Recent Books Chemistry in Daily Life. SAMUEL General College Chemistry. JOSEPHA. B a ~ o n ,Assistant Professor of ChemisG~assTona,D.Sc., Ph.D., F.I.C., Lectry. College of the City of New York. turer in Chemistry a t the University of Shefield, England. First Edition. Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 393 E. P. Dutton and Company Inc., New Fourth Ave., New York City, 1929. x 586 pp. lfi7 figures. 14 X 22 cm York, 1928. vi 4- 250pp. 21 diagrams. $3.75. 18.5 X 12.5 cm. 52.25. I n the preface the author states, This book is intended for the use of "It is hoped that the book will be of college students who have had highinterest t o the general reader and be school preparation in chemistry. "In preuseful as a basis for extension, and paring this text, the author has endeavored similar lectures for adults, as well a s a t o write a book which is scientific in spirit textbook for schools, whether chemistry and intensive in the study of the fundais taught or not." Recent developments mental principles and their applications " in the field of education lead one to view Following a brief introduction, the gas with skepticism a book or a course of laws and the periodic system, there is a study that aims t o accomplish a multi- short, elementary discus+on of atomic tude of purposes. I t is the opinion of the structure, the concepts of this theory hereviewer that "Chemistry in Daily ing employed in the study of the elemenLife" is better adapted for general tary substances throughout the text. Oxidation-reduction is discussed from the reading than for use as a textbook. The author has a style that enables, valence-electron method, valence changes him to present in an interesting manner being considered t o be due to the gain or a mass of chemical f a d s t o the layman los~ofelectrons. who is willing t o think as he reads. The first fourteen chapters are devoted The description of many of the classical largely t o the development of theoretical experiments in chemistry is well done, considerations, chapters on hydrogen, and there is described more than one oxygen, and water being the only sections historical incident that is not commonly of a purely descriptive nature in this porfound in textbooks or less technical tion of the text. This section is followed works. A large part of the book is bb eleven chapters devoted t o the disdevoted t o recent triumphs of industrial cussion of the non-metals. with a chapter chemistry; the book is remarkably on solubility product standing between free from misinterpretations, considering the discussion of hydrogen sulfide and the its nature and the wide scope of the oxides and oxygen acids of sulfur. The material covered. The treatment of the next thirteen chapters are devoted to the more modem theoretical subjects. how- metals and their compounds, and the 1-t ever, is not up to the level of the other three chapters deal with organic camportions of the book; the physical pounds. The usual tables and a table of chemist, for example, will take exception logarithms are found in the Appendix. to the fanciful dream, referred t o several An abridgment of the Hubbard "Periodic times, that we may be able some day t o Chart" is placed a t the end of the hook. A list of questions and problems, arutilize on a revolutionary scale the energy within the atom. ranged in the same order as the subject J o w R. SAMPRY matter is placed a t the end of each chapter. HOWARD COLLBCB Except for the inclusion of concepts of Bralanioaau, Ausna&
+
atomic structure and the assumption of some knowledge of chemistry a t the beginning .of the course, the order of development is not essentially different from that employed in the usual beginner's course in the subject. I n the study of the descriptive topics, the student will on the whole encounter the same substances from practically the same point of view as in the school course, with little additional material except as regards the use of atomic structure. It seems t o the reviewer that a few of the topics are introduced tw early in the course for the student dearly t o understand their significance; e. g., metallic couples, page 80. It is surprising t o find that no discussion of the determination of atomic weights is deemed necessary, especially so since an entire chapter is devoted t o the discussion of molecular weights. It is the common experience of teachers that the principles involved in the determination of atomic weights are more difficult for the student to grasp than those employed in making molecular weight determinations. The failure t o include a discussion of colloids seems unwise in view of the ever-increasing importance of this phase of the subject. This book will, in the opinion of the reviewer, furnish satisfactory text material for use in courses in which i t is considered desirable to develop the subject from theoretical considerations rather than the experimental point of view, and t o devote the remainder of the course t o the reconsideration of the substances involved in the earlier course. The inclusion of the concepts 01 atomic structure in the discussion of the activity of t h elements ~ and of oxidation-reduction is a distinct improvement over the traditional type of text. R. BRINKLEY STUART YAW U N r Y B P J l f Y N B w HAVEN,CONNBCTICUT
Laboratory Manual in General College Chemistry. JOSEPH A. BABOR, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, and ALEXANDER LEARMAN, Instructor in Chem-
istry, both of the College of the City of New York. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 393 Fourth Ave.. New York City, 1929. viii f 376 pp. 34 figures. 14 X 21.5 cm. $2.00. The manual is intended t o accompany Babor's "General Colle~eChemistry" and is arranged so that in the laboratory work, "the experiments deal with those substances and principles which are discussed in the classroom and lectures." There are 142 experiments divided into 32 chapters arranged according t o the topics of the text. Alternate pages are left blank t o be used for the recording of notes. In general, the experiments are those usually employed t o illustrate the several topics. A greater number of experiments is included than can be covered in the time usually devoted t o laboratory work in the general college course, making i t possible t o select those which are hest suited t o the wishes of the individual instructor. The directions are dear and the student should experience no difficulty in ohtaining good results in his laboratory work. Each'experiment is introduced by a short discussion phich will be of great aid t o the thoughtful student in correlating his laboratory work with the text and lecture discussion. The manual furnishes adequate material far the laboratory work in a course based on Professor Babor's text. STUARTR. BRINKLEY YALB UNlVBlSlTY
N B w H A ~ NC a. ~ l * ~ c ' n c m
Qualitative Analysis. J. S. LONG.Ch.E., M.S., Ph.D., Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, D. S. CHAMBERLAIN,B.Ch. E., MS., D.I.C., Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, and H. V. ANDERSON, B.Ch.E., MS., Assistant Professor of Chemistry, all in Lehigh University. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 70 Fifth Ave.. New York, 1928. xiii 193 PP. 5 figures. 15 X 22.5 cm. 52.25.
+
The scheme of analysis used in this book is approximately that of A. A. Noyes
