our modem texthooks are. One might summarize the three hooks simply as fallom: "Inorganic Chemistry" is a book of detailed, descriptive general chemistry. "Physicnl Chemistry" presents the priuriples of yenwal chemistry a t n level of sophistication definitely below that of several of the recent texthooks designed for first year college courses in this country. "Orpanic Chemistry" is almost completely drsrriptivr; of t,hr 29 chapters, only ahout two (nrar the end of the book) deal st m y length a i t h modern principles. In spite of their l i m i t d treatmrnt. of principles and t.heor)., the inorganic and organic rhemistry hooks might well serve as useful refewnee hooks for some st,udents, far t,hcy rantain much factual msterid-reactions, properties, and cornmerrinl processes-rarely treated in t,adxy's texbboaks. "Inorganic Chemistry" eonsists of an opening rhnpbrr on the periodir rlassifiratian of the elements and n brirf theoretical treatment of t,he covalent bond. This is followed hy fifteen chapters of sonlowhat detailed descriptive chemistry of the elements. P r a r c d i n g from a chapter on the inert gases and on- on hylrogon, the regular element8 are disrussed in the order (Continued on page '1908)
BOOK REVIEWS of periodic groups I through VII. Next oome five chapters on transition elements and s. final chaptor (five pages) on the lanthanides and actinides. Each chtvpter is headed by a brief table summarizing the structures and general characteristics of the group of elements under consideration. The method of presentation iallov~sthe pattern: general group characteristics, discoven. and history, occurrence, industrial preparation, properties, uses, compounds, and qualitative and quantitative t,esta for ions. The discussion is often det,ailed and gives considerable prominence t,o industrial preparations. The authors' use of ionic equations is usually consistent and appropriate. There are no exercises or problems for solving in any of these three hooks, nor are there any references or bibliographicel materials. The old nomendatme is used throughout. "Physical Chemistry" seems to he designed mainly to supply the general background of theory and prineipl~sfor "Inorganic Chemistry." I t consists of nineteen chapters almost exclusively devoted to elementary elnssicd physical chemistry, excluding any formal treatment of therrnodynsmirs, but giving some fairly modern simple honding theory. A hit of the eslculus appears in the chapter an reaction rate and chemical equilibria; otherwise the nmthemrttical treatment is limited to simple algebraic processes. As mentioned earlier, there are no exercises, although examples of calculations are presented occasionally. No subject is h a t e d in depth much beyond the level of a first year college eoume (in this country), and several areas are treated quite superficially for a hook on physical chemistry. The Kernst equation for electrode potentials, for example, is presented with no indication as to its origin. The student in a eollegc physical chemistry course in the United States would find little of value in this volume, but a student taking general chemistry might find it of some use as a reference. "Organic Chemistry" aonsist,s of seventeen chapters on aliphatic rompounds, cight on aromatic compounds, and finally five chapters entitled, respectively: The Strueturr and Reactivity of Organic Compounds (23 pages); Methods of Separation and Purification (cight pages); Det,ermination of hfaleculsr Formulae (10 pages); Determination of Constitutional For~nulae and Structure (five pages); Isomerism (eight pages). Eseh of the 25 chapt,ers on drscript,ive chemistry of carbon compounds closes n i t h 8. summary of properties and reactions, which should be quit,e helpful to one who is reviewing this subject. The compounds are grouped for study nccarding to funetianal groups, and the coverage is similar to that found in textbooks of elementary orgnnic chemistry a quarter of a century ago. Most of the theoretical material is given in the 23 pnges of Chapter 2G. Among the subjects treated here (briefly,
(Continued on page A910)
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BOOK REVIEWS t o be sure) are simple molecular orbital theory, nucleophilir and elertrophilir reagents, the dative bond, acid strength, the inductive effect, intermolecular forces (polarization, hydrogen bond), resonance, and hyperconjugation. Types of i s m crism are described and illustrated in the final chapter, and the find paragraph describes the principle of N M R spectroscopy. I n summary, these three hooks may he fairly n,c?llsuited t o their intended purpose, i.e., as preparation for wrtain examinations in the English school system, but they would have very litt,le value as texthookii in this country. GRANTW. SMITH Pennsylvania Statc Uniuersity University P m k Gmelinr Handbuch der Anorganirchen Chemie, 8. Auflage. System-Nummer 29, Strontium Supplement
Edited hy the (tmelin Institute under the direction of E. H. E. Pielseh,. Verlag Chemie, GMBH, Weinheim, Rergstrasse, 1960. 306 pp. Figs. and tahles. 1i.5 X 25.5 cm. $49.
In t h e usual Grnelin arrangement t h k volume starts with the geochemistry, t,he economic deposits, mineralogy, and terhnology of strontium and its rompounds. This first section covers 87 pages of the volume with about two-thirds dcvoted to geochemistry. This is followed by the disrussion of the preparation and physical properties of the element, electrical behavior, reactions of the ion, toxicity, and the alloys of strontium. The remainder of the book, about half, is devoted to a discussion of the rompounds of strontium, their preparation, and their properties. As is t o he expected wit,h a Gmelin volume, the coverage is thorough and extensive. For anyone int,erested in information about a particular compound or property of strontium this volume will supply ly brief summary and references for the period 1931 to 1949. If this cutoff date is kept in mind, this book will serve as a n excellent introduction t o the literature.
DONALD A. TARR College of Wooster Il'ooster, Ohio Gmelinr Handbuch der Anorganisehen Chemie, 8. Auflage. System-Nummer 30, Barium Supplement
Edited by the Gmelin Institute under the direction of E. H. E. Pietsch. Verlag Chemie, GMBH, Weinheim, Bergstrasse, 1960. 569 pp. Figs. and tables. 17.5 X 25.5 cm. $88.50. This supplement covers the literature from the years 1932 to 1949 and required an expansion of 507, over the original volume. The first third of the hook is devoted to the geochemistry, economic deposits, and technology of barium required for preparation of tho desired compounds from the raw minerals. The other major section, the description of the (Contin%ed on page A912)
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