BOOK REVIEWS nomic factors. The book shordd find wide usage as a rcfercnro book. It is highly rtwmmcndcd.
The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments
IZoberl Bred. Goldon Press, Inc., New Yark, I!)GO. I12 pp. Illuntrated. 21 X 28 rm. $1.05. T h i ~valun~cshould serve as a n adrquxte guide far the youngster who wishes
t o set up his h o n laboratory ~ and perform his 0M.n chemical experiments. The esperiments have been well selected; directions worked out with due rogard for safety, for simplicity of appnmtus, and of manipulation. The book is copiously illustrated with artistically done sketches whieh, in general, clearly indicat,e how npparatus should be set up and what precautions should he ohsrrved. After introductory sections on the "Importance of Chemistr,~"and "Chemists of the Past" ahout a dozen pages are devoted t o pictures of somc af the glassware and hardwaro used hy the chemist, instructions for setting up the home lab, for good manipulat.ive techniques, and for construrting certain "do-it-yourself" items such as a simple chemical balance. Becauw of thc levcl for xhieh i t is in-
tended the volume has a highly dcseriptive flavor whieh does not convey the impression of being a modern approach to the study of chemistry. The modem periodic tshlr whirh includes element number 102, Nohelium, the mention of silicones, the inrlusion of a picture of a nuclear rractar, all combine to reassure us that the work really is up t o date. Some pemons will be disappointed to see so little attention to atomic structure, chemical honding, and their relation to rhemical properties. The suthor has ohviorrsly had to make his choices and in the opinion of thc rcviewer has fiueeeeded rather well a t th* Irvd for whirh t h r book is intended. Coverage of the field of chemistry is rather eomorchensive. Exoeriments include prcparstion and propcrtirs of g a p s ( 5 ) , nomnetnls (4), mctxls (a), also scct,iona on xvatcr, solutions, acids, hases, salts, colloids, and p ~ r h a p sx dozen sections draling with carbon and organic chemistry. Rnrcly docs discussion of a. given sul,stance such as hydrogen, iodine, copper, or thc hydrornrlrons rstcnd beyond two pages of trxt and in nearly every instance i~ major fmction oi the two pages is devoted to skrtchrs illustrating n p paratus and to experimental details. Even a t that, it is interesting to observe how much fnrtual information the author h a been shle to include in so small a. space. The "sciontitic a p p r o n r h includes sections on "hlr. Fanclay's Candles" and "You-Scientist." Tlrcse do in n sense provide an irnaginstivc approsrh to this suhject and rvrn though they appear quite limited in scopr : ~ n dsrpm to provide most of t h ~BIISI(.PTS, again, for youngsters this may vcyy well he a mare stimulating approach than n rrhnsh of tho steps which r o n s t i t u t ~"tha srimtific method." \\‘bile snfety prernutions have for the most part been carefully ~ o r k e dout r7e hop? that junior will usc s snzall. alive jar (as shown) for rollerting hydrogen and that he will hold it in a towrl before igniting. If the amateur scimtist follows directions hc should mcaunter no diifirulty in 'the prcperntion of chlorine, hydrogen sulfidp, or the s n d amount of phcnol suggested. All in d l this is n cnrefully done volume with a wealth of dcscriptivr chemistry. This might very d l b? u s ~ f ~asdR SOUTCPhook af ehrmirnl ~ s p r r i m m t s in thr dmwntary gc~des. 1 h N ~ l . n5. ALLEN Slnle l ~ n i i ~ e r s of i l ~.Yew / 1-01.k College qf Edimlion .41han]q, .Veto 1 . d
Fatty Acids: Their Chemistry, Properties, Production, and User. Parl 1
Xdited by Rlare S . Jlarkley, Intcmntional Cooperation Adrninistmtian, U.S..4. Oprmtinn Mission t o Brazill Rio dc Janciro, B r a d 2nd cd. Interscience Publishers, Ine., New York, 1!)GO. ix 714 pp. Figs, and tables. 16 X 23.5 rm. $22.50.
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The sppearanw of s second edition of (Continued on page A854)
A852
/ Journal
of Chemicol Education
