Recent Books I
General Chemistry. LEONB. RICHARDSON, Professor of Chemistry in Dartmouth College. Revised edition. Henry Holt & Co., New York City. 1932. v 779 pp. 105 Figs. 14 X 21.5 cm. Q . 5 0 .
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This is a revised and rewritten edition of a book first published in 1927 and reviewed in the JOURNAL08 CHEMICAL 1927 (p. 1560). EO~CATION December, ~O~ I n this new edition, the author has adhered t o his original conception, "That the text is the vital element in chemical instruction, and that in such books explanations more detailed than is always the case are of advantage t o the student. Material of an explanatory and illustrative character, commonly confined to lectures, is included in this hook, which owes its length t o that f a d o r rather than t o the greater number of topics treated." The book, in its present form, contains 50 chapters in which the excellence of style and clarity of presentation which* characterized the original edition have been maintained. The order of presentation has been changed so that the chapters on "The Periodic System"; "Radium and Radioactivity"; "The S t r u c t u r e o f Atoms"; and "The Arrangement of Planetary Electrons" follow immediately after the discussion of the theory of electrolytic dissociation and its applications. This change of order is especially commendable. The chapters on "The Periadic System"; "The Structure of Atoms"; "The Arrangement of Planetary Electrons"; and "Oxidation and Reduction" are especially worthy of mention. It seems t o the reviewer that the author has accomplished his purpose in producing a book by the use of which. "The student should gain from his study of inorganic chemistry in college an acquaintance with the way in which the scientist thinks; with the theoretical principles which hind the science together and reveal the rela-
tionship between matters seemingly far apart. Secondly, he should acquire a knowledge of what the chemist has done and is doing for the comfort and convenience of mankind." The workmanship and materials used in the printing and binding of the book are excellent. A. E. MCKINNEY HIILLTONCOLLRDB CL~NTON, NEW YO==
Introductory General Chemistry. STUART R. BR-EY, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Yale University. The Macmillan Co., New York City. 1932. x 565 pp. 14 X 21.5 em. $3.00.
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Because of the great amount of material available for a general introductory course in chemistry, the author proposes a t the outset to select only essential topics. As stated in the preface, this selection is based on the following objectives: "to afford an insight into that method of thought known as the scientific method which differentiates the civilization of toda$ from all which have preceded it; to develop a basis for an understanding of the true significance of chemistry in the modern world; t o co6rdinate the facts, laws, and theories of chemistry as an orderly science; and t o limit the amount of specific descriptive and theoretical material, and to arrange the order of the topics so that the student may . .arasp the major developments of the subject without becomina lost in a maze of minor details." While in the main the historical method of development has been used, the author employs much the same method of presenting the subject that was used in his earlier text, "Principles of General Chemistry," The Macmillan Co., 1926. A brief discussion of the usefulness of the periodic classification of the elements in the correlation of chemical facts is given in Chapter V and again in Chapter XIII. While the first half of the text is somewhat ~
