JOURNAL O F CHEMICAL EDUCATION 0
DISTILLATION EQUILIBRIUM DATA
Ju Chin Chu, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn; R. Paul, Teaching Fellow, Polytechnio Institute of Brooklyn; R. J. Gefty and L. F. Brennecke, Chemical Engineers, Aluminum Ore Company. Reinhold 304 pp. 176 Publishing Corporation, New York, 1950. v tables. IS X 23 cm. $6.
+
"DIBTILLATION EQUILIBRIUM DATA"i8 a coinpilation of binary and ternary vepor-liquid equilibrium data which have appeared in the literature as of December, 1949. The attempt to include all available binary and ternary distillation data under one cover to serve as a. ready reference for those working in the field of distillation is an excellent one. The systems are arranged alphabetically, based on the name of the more volatile component, and are numbered in order of their appearance. The index also p r e sen& an alphabetical listing of components and their system number and page. While as a whole the book is a contribution to distillation literature, there are several defects. The bibliography as given has no cross references to page or system number. Names of a number of investigators listed in the bibliography a x misspelled. In some cases the references are not to the original article in which the investigators reported their experimental data. In spite of these discrepancies, the hook will serve as a. useful reference to those working in the field of distillation. M. VAN WINKLE UNIIERBIIY OP T E X * ~ Anmm. TxxM
equations on the top of page 242 are quite extraneous to the adjacent material in context. On page 45 one reads that there is a traoe of hydrogen in the atmosphere "probably formed by electrolysis of atmospheric water caused by lighting." On page 35 there is a reference to Thompson and Astor, where the author should have referred to Thomsou and Aston. On page 72 the figure to illustrate diffusion of gases should be vertical instead of horizontal. The volume includes much more detailed descriptive material than most teachers of general chemistry can present in one year. The author, furthermore, has made use of many scientific ideas with no explanation. As a result, msny paasages can be interpreted by the teacher hut they will be more or less meaingless to the beginning student with no high-school chemistry. Teachers who like to teach chemistry as scientific method will be annoyed by a casual and dogmatic presentation of important scientific theories with no indication of the evidence which was responsible for the theories. Thus, on page 6 one reads, "Dalton. after careful study of the experimental evidence, came to the eonolusion thet all matter is composed of extremely small particles which cannot be further divided.'' None of the experimental evidence is cited. The kinetic theory is presented on page 62 ss a finished picture and with little indication of its simificance ae a theory. The publisher has done an excellent job of printing and binding. The total number of pages is considerably less than in many of the recent texts in general chemistry. Teachers who need a brief desoriptive coverage of the material usually considered in the firs&year7scourse in general chemistry should examine this book. CONRAD E. RONNEBERG
0
DENIBON UN~VBRBITI Gnmvrmr. 0x10
GENERAL CHEMISTRY FOR COLLEGES
Jelks Barksdole, Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Longmans, Green and Company, New York, 1950. viii 540 pp. 77 figs. 42 iUushations (halftones). 37 tables. 15 X 22 cm.
+
0
CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY OF PROTEINS
09
THErecent texts in general chemistry for use in colleges have followed many different patterns. This text definitely sets a pattern of its own because of its frank and continual emphasis on the descriptive side of chemistry. Teachers who believe in this emphasis will probably be plcased with this text. Teachers who emphasize the principles of general chemistry and the continuous applications of these principles will 6nd it worth while to examine this text in order to improve their own perspective of the entire subject matter of general chemistry. The author has had both college teaching and industrial experience. The stated purpose of the author in offering this text is "the presentation of the essentials of general chemistry in a clear, simple manner so they can be learned and understood by students who are not chemistry majors. High school chemistry ia not presupposed." The author stresses the arrangement of the text materials, which is based upon his own teaching and industrial experience. He furthermore emphasizes his opinion that "it is necessary to learn many facts of descriptive chemistry, simply by memorizing them," and that the student should possess a facile ability to write formulas and to write and balance chemical equations. The writer of a text must assume the responsibility for clear, interesting, and simple writing, the reliability of all factual material, and for consistency in his treatment of textual materials. The author has erred in these respects a greater extent than is usual for s. first printing. There are many examples of hasty or careless writing and questionable statements of fact. Thus, on page 49 there appears the statement that hydrogen "is the lightest substance." The author meant no doubt to state that hydrogen is the lightest element. A statement on page 255 pertaining to phosphorus is true only for yellow phosphorus. Two
Felix Houmwitz, Indiana University, Blwmington, Indiana. 374 pp. 52 Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1950. di figs. 16 X 23.5 em. $5.50.
+
RESEARCH in protein chemistry proceeds at so lively a pace that the authoritative treatise on proteins edited by C. L. A. Schmidt has become, in spite of its supplementary volume, out of date in some respects. Haurowitz has undertaken the difficult task of bringing the subject up to date, a task all the more difficult in that he has elected to present the subject in s. relatively small volume. His choice of material, however, seems admirable. While emphasiaing the newer knowledge about proteins, he gives clear r6sum6s of the older and well-established faots. A short introductory chapter on the role of proteins in biology is written more from the standpoint of the chemist than the biologist. There follownine chapters which deal with the properties and methods of study of proteins and with the size, shape, and structure of protein molecules. Five chapters describe, respectively, the conjugated proteins, the enzymatic proteins, the proteins thet are hormones, proteins of immunological interest, ttnd toxic proteins. The last two chapters dealing with protein synthesis in living things will be of especial interest to biochemists. While there are ~olidfacts rwail.ilrtblefor s foundation of the study of biosynthesis, the major part of the presentation reflects the incompleteness of our knowledge and is, accordingly, highly conjectural. But it is stimulating to the imagination and includes those theories which promise to be fruitful ones. PHILIP A. MITCHELL
