VOL. 8, No. 10
RECENT BOOKS
of a textbook that brought him a fortune in the way of royalties), John Mayow, who like Priestley failed t o interpret his experiments on "vital air" correctly, and other "Makers of Chemistry." He pays tribute t o G. F. Rouelle (1703-70), who is apt t o he sparsely treated in the ordinary history, and states that he "is one of the greatest teachers of chemistry that France or the world has produced . . . the first t o clearly define the nature of a salt and to give a systematic classification to this important class of compounds." The phlogiston theory and the cause which led to Lavoisier's great prououncement are well set forth. The last fifty pages of the hook are devoted to the classification of the elements, the rise of organic and of physical chemistry, and to the structure of the atom. . The hook is well printed and its numerous and well-chosen illustrations greatly enhance its interest. I n short, the volume is a most readable and accurate account, especially of the period before 1800, and one which the reviewer would gladly see in the library of every student of chemF. B. DAINS istry.
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TRB UNIVERSITY OR Kms-
2103
There is nothing in the descriptive half of the text to offset the grimness of Part I . The authors have held to their intention not to popularize the subject; they state in the preface that "no historical material has been used, and references to industrial processes have been made as concise as possible." The only human touch in the hook is to be found in the eleven portraits reproduced from the Edgar F. Smith Memorial Collection in the History of Chemistry. The text is well adapted to the needs of the students who expect t o enter science as a profession, hut the reviewer wonders just how "practical and useful'' it has proved to the students pursuing the liberal arts course. The judgment which these students have passed upon similar required courses in chemistry during the last decade or two could hardly be expressed in such terms. Perhaps the syllabus of lectures, appended t o the preface, provides the means whereby a gifted lecturer can give material of more interest and value to this large group of students. J o m R. SAMPEY now*no COI.LBDB B ~ ~ U I N D H A MALABAMA .
L A W R ~ N C B KANSAS ,
A Shorter Course in Organic Chemistry. J. C. COLBERT,Assistant Professor General Chemistry, Theoretical and Descriptive. THOMASP. M c C u ~ c n e o ~ , of Chemistry, University of Oklahoma HARRYSBLTZ,AND J. C. WARNER, a t Norman, Oklahoma. (The Century Chemistry Series, James KendaU, EdiSecond edition, D. Van Nostrand tor.) The Century Company, New Company. New York City. 1931. xvi 352 pp., diag. York City, 1931. xviii 533 pp. 43figs. 11portraits. 21.5 (Part fold.) 15 X 23.5 cm. S.60. X 14 cm. $3.50.
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I n the second edition of this text the authors have retained the division of the subject matter into theoretical and descriptive sections. The former has been enlarged, particularly in the treatment of the relations hetween atomic structure and the periodic system, and in the interpretation of the theory of solutions in terms of the electron theory. There is as much physical chemistry in the 221 pages of Part I a s is t o be found in any first-year text. The frequent use of mathematical formulas should early accustom the student t o think in these terms.
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Although entitled "A Shorter Course in Organic Chemistry," Colhert's text is by no means superficial or fragmentary in its treatment of the beginning organic chemistry. It is in fact generously full in its treatment of the fundamental concepts and the classes of compounds of primary importance. One of the chief merits of the text is that i t is very obviously written for the beginning student, with the limitations of such a student in mind. Large clear structural formulas are used throughout and the author is not afraid t o explain
