RECENT BOOKS QuLMIcA Y BIOQU~MICA DB LAS VITAMWAS (CHEMISTRY AND o Professor BIocnEMIsTRY OF THE VITAMINS). A r l l ~ a ~ dNouelli, in the Universities of Buenos Aires and La Plata, Argentina. "El Ateneo," distributors, Buenos Aires. 1942. 410 pp. 17 X 26.5 cm. Paper cover. This excellent monograph in the Spanish language is an up-todate comprehensive treatment of the important developments in vitamin research. It should find ready acceptance throughout Latin America. All the known vitamins are covered, as well as such members of the B complex as p-aminobenzoic and folic acids, inositol, and choline. Each is discussed with reference to chronology, occurrence, isolation, properties, constitution, synthesis, specificity, biological, microbiological, and chemical methods of assay, standards, physiology, and pathology, so far as information is available. The historical parts are briefly hut adequately presented without tiresome detail. The greater part of the hook is written in a style which holds the reader's attention and in language which one does not have to be a biochemist t o understand. For thoqe who desire technical biochemical information there is enough of this, too, t o make the book valuable for reference. No bibliography is given as such, but after each reference in the text t o an investigator's work the author's name and the year of publication of his paper are given, making it possible, with some efiort, to locate the original by consulting Ckcmical Abstracts or other suitable index of the literature. Unfortunately the authors' initials are not given, and this prolongs the search where there are many chemists of the same surname, c. g.. Evans. Kuhn, Robinson, etc. Furthermore, the names are frequently misspelled, thus one finds Summer for Sumner (p. 273), Schnoheyder for Schanbeyder (p. 366), Glavin for Glavind (p. 378), etc No errors in structural formulas were found. Typographical errors are few. At the bottom of page 357, vitamin "A" should read "E." I n the chapter on vitamin A the term "nyctalopia" would be preferable t o "hemeralopias' for the designation of night-blindness. I n the chapter on antirachitic vitamins frequent references are made t o the formation of vitamin D by ultraviolet irradiation, but no statement is made as t o which wave lengths are effective and which, if any, are destructive. The relation of members of the B group to respiratory enzymes is adequately presented. Vitamin deficiencies and their treatment are well covered in the limited space allotted but no attempt is made to make this a medical textbook. There are no tables of the vitamin contents of foods. Instead, the importance of a wellbalanced diet is stressed. The hook is orinted on DaDer DaPer . of medium aualitv. . . The . . bioding is flimsy. There is no index. LEWIS E. GnSoN
MAGNETOC~MISTEY. Pieme W. Selwood, Associate ~;ofessorof Chemistry, Northwestern University. Intencience Publishers, Inc., New York, 1943. ix 287 pp. 80 figs. 42 tables. 15 X 23 cm. 85.00.
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The author has adopted what he calls a severe definition of magnetochemistry: "the application of magnetic susceptibilities and of closely related quantities to the solution of chemical problems." This he has done to "keep the book within reasonable bounds." The detailed table of contents facilitates knowing what is treated and exactly what pages hold the details. There are also verv comolete and accurate author and subject indexes. These, coupied wiih the many footnote references t i t h e original literature, make i t very easy for any investigator t o find a complete story of any phase of the subject in which he is interested.
The general plan of the book conforms to the above definition. After an exceptionally clear and concise (but fully adequate) treatment of the practical methods of measurement of magnetic susceptibility, there follow chapters on atomic and molecular diamagnetism, atomic and molecular paramagnetism, including complex compounds, metallic magnetism, and ferromagnetism. A final chapter is added covering a dozen or so applications of magnetochemistry not easily classified under the previous chapters. The most interbting of these applications to the reviewer as a chemist (and apparently also to the author, since the largest number of pages is devoted to it) is the relation between the magnetic moment of a catalyst and its catalytic activity. The chapter on atomic diamagnetism which the author admits in the preface that he has slighted, nevertheless has adequate footnote references to full treatment in previous texts. A very useful table of Pascal's corrected constants is given in the chapter on molecular diamagnetism, with some constitutive correction constants. This is followed by an account of the most recent attempts t o explain these empirical constants on theoretical grounds, and the hope is expressed that they may soon be "used by chemists with the same confidence and ease with which molar refractivities are used." But in the two chapters on molecular paramagnetism and on comolex comnounds are treated the fields which "have become the two most active branches of magrncrochemi,try." and have become SO largely during the last ln yclrs. The author has wiscly devoted more than onr-fourth of the book to these two chapterz, and has done a masterly piece of work in condensing so much material into even that space. He summarizes, for example, the interesting application of paramagnetism t o the determination of equilibrium constants and heats of dissociation; the recent wark on the stability of tri-aryl radicals; Michaelis' work on semiquinones; Miiller's work on biradicals; and the work of Panling and Coryell and co-workers on hemoglobin and related compounds. His treatment of nickel complexes, with which the reviewer is most familiar, is clear, accurate, and complete. The book in certainly a most successful and expert reporting of the mare than one thousand papers on magnetochemistry which have appeared between 1934 and 1943, the period which the author aimed especially to cover. Moreover, considerable hackground theory is also included in this relatively brief wark. Furthermore, the reporting of recent work never relaxes into a cold catalog of papers and their contributions, but is drawn into a connected account, enriched by the author's own comments, and by his frequent suggestions for further research. I t seems to thereviewer that no chemical library could afford to be without such a book which supplements so expertly the earlier works of Klemm, Van Vleck, Stoner, and others. HELENS. FRENCH ~~~
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WBLLBSLBY COLLBOB
WBCLBSLBY, MASS*CHUSBT~
PRINCIPLES OP PHYSICAL METALLURGY. Frederick L. Coonan. Lieutenant Commander, U.S.N.R.. Associate Professor of Metallurgy, Postgraduate School, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. Harper and Brothers, New York, 1944. xi f 238pp. 187 figs. 15 X 23.5 cm. $3.25. The stated purpose is to "present those fundamentals necessary for a general appreciation of the properties of metals and alloys. It is an elementarv text and has been desimed to s u o ~ l vcertain
important metals and alloys. I t is also intended to serve as an introductory text for metallurgical students upon which more advanced and specialized treatments may be based." The first 49 pages are given t o the principles, the second 50 pages to commercially important nonferrous alloys, and the third
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135 pages are devoted to allays of iron and carbon. The treatment is completely nonmathematical and in the reviewer's opinion the theoretical material is too brief far even the purposes of this book. The nonferrous alloys discussed are brass, bronze, aluminum, magnesium, nickel, and beryllium alloys. The description of these alloys is very good but it is to be regretted that more space wasnot given to the newer light allays. The reviewer liked best the third section on iron and carbon alloys. As a whole the book is very well written and contains many excellent photomicrographs. The reproduction of these, and the printing as a whole are high class, so that the book is very readable. The author has achieved the aims which he outlined in the preface and has compiled a book which can be read with much interest by those with no background in the subject. A. A. VERNON
electronic organic chemistry. I n addition, it is doubtful whether chapterXX, an the avidity of acids and bases, has any significance a t the nresent time. The treatment of am~holytes(chapter
tion. Teachers of chemistry who have used this book in their classes will be interested in the new edition, for it retains all the excellent features which have contributed to the popularity of the earlier editions. There are many clear figures, tables of data, and numerous references t o the original literature. Finally, most of the chapters are supplied with a set of problems, from the worlting of which students will undoubtedly benefit. 1V. A . Koehler. Professor of ChemiV o ~ u m e11: APPLICATIONS. cal and Ceramic Engineering, West Virginia University. Second Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1944. v 573 pp. 260 figs. 35 tables. 14 X 21 cm. $5.00.
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PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS OP ELECTROCHEMISTRY. VOLUME I : PRINCIPLES. II. 3. Cfcightox, Professor of Chemistry, Swarthmore College. Fourth Edition. ,John Wiley and Sons. Inc., New York. 1943. ix 477 pp. 90 figs. 14 X 21 cm. contents follow closely those of the earlier edition, but there have been considerable additious as is evident from the increased $5.00. length of the book. The scope of the work can best be described The appearance of s fourth edition of this well-known text and by giving the actual chapter headings; these are as follows: reference b w k on theoretical electrochemistry is an adequate Economics of Power Generation; Review of Theoretical Electrotestimony t o its popularity. The 24 chapters of the present chemistry; Primary Cells; Secondary Cells; Electroplating; volume correspond exactly to those of the third edition published Electroplating Solutions; Electrorefining of Metals; Electrain 1935. Following upon a short general introduction there is a metallurgy (Aqueous Solutions and Fused Electrolytes); The treatment of Faraday's laws, including descriptions of various Electrolysis of Alkali Halides; Electrolytic Oxidation and Retypes of caulometer. The next three chapters deal with the duction; Hydrogen and Oxygen; Corrosion; Electroanalysis; classical theory of electrolytic dissociation, and its relation to Electric Furnaces (Metallurgical and Noumetallwgical Inconductance, and a detailed study of the electrolytic conductance dustries); Electronics; Owne; Atmospheric Nitrogen Fixation; of solutions. The treatment of the migration of ions is followed Separation hy Electrical Meam; and Miscellaneous Electroin a logical manner by a section on electrokinetic phenomena, chemical Processff. although this requires the use of the concept of potential differI t will be evident from this list of topics that the book is comences which has not yet been introduced. The three succeeding prehensive in character; the reviewer has been impressed by the chapters deal with the electromotive force of reversible cells of large number of industrial applications of electrochemistry that various types; it is unfortunate that the old European thermo- are mentioned. A detailed treatment of all subjects is, of course, dynamic symbols, such as A for free energy change, are still em- not possible, but the inclusion of numerous references, many of ployed. The treatment of electrolysis, including overvoltage and them of recent date, should assist the reader in obtaining further electrolytic oxidation and reduction, occupies two further information if required. The discussion of the virtually obsolete chapters. A description of the application of the law of mass arc method for the fixation of atomospheric nitrogen is justified action to electrolytic dissociation, following the original method hy "the inherent features (of the process) that set it apart by of Ostwald, is succeeded by two chapters giving modern views on itself and make it an interesting field of investigation." I n view the subject of strong electrolytes. Apart from a final section on of the fact that this volume is regarded as part of the same baok the electrochemistry of gases, almost the whole of the remainder of as that by Creighton, which deals with electrochemical princithe book is devoted to various aspects of equilibria in solutions of ples, there is some reason for doubting the justification of deglectrolytes; among the topics discussed mention may be made voting some 50 pages to the treatment af theoretical subjects, in of the dissociation constants of acids and bases, the dissociation chapters I1 and XIV. In any event, this treatment is not too of water, hydrolysis, amphalytes, and solubility product. strong, and in a future edition much of it should be omitted or Although the book deals largely with the properties of elec- revised. On page 37, and in a footnote on page 362, reference is trolytes in aqueous solution, as is to he expected in view of the made to the "confusion that has existed in regard t o the sign'of overwhelming preponderance of experimental data in this field. the (electrode) potential." Provided there is a dear distinction there are frequent references throughout to the properties of between oxidation and reduction potentials, such as is generally nonaqueous solutions and to fused electrolytes. As already men- made in modem texts, no such confusion exists, but the author tioned, there is also a chapter on the electrochemistry of gases, certainly introduces an element of 'confusion by a complete rebut i t is doubtful whether adequate justice can be done to this versal of. the universally accepted significance of the terms subject within the 20 pages allotted to it. Nevertheless, i t should "electronegative" and "electropositive"; thus, "zinc is called be evident from the foreeoine descrintion that a aennine attemDt electronegative t o iron, iron electropositive. to zinc." The is made in this book t o cover the fundamental principles of elec- mechanism of the evolution of oxygen from a sulfate solution as trochemistry, and to illustrate them by reference to conductors given an page 172 has now been generally discarded in favor of of various types. that involving the direct discharge of hydrovyl ions. The author states in his preface that "in the present edition These relatively minor criticisms, however, do not affect the the entire text has been revised"; in some respects the revision main value of the baok. I t is one of the few works covering all might have been more drastic with advantage, as the following in- the important aspects of industrial electrochemistry in an adestances will show. Remy's method for the determination of the quate manner, and i t should find a place in every chemical library. extent of hydration of ions (p. 139) involves the unjustifiable A student who does no more than glance through this book canassumption that the hydrogen ion is not hydrated in aqueous solu- not help but be impressed by the number and importance of the tion. The discussion of the relationship between chemical applications of electricity in chemical industry. structure and dissociation constants (chapter XVI) is based on S. GLASSTONE ideas that were current before the development of modern BBPYBLBY, CALIPORNI*
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