SO
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
described since the war in detailed reports by technical teams. With his awn experience in evaluating the commercial praotieahility of published examples and claims, the author has p r e sented a survey that is comprehensive indeed. The literature appears to have been covered with painstaking care and judicious appraisal. The book contains over 4MlO references dating from 1835 t o the second half of 1951. Topics covered are: styrene polymeriaatian (written as an introduction t o polymer science); styrene copolymerization; styrene derivative and related polymers ; methrtcrylic and acrylic ester polymers; acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, and related polymers; polymers from vinyl acetate and related monomers; vinyl chloride polymers; vinylidene chloride and fluorovinyl polymers; ethylene high polymers and copolymers; high polymers and copolymers of isobutylene; vinyl ether polymers; sulfur-vinyl compounds; nitrogen-vinyl polymers; vinyl ketone and mkcellaneous polymers. The hook is stoutly hound, printed on paper of good quality, and contains remarkably few typographical errors for a first edition. Its price notwithstanding, this hook should appeal t o nearly every chemist, whether its value be directly related t o his own activities in the polymer field or a matter of his being informed on a timely and important suhject. I t will certainly he recommended by the industrial research staff to the recent graduate who is starting s. career concerned with vinyl polymers. There is every reason t o hope and expeot that thie book will find its nzy into the olasaroom. ELLINGTON M. BEAVERS
Ronu *wn H**s Co. P n r ~ ~ o m ~ ~PENNBI~VANIA nra.
0 THE SURFACE CHEMISTRY OF SOLIDS S. I. Glegg, Reader in Surface Chemistry, University College of the South West of England, Exeter. Reinhdd Publishing Corp., New York, 1951. ix + 297 pp. 105 figs. 8 tables. 14.5 X 22.5 Em. $8.50.
T n ~ little s book is a survey of s. widely dispersed field of investigation-the phenomena whioh occur a t the surface of a solid. The author's attempt has been t o systematize the information, bath empirical and theoretical, in terms of principles and thus t o indicate the present status of knowledge of the subject. The result is that he has produced s. vducthle book which occupies a. position in the scientific literature midway between an exhaustive treatise, useful as a reference work, and an uncritical, qualitative presentation suitable only as an introduction to the suhject. The topics treated range from the contrasting theories of multilayer physical adsorption of gases on solids to the soldering of metals; from catalysis and chemisorption to the water repellanoy of ducks' feathers. A unique feature of this book is the author's apparent reluctance to he drawn into discussions of those surface phenomena which are traditionally classified ss "colloid" chemistry. He defends the arbitrariness of this by suggesting that these are "such important subjects in their own right that i t would he somewhat forced to regard them as subdivisions of surface ehemistry." This point of view results in the oomplete omission of all mention of the manifold effects of the adsorption of ions by colloidslly dispersed solids, eto. The choice of subject matter emphasizes, rather, the signifirance of surfaoe effects (psrticularly adsorption) in the ordinary chemical and physical interactions of matter. For example, there are chapters devoted to Adhesion and the Effect of Adsorption on I t , The Spreading of a Liquid overs Solid, and The Part Played by Surface in Chemical Reactions. Experimental techniques pertinent to the problems of surface chemistry are described. These range from the accurate determination of densities in various liquids to the electron microscopy of surfaces. A great variety of applications to the practical problems of industry (such as friction and lubrication) are indicated. The phenomena, associated with the adsorption of gases by
solids receive considerable detailed mviow. These di&ussions rather unfortunately are broken into isolated portions by the chapter arrangements. Clear-cut distinotion between physical adsorption and ohemisorptian is not immediately apparent. Incorrect impressions might result from casual inspection or piecemeal reading of these sections. Students in introductory physical chemistry courses will 6nd this book interesting and valuable as supplementary reading. It certainly belongs on enoyclopeWe library shelves. It is very readable and amply illustrated. The photographs and electron micrographs are well chosen and clearly reproduced. The author provides each chapter with a concise summary, a list of references and a short bibliography. WILLIAXI F. KIEFFER
COL,,E~Bor W o o s ~ e s W o o s ~ ~ 0x10 n.
THE NATURE OF SOME OF OUR PHYSICAL CONCEPTS
0
P. W. Bridgmon, Professor of Physics, Hanrard. Philosophical library, New York, 1952. 64 pp. 4 figs. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $2.75. THIS hook presents three lectures whioh were given in 1950 under the auspices of the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science a t City College, University of London. They were published in the January, April, and August, 1951, numbers of the B~itishJournal for the Philosophy of Science. I n subject matter, they represent an even more penetrating analysis of cert,ain phyhysical concepts than the author has given in his hooks, "Tbe Logic of Modern Physics," "The Pisture of Thermodynamics," and "'The Thermodynamics of Electrical Phenomena in IMetsls." The first lecture takes up the general operational approach, and shows how in our conc.epts we jump hack and forth between instrumental omrations and mental ooerations. The mathema~iciann u y m y , ' \VP will non por5rm rlw O ~ T I I I W or ~
