476
XEIV BOOKS.
high value set on "teachableness" is rliic, sonirtirnes. :is much to consideration for self as for students. But the reviewer does not wish to be misuiitlr-rstood, the good points of the book overbalance those which do not happen to coincide with his own, perhaps peculiar, notions, and the proof of his appreciation is that lie intends to recommend it a s one of the two or three bcst elementary texts S. LA\VREXCI: Blc,er,ow. known to him. Die Kathodenstrahlen. By G. C. SCHNIDT. Prof. PPhys. 1:niv. KDnigsberg. Second editon. Braunschweig: F. Vieweg und S o h . I ( ~ O ; , 1 2 7 pp, Price, Mark, 3.60, bound.
This monograph, which forms No. 2 of the collection, Die 1i;issenschaft, gives a clear and concise account of our knowledgc of the electric discharge in evacuated vessels. The book is iiitcndecl for the 11011specialist; the use of niathematics is almost \iTliolly avoided; yet, by means of well chosen illustrations and ingenious :inalogics, tlic reader is easily led to an accurate understanding of this niost fascinating siibject. 'I'he topics treated include the nature of light and tlic luminous ether; tlie cathode rays, their production and behavior, togetlicr with :in escellent critical discussion of the v:irious hypotheses regarding their nature ; the nature of the electron or corpuscle, its vclocity, charge a1:d mass; the Zeeman effect; the canal rays, etc. 'I'his little book is a I\.elcoi11c addition to the semi-popular literature oi the corpuscle, the primitive unit of which all matter seems to be built up. IIIIIZI:I:RT S . NcCos: The Microscopy of Technical Products. 1:roin the Germnil of Dr. T.I:. Hannusek. Translated by Andrew L. Winton, P h D., n.itii tlic collaboration of Kate G.IJarixr, Ph.D. Kew Uork: John \%ley & Sons. 190;. Svo, s i i i 4 : i pages, 276 iliustrations. Price, $5.00.
This book which has enjoyed a well established rcpiitation in the original is now presented to English readers in the i w r k of Dr. \Tinton. While not dealing with chemical methods of identification, esccpt incidentally, it nevertheless must possess 110 little interest for those chcmists who are engaged in various lines of cspclrt tcstiiig work iii which recourse to the microscope is often absolutclv neccss:iry. The portion of the book which will be found the niost L:scful t o nnalytical cheinists are the chapters on the starches, steins aiitl roots ant1 fruits and seeds. These are clearly written ant1 illiistratctl. The rapid extension of the natioi:al arid state food and drug la\vs makes the kind of knowledge contained in this book cipeciully \-aluable a t the present time. The translator is a t the hear1 of tllc Govcrnmeiit Food and Drug Laboratory in Chicago arid has had L: long experiericc in the line of work discusscd in the book. Froin this pr:ictical experience he has been able to make more thaii a Lr:,rislatimi of it, a'i tlic i i ~ ~ . ~ i i e r o u s notes attest. 'l'hc illustrations, esseiiti:d i i i :i work of this character,
477
NEW BOOKS.
On the whole, the book can be heartily recomJ. H. LONG. Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Qualitative Analysis by Solution. By F. TIare especially good. mended.
MARTIN, PH.D., Lynchburg, Va
J. P. Bell Co
1907
pp. 64.
Price,
$0
7j
In this small guide to qualitative analysis the first threr chapters are devoted to general matters related to the theory of solutions, such as osmosis, vapor pressure, ionization, chemical equilibrium, hydrolysis, etc. l h e fourth and fifth chapters deal with the classification of the bases and acids into groups. A few reactions of the rnenihers of each group are given. Chapters 6 and 7 give the systematic procedurefnr the identification of acidic and basic ions. Chapter 8 contains a list of 2 j cxercises to be carried out according to the directions given in the preceding chapters. The appendix contains a list of reagents with brief directions for making theni. It is not intended t h a t the treatise should be used withAs the author says in the out the personal instruction of the teacher. preface, “He (the instructor) is the one indispensable feature of a laboraEDWARD H. KEISER. tory.” Electro-Analysis. By EDGAR F. SMITH. 4th edition revised and enlarged, with 42 illustrations.
Philadelphia: Blakiston’s Son & Co.
1907. Price, $2.50 net.
Since the last edition of Professor Smith’s book was published in 1902, the rotating electrode has been introduced into electro-analysis, with the resalt t h a t in niany cases the time required to complete an electrolysis has been reduced from hours to minutes. ?he preseiit work is the first to give full details of the conditions under ithicli satisfactory results may be obtained with this new tool, and is thus the only really “up-todate” treatise on electro-analysis in existence. Many of the new methods have been norked out in the laboratory of the author, and their accuracy and speed arc attested by nunierous trial analyses ; particularly interesting arc those in which both artion arid cation are determined in a single operation with niercury cathode and silver anode. In many instances, no doubt, the slower methods will still remain in use-to leave the current on oker night is a very easy method of niaking an analysis--and the author has done wisely in retaining the dcscriptions of the older methods side by side with those of the new. One hundred and thirty pages have thus been added to the hook: if in a future edition it should prove necessary to economize space, i t might be a good idea to cut out the pictures on pages 64 an2 9; in which a niilliammeter worth thirty dollars or so is represented as tilted against an accumulator cell filled with sulphuric acid. There art’ laboratories where a student could get himself into trouble by attempting to carry this suggestion into practice. W. LASH MILLER.
