NOVEMBER, 1953
595
A student of chemistry or physics will find this book a good introduction to both the theoretical and experimental aspects of microwave spectroscopy. The discussion of techniques presents a convenient andunifiedpicture, for itgivesmeth~ d s diazrams, , and electronic circuits. be ~articularlvhelnful to a new worker in the field. However. this &on co&& little that has not bcen previously published in technical journals. The theoretical sections me well documented, although in many instances formulas are presented without proof. This latter aspect will he considered an advantage by a casual reader, but those students seeking s. fundamental approach will have to make considerable use of the many detailed references cited by the authors. The appendix is of particular interest, for it contains a complete and up-to-date summary of the information that has been obtained from the microweve spectra of gases. In addition, a bibliography is included which is complete through most of 1952. ROLLIE J. MYERS
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CHEMICAL PROCESS MACHINERY
E. Raymond Riegel, formerly Professor of Indushial Chemistry, University of Buffalo (N.Y.). Second edition. Reinhold Pub735 pp. 597 figs. 15 X lishing Corp., New York, 1953. vii 23.5 cm. $12.50.
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A SLIGHT change in name from "Chemiod Machinery" in the first edition (1944) to "Chemical Process Machinery" emphasizes the nature of the equipment discussed in this book. The same 27 chapters describe machinery in approximately the order that the unit operation would be encountered in a chemical processing plant. These range from size reduction to instrumentation. The machinery and equipment used in most of the common unit operations are discussed from the viewpoint of their construction, operation, capscity, and cost. The size of the book has increased from 583 pages to 735 pages. Much of the material used in this book has to be ohtained directly from the manufacturer, who is anxious to extol the merit? of his equipment. However, the descriptions are accurate and the large number of illustrations make it easy to understand the manner of operation. Tablea give sizes, dimensions, capacities, and, sometimes, cost of equipment. Some illustrated problem are given showing how to calrulc~tecapacities, though these usually involve nothing more t h m reading a set of curves or charts. The faults of this book are those of all descriptive texts. Everything cannot be described. The student who knows nothing about the machinery in a certain field will find most of the common types described. The practicing engineer who wants information on a special or unusual type of machine usually will not find it. The numerical examples are wasted because no background in fundamentals is given. The reading references given a t the end of each chapter may not even refer to the maohinery discussed in that chapter. Certainly better and more recent references could have been selected for most chapters. The merit of the book lies in the enormous amount of deacrip tive material gathered into one place. The student, unfamiliar with chemical machinery, does not have to write to scores of oompanies to request oataloguerr and technical bulletins. He will find an elementary description of most of the common machinery. If this is not sufficient, he must then turn to manufacturers' literature and it would be helpful if the book listed manufacturers in each field. This book is designed to give the would-he engineer some descriptive background in most af the unit operations. I t is succeasful in doing this. The format and style of the book itself ia excellmt. KENNETH A. KORF:
UNIVERSITY OP TBXAB Ansnx. TexAn
L. FARKAS MEMORIAL VOLUME Edited by Adalbert Farkas, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, and Eugene P. Wigner, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey. Interscience Publishers. k c . , New York, 1952. 309 pp. nlustrated. X 24.5 $6. THISbook oamprises a collection of articles, mainly reviews, which have bcen contributed by teachers, colleagues, pupils, and friends of Ladislaus Fmkas, who Was killed in an air accident on the 31st of December, 1948. Since the list of contributors is a distinguished one the volume is a fitting tribute to Farkas, whose brilliant researches, especially on deuterium and its reactions, have made so lasting a mark on the progress of physical chemistry. The book will be a valuable addition to the library of physical chemists, psrticularly these interested in chemicd kinetics, in which field most of the articlrslie. It is not possildc lo wriren wviw of nll t h r 2 5 ~ r t i ~ ~ l e ~ ~ ~ 0 u t ~ i n c d in thr volumc, and the a.ritt.r will merely rcfw r u thorr nrtieler which to him were of special interest; other readers will doubtless find other articles that are closer to their special fields. The introductory article, by Sir Eric Rideal, gives a, brief account of Farkas' career. H. C. Urey presents a, molecular mechanism for the condensation of easeous constituents in the formation of the planets. A brief a&e by M. Polanyi, on Dalton's atomic theory, reprinted from the Mancheater Guardian, offers a refreshing warning to modem scientists with regard to the present tendency to amass accurate but unconnected information without pondering on its broader implications. E. P. Wigner gives a valuable and readable review of the shell model for atomic nuclei. The remaining articles are nearly all in the field of chemical kinetics. Two articles, one by S. H. Bauer and one by H. W. Melville and J. C. Rohb, deal with methods of measuring very rapid reaetians-a very important field of st"dy at the present time. M. Sewarc reviews the situation regarding elementary reactions in the gas phase, partieulndl those related to organic decompositions. H. Eyring, R. B. Parlin, M. B. Wallenstein, and B. J. Zwolinski discu~smechanismsof catalytic dchydrogcnations of olefins and consider the experimental data, in some detail, M. Boudart and H. S. Taylor disouss the origin of the activation energy in chemisarption prooesses, and M. Burton gives a useful review of reactions induced by ionizing radiations. Several of the rtrtioles deal with reactions in solution. N. Uri reviews the situation regarding the reactions of ions in aqueoua solutions, and J . Weiss discusses in some detail the reaction between hydrogen peroxide and ferrous and ferric ions. Several artides deal with biological reactions, including that of W. G. Frankenburg on the fermentation of tobacco, that of J. Gillis, P: Spitnik, and E. Katchalski on hydrolytic .enzymes, and that of J. Yudkin bn enzyme adaptation. Any physical chemist who reads this book will surely learn much that is new to him and will find a. oonvenknt wav of keen. illgirl touch with some recent developments. Thegeneral format of the book is good. ~
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS. VOLUME V Compiled and edited by C. A. Jacobson, Late Professor of Chemistry, West Virginia University, with the assistance of Clifford A. Hampel, Consulting Chemist, Chioago, IU., and EIbert C. Weaver, Department of Chemistry, Phil!+ Andover Adademy. Reinhold Publishing Corp.,New York, 1953. 787 pp. 16 X 23.5 cm. $15. THISvolume of the well-known series includes the reactions of elements from nickel through ruthenium, and has been published after the death of Dr. Jacobson. Subsequent volumea will a p pear under a new editorial organization.
