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sm44
on a microscope slide and (2) d l ohservations made during heating of the preparation, on the melt itself, during solidification of the melt, and during further cooling. Chspter I describes methods; Chapter 11, commercislly available equipment; Chapter 111, techniques; and Chapter IV, applications. Chapter V (99 pages) contains four tables for the identification of 1189 organic compounds by measurement of the melting points and refractive indices of the melt. The gcnerel methods consist of determining the melting point, the eutretie melting points with two standard substances, and the temperature a t which s. glans powder standard (set covers range from 1.43 to 1.69 in 0.01 incrementsi has
characterist,ies such a s anomalous polarivation colors, unique shrinkage cracks or gas huhbles, odd crystal habit and transformation mechanism; of measuring eryntallographic properties, ete. Since only low magnifice*tions are required, low power objectives with Long working distance are suitable. The principal aooessory is the auxiliary stage dosignod to furnish the required temperstwe. Three hot stages are de~crihed. Some of theae are used in conjunction with an ordinary microsoape and some are complete instruments. A "hot bar," n long narrow hot plate having a. uniform temprrat,me gradient from end to end, is descrihcd, A microrefraetometer and a microspectrograph are deucrihed. The tcehniquo of using these instmmcnts i s described, followed by a disemsion of the observations useful in ehnruot,crizing and identifying fusible ~:ompo~inds.Other techniques performed un a microscopic scale include: detection of impurities (unsharp melting point) and cstirnation of purity, met,hods of purifieation (fractional crystdliation, fractional ahsor:>tion, etc.), analysis of mixtures (areal, counting, etc.); study of polpmorphism, determination of temperatnre-composition diagmms. Chapter IV outlines some applications of insion methods to special problems: kinetics oi crystal growth, thermal stahility of dscomposahle compounds, study of pour-point depressants in lubricating oil, recry~tallizationand grain growth. The hook is written in a. discussion style -not as laboratory directions. I t is a worthwhile outline and rderonoe for a person working on identification8 on a microscopic scale. CARL E. OTTO U N I V E ~ ~or I TM~A I N E OBONO, M*IAE
QUANTUM CHEMISTRY: AN INTRODUCnON
Walter Kauzmann, Princeton University. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1957. xii 744 pp. Many figures and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $12.
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THIS is an important hook.
Its range
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of topics and its penetrating and penetrable expo~itiond l serve to make a place for i t in the graduate and postgraduate quantum mechanical education of many chemiste. Far it is primarily a chemist's hook, in its special subservience to the average chemist's mathematical deficiencies and in its perspective and subject matter. The characteristic feature of the hook is the understanding of the subject which n student can acquire by its use, rather than a knowledge of how to use the methods described in it. In this senre it can be described as a thought ful and expansive complement to the more formal textbooks on the mbjeet, particularly "Quantum Chemistry" by Eyring, Walter, and Iiimhall. The book is divided into five parts: Part I, hfatbematicnl Barkground, includes a. ~eetion on basic cancept,s and ~ections on classird vibration theory; Part 11, General Principle? of Quantum Mechanics; Part 111, Atomic Systems; Part IV, Molecular Systems; Part V, Systems in Non-Stationary States. Throughout the text appear exercises for the student (no S O ~ U ~ ~ or O ~ answers). E At the end of each of the 16 chapters are given both specific references cited and a section on general references. The appendix consists of two pages of numerical tables plus a summary of hydrogen atom wave functions. The mathematical treatment is carefully and thoroughly developed, making the bnok unu~uallylucid and tractable. Moreover, it is a thoughtfully written book, and one well suited for selistudy of tho subject. The author asks questions, then answers them, or dimusaes what type of answer is feasible. The discu~sians include critical evaluations of each aspect and application of the mathematical theory including careful examination of the approximations involved. Deserving special mention are the very thorough development of classical vibration theory and classicnl perturbation theory, and the featured presentation of the eigenvalue prohlem in the language of SturmLiouville theory. .4 splendid example of the contribution which this text makes is Chapter 8, Angular Momentum in Quantum Mechanics. The author gives a deformalized and extremely clear exposition, lull of physical insight and interpretation. The discussions of the meaning of eommutability of angular momentum operators are particularly valuable. A sig~ificantomission is the develop ment of cla~sicalmerhanics in Lagrangian and Hamiltmian form. The author's emphasis on Sturm-Liouville language for t,he eigenvalue problpm and the c o m e quent generalization of t,he latter, defers explicit formulation and use of the clsssical Hamiltonian until the glancing reference on page 159 when the quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian operator is introduced. The reviewers feel that this omission will present difficulties of full comprehension far the new student of quantum mechanics, and it is some-
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what inappropriat,e when one considers the importance of the role of the Hamiltonian in quantum chemistry. A second topic which get,s disxpjrointing treatment is that of group theoly. I t is unfortunate that there is no singlc place in the book where group theory is given 8. general and rounded development,. Thc author makes considerable use of group theory in the hook but in a way which shows how useful the subject can he rather than how to use it in gonoral. On the other hand, the author gives a commondablc emphasis to the role of symmet,ry operators as operators bhat rommute with the Hxmilt,onian. Topics given more extensive treatment than found in similn~.textbooks are t,he classical electron theory of opt,ics (90 pages, including 10 pages on classical optical rotation) and the fairly extensive and detai!ed account of t,he electronic structure and spectre, of polyatomic molecules. The latter topic is given a treat,ment, whieh-although i t is, understandably, not up t,o dato, in this m w t active field of quantum rhemistryis nevertheless more detailed and current than any other account save the journal literature. Topics of current interest also included, however briefly, are nuclear quadrupole coupling and hybrid character of arhitds, chemical s h i ~ t s in nuclear
magnetic resonance, electron transfer spectra, internal ronversion in mol~cules, and the quantum mechanical theory of optical rotation (20 pages). Topics which the author omitted for want of space include the crystalline state, nuclear phenomena, quantum statistics, and molecular mhratmns. I t seems strange to find prscticslly no mention of infrared and R a m n vibrational spectros copy in the hook. Notable omissions within the framework of topics treated by the author are overlap integrals as s rriterion of bond strength, spin-orbital coupling in molecules, polarization of electronic transitions, and the theory of intermolecular energy tranefer. On the whole, this textbook seems well suited for consideration for the t e s c h i n ~of a graduate course in quantum chemistry. To facilitate this use, there is on page viii s. suggested course of study which will relieve the new student of the formidable impremion the book imparts by virtue of its lsngth of 744 pitgos and its thickness of almost two inches. One imagines that the use which individual copios of this hook will receive will prove rather too much for the medium strength of binding provided. (Thin review was prepared during the period of s. research contract between the Physics Branch, Office of Naval Research, and the Florida State University.) M. KASRA G. A . CROSBY FLORID*ST*TE UN,VERB,TY T A L L A ~ ~ SFLORIDA ~EE.
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