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inz with velocitv of adsomtion and desomtion: sdsomtion iso-
NUCLEAR PHYSICS
Irving Kaplan, Brookhaven National Laboratory. AddisonWesley Publishing Company, Inc., Cambridge, Massaohuaetts, 1955. xi 609 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $8.50.
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I ' I ~ Esubject
matter of this hook is somewhat broader than the title may imply. The first 150 pages make up a section of seven
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cover topics found in most hooks on nuclear physics and include concepts of isotopy, radioactive decay, induced nuolear reactions, and nuolear structure. The last part (150 pages) consists of speoial topics of special applicability to the nuclear industry. These subjects which inolude neutron physics, fission, nuclear energy sources, and isotope separation give the book a flavor which shouldappeal to those not primarily int,erested in the rigors of nuclear theory. However, they will by no means he uninteresting to the physics student. To cover as much ground as the author has set out to do in a single volume means of necessity that the treatment is not comprehensive. However, the author has done remarkably well in bringing together a large volume of information in a. minimum number of pages. The author assumes that the reader has no knowledge of quantum mechanics and for those concepts which rest upon quantum mechanical formulation, descriptive passages are provided. Among the other features of this hook are copious references to the original literature, review articles, and other books. The references are well areanieed aecordine to subiect. and titles of used as a text. All in all, the author has done an excellent job in providing a book which should he intelligible to a wide range of readers. Although the author himself describes the treatment as elementary, it is not devoid of rigor and gives a. good descri~tionof the present statusof those ph& of n&xr theory which are covered. I. PERLMAN
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is treated-both hv classical-kinetic {heor; and h v stati'stical method=, rontxin nothing whirll ic irew a s ixr 32 the lirrrnturc is ronr~rnt~rl, hut nro Iogiully drvrlop?~l,and thr autl~orrltsrly points out the R Q F I I I I I I > I ~ I ) I I and limitation^ of tlac various trmt.... .. ..
The ch.,pter on ~ n t r c h i ~ ~ ~v i iatl60rption nl~ deds with the :~pplitation of rhrorirr of mwtlc, tnd diwuw~shoth the \Iotr,lonck 2nd Paulirlg rhwrirz .tml thr iwvortwrr of dnrbital clecrrons in
The weaknesses of the book, as far as this reviewer is concerned, lie in the presentation of the underlying thermodynamic theory relating to adsorption. By way of example, the opening sentence of Chapter I reads, "When two immiscible phases are brought into contact, it is nearly always found that the concentration of one phase (reviewer's italics) is greater a t the interface than in the hulk. This tendency for accumulation to take place a t a surface is called adsorption." What one hopes that the author intended to say is that a t interfaces the eoncentrstions of the vssious components of a. heterogeneous system are generally different from those in the hulk phase. There is no i t t t e m ~ to t d ea good treatment of the adsorbed film as a surface chase, and the uncritical application of the Clspeyron-Clausius equation to 80called heats of adsamtion. reeehinz back to the beeinnines of adsorption, finds its $ace hnquesti&ed in this hook as in many others. These shortcomings are small, however, and the reviewer can recommend the hook not only as a convenient summary of the field for those pmfessiondly interested in adsorption, hut as s. useful work for teachers and for those seeking a. general introduction to the subject of rhemiso~ption.
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ERIC HUTCHINSON
CHEMISORPTION
B. M. W. Tmpnell, Ledurer in Chemistry, Liverpool University. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1955. vii 265 pp. 8 7 figs. 69 tables. 14.5 X 22 cm. $6.80.
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T m s monograph is intended t o present the subject of ehemisorption in terms of theory and experiment in a manner which, while of greater interest t o readers actively engaged in this field, is intelligible to the more general public. I n this the author has succeeded; and i t is remarkable that in such a concise work the author has not noticeably sacrificed clarity of exposition t o hrevity. The result has been achieved by the author's confining his discussion of experimental data either t o more recent data or to only those older d t ~ t aobtained by the outstanding workers in this field. The reader. therefore.. is wared . a mere cataloeuiue..of ad~orptiondataandiqpmsrnttd with 3 hlghly ~elcctcdeel. Following an intnduvtory chapter thcrenre ninr rhzptrrs dcnl-
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INORGANIC REACTIONS AND STRUCTURE
Edwin S. Gould, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. Henry Holt and Company. New York, 1955. viii 470 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 2 4 cm. $6.50.
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THIS is a new type of textbook. The author intends it "to fill a gap in the training of college chemistry students." It falls between the descriptive textbook of the general chemistry course and the advanced reference text. I t is not a referenoe hook, hut puts its emphasis upon the significance of internrtl structural relationships in the interpretation of properties and reactions. Some of the chapter headings will appear conventional (e. g., Hydrogen and the Hydrides; Boron and Aluminum; Zinc,
