411
SEPTEMBER, 1952
..
hustion. .," page 107. I consider "combust" a vulgar invention of a verb when we have such a good short one, namely, burn. a,.. . Dams The author uses "comhust" numerous times,. e. . - 74.. 106.. 109, 165, etc. .4n author and a subject index make the hook easy to use. LEALLYN B. CLAPP
0
THE ENZYMES. VOLUME 11, PART 2
Edited by James B. Sumner, Laboratory of Enzyme Chemistry, Cornell University, and K a d Myrback, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemishy, University of Stockholm. Academic 650 (791-1440) pp. IllusPress, Inc., New York, 1952. xi trated. 15.5 X 24 em. $14.
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T H I ~comdetes the series of four volumes coverine manv
considerations of mechanisms of metabolic systems involving enzymes may he the mast interesting part of the work. S. R. Elsden discusses bacterial fermentation. F. Bernhein considers enzymes involved in detoxications. H. A. Krebs diacusses urea synthesis; P. P. Cohen writes on peptide bond synthesis and on the enzymatic synthesis of glutamine. K.-B. Augustinsson supplies a chapter on synthesis of acetylcholine, eholineaeetylase. The enzymatic mechanisms of oxidative assimilation by mioroorganisms are considered by C. E. Clifton, while S. Ochoa reviews those of carbon dioxide fixation, in a large chapter. F. L. Breusch discusses carbohydrate-fat conversion. W. E. Loomis reviews the present status of theories of photo~ynthesisin green plants, while C. B. Van Niel discusses photosynthesis by pigmented bacteria. The Finnish scientists, A. I. Virtanen and N. Rautanen, provide an interesting chapter on nitrogen assimilation by free living microorganisms such as Azotobacter m d Clostridivm and in plants by symbiotic microorganisms, also the assimilation of ammonia and of nitrates by plants. The canoer researcher should find interesting a summary of work that has so far progmsed in tumor enzymatology. This chapter is supplied by J. P. Greenstein and A. Meister of the National Institutes of Health. There appears to be much more to he learned in this field. Finally there is a long chapter on enzyme technology by the Squihh Institute for Medical Research scientists, A. F. Lt~nglykke,C. V. Smythe, and D. Perlman, ranging from the enzyme technology used invarious fermentation of industrial importauce,in the producti6ion of antibiotics, and in the msnufacture and application of all sorts of industrial enzymes such as those important in leather manufacture, brewing, pharmaceutical chemistry, dairy industry, and the iruit-growers industry. CLIFFORD S . LEONARD
Gur~rono Conwscmcnr
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ALEXANDER S I L V E R M l N Tam U N I V E R ~OF ~ TP~TTBBDROB Y PITT.BOR.A. PENNBI~V*NI*
Malcolm Dixon, Reader in Enzyme Biochemistry in the University of Cambridge, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Foreword by the late Sir F. G. Hopkins. Third edition. Cambridge 165 pp. 20 figs. 5 University Press, New York, 1951. mi tables. 13 X 19 em. $2.
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THE first two editions of this book, during the last 20 years, have served to introduce many workers to manometric methods. The fact that now a third edition has become necessarv. shoas ~that it~ continues h to ~he a favorite ~ ~amongt both tbeginners ~ and esvieneed. The newest edition is sure to be weloomed by all workers using these methods. The book, just as in the previous editions, is divided into three parts. In Part 1, the constant pressure, constant volume, and differential types of manometers are described and their theories developed. Some newer improvements have been incorporated. A new Brodie solution and 8. toluene thermoregulat.or are reeommended, and the newer types of water baths are mentioned. The second part describes in six chapters the methods of measuring respiration. Discussed in detail are the direct and indirect methods of Warburg, the first and second method of Dickens and Simer, and the method of Dixon and Keilin, while the micromethods (e. g., Cartesian diver method, and othera) are treated but briefly. A comparison of this part with the corresponding
".
ELEMENTS OF CERAMICS
F. H, morton, hafessar of ceramics, ~
~ ~h&tvte ~ of Technology. Addison-Wesley press, I ~ c . , Cambridge, M ~ S S . , 246 pp. Illustrated. 19 X 25 om. $6.50. 1952. xiv
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THIS is a hook from the pen of an authority.
clay minerals, a. diagrammatic summary, m d a list of references. Chapter 2 dwells on the Origin and Occurrence of Clays (kaolins, ball clays, fire clays, ferrogeneous and special clays) and oonsiders prices and production. It includes a full-page geologic time scale and numerous maps which show locations of deposits. Chapter 3 is on Properties of Clays. Chapter 4 covers Silica and Feldspaz and substitutes for the latter. I n Chapter 5 the reader is introduced to Magnesite, Lime, Dolomite, Chromite; tables indicate composition ranges. Chapter 6 on "Other nonclay Minerals briefly considers fluxes like lithium and barium minerals, fluorine and phosphate minerals; the magnesium silicates, talc, and asbestos; aluminous minerals; glaze and glass minerals containing lead, zinc, boron, tin compounds; refractory minerals of zirconium, beryllium, titanium, thorium, cerium, etc.; carbonaceous minerals, graphite, coal and coke, diamond. In Chapter 7, Mining and Treatment of Rsw Materials, methods are discussed and well illustrated, including excellent flow sheets. Chapter 8, Flow Properties of Ceramic Pastes and Slips, evidences the author's mastery of applicable physical lam. In Chapter9 the Plastic Masses rtppertr and in Chapter 10 are used as Casting Slips with process indications. Then follow Chapters 11 on Forming Methods and 12 on Drying of Ceramic Ware. Chapter 13 on Thermochemiesl Reactions introduces the phase rule, equilibrium diagrams, reaction rates. The reader learns of Types of Ceramic Bodies in Chapter 15, Kilna and Settings in 16. Chapters 17 and 18 cover the Glassy State and Glasses in brief but good fashion, with generous illustrations. Glazes follow in 19 and Enamels on Metal in 20. Chapters 21 and 22 discuss Color Formation in Glasses and Glazes and Ceramic Stains and Colors; then follows Chapter 23 on Decorative Processes. Finally there is Chapter 24 on Cements and Plastics. A useful appendix includes illustrated data. on kilns, a section on bodies and glazes with useful charts, brief supplements on colors and stains, tables of equivalent weights, atomic radii, temperature equivalents of Orton canes, rt C.-F. temperature-conversion table, calibration data for vmious thermocouples. The volume closes with a table of symbols and units. The large clear type is an example of how books should be printed. Italics clearly indicate topics of discussion. Illustrations and tables are abundant and well selected. Xany of the drawings were prepared by the author. A glossary of terms might have been helpful t o the student. A good book from the pen of an exacting teacher.
I t is intended
as an introduction to ceramics for juniors and seniors in under-
graduate courses. I t should proveuseful to workers and others in the ceramic industry. After a well charted historical introduction which touches upon the scope and magnitude of the industry in the United States and refers briefly to ceramic literature, Chapter 1 on the Clay Minerals opens with the elements a i crystal chemistry, followed by silicate structures, formulas and structures of kaolin minerals, montmorillonite minerals, micaceous minerals, and hydrated aluminous minerals, and closes with methods of identification of
