Recent Books General Chemistry. LEONB. RICHARD SON, Professor of Chemistry in Dartmouth College. Henry Holt and Co., New York, 1927. viii 812 pp. 99 figures. 14 X 21.5 cm. $3.75 postpaid.
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"The form and method of treatment of the material contained in this hook come from an experience lasting over a considerable period in the teaching of general inorganic chemistry t o college students. From that experience the writer is convinced that the text is the vital element in such instruction. Lectures have their place in affording illustrative material, and discussion of topics t o which the student has already been introduced; as the core of this work, the point around which the course really centers, they are pitiably ineffective. The student, if he is really t o master the subject under discussion, must mull Over it a t leisure. He cannot, in general, grasp i t on the wing, and retain it as it comes even from the best of lecturers. As a comequeuce of this belief, this hook is rather more full and detailed in its explanation than sometimes is the case. Much material of an illustrative and explanatory character, commonly confined t o lectures, is included in it. The length is due t o that factor rather than t o a greater variety of topics treated." The hook contains 46 chapters in which the author has presented the fundamentals of chemistry and its modern developments and applications. The order of presentation is usually that of the conventioual development of the subject. The most outstanding exception t o this order is the early presentation of sulfur with its oxides and acids. Sulfur and hydrogen sulfide are discussed in chapter 12 immediately after the chapters dealing with "Atomic Weights;" "Valence, No-
menclature, Calculations;" and "Solutions." The question of "The Energy Factor in Chemical Change" and "Chemical Equilibrium" are then discussed in two well written chapters and fallowed by a chapter on oxides and acids of sulfur. The chapters on "Electrolytic Dissoci,tion,*3 periodic system," "oxida. tion and ~ ~ d ~ "The ~ t s tir u~d u e~ of; Atoms," and "Electromotive Chemistry" are especially worthy of mention. The closing chapters deal with carbohydrates, animal nutrition and synthetic organic compounds. There are many outstanding and commendable features of the book. The style is clear and sufficiently iuformal to make it very readable. The numerous and excellently written histarical sketches will he a valuable aid in sustaining the interest of the student. The chapters are followed by skillfully ~ l e c t e dbibliographies and review questions. Both of these features will be greatly appreciated by the student who is really interested in the subject. The sections are numbered and crass references are numerous. The appendix contains useful data in tabular form. One of these tables is especially worthy of notice. I t is a table of the common industrial alloys and their compositions. The index is especially comprehensive. The author has made a valuable contribution t o the list of modern textbooks devoted t o the teaching of general chemistry. This book is an excellent example of good workmanship and the author and the publishers are t o be congratulatedupon its publication. A. E. MCKINNEY Standards and Tests for Reagents and C. P. Chemicals. BENJAMIN L. MURRAY. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc.,
