orpanic chemistry have been brought up to date and form a distinctive feature of the text. Much tabulated material has been used to advantage, the drawings arc well executed, the printing and binding well done, and the typographical errors few. The reviewer differs fundamentally from the author as t o what constitutes the aim of an elementary course in organic chemistry. Such a course should afford the student an opportunity to do two things: firsl, t o learn the chemical characteristics of the typical functional groups, and secon3 to acquire a t least a reading knowledge of structural organic chemistry, including the inter-relation of the several typical series of compounds. The present text does the first of these in a splendid fashion. As to the second, while the subjects of isomerism, homology, and proof of constitution are adequately treated, there is little hope that the student will gain a proper perspective of systematic organic chemistry-the hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Science has been defined as classified or systematized knowledge. Organic chemistry is one of our most perfect examples. The reviewer believes the elementary student is entitled to a systematic presentation of the subject. After carefully reading the baok, he is still of the opinion that a more logical and. perhaps, an equally interesting approach to organic chemistry may be had through methane and its derivatives. CECIL E. BOARD OHIOSTATEUNIVERSITY
author has embodied in this text the material, methods, and order of presentation which he believes best suited for use in the secondary school. The preface enumerates some of the note~. m~hs, worthy paints: yiz., "short D - a l. listing of physical and chemical properties in tabular form; the printing of equations, definitions, terms, and emphasized words in bold-face type; the list of topics in column form a t the beginning of each chapter; and full questions and problem lists a t the ends of chapters." The language of this text is readily understandable by the ordinary student. Definitions are generally clear. The use of so much hold-face type, as indicated above, often gives the page a "spotty" appearance. Chemical equations are used from the very first, each formula in the early pages being accompanied by the name of the substance it represents. Later in the book some of the more complicated equations, such as that for the reaction between copper snd sulfuric acid or nitric acid in the preparation of sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide, respectively, might well be made more understandable by showing the intermediate equations. The text is strongly committed to the electron theory, beginning with Chapter V, atoms and molecules, and the theory is brought in again and often in connection with such matters as: valence, equations, oxidation and reduction. The atomic numbers of the elements are given in a table on page 88 in a manner not readily understood until the accompanying text is read, and again on page 348. The High-School C h e m i s t r y . G E O R G E chart for the periodic table, however, HOWARD BRUCE,Horace Mann School does not give the a t o m ~ cnumbers. The electromotive series is considered for Boys, Teachers' College, Columbia University. World Book Co., New important enough to be given twice, 550 pp. 147 illus- once on page 220 and again on page York, 1928. x 351, with an excellent summary of the trations. 12.5 X 18.5 em. $1.68. important ideas associated with the With a background of several years' series. This w i e s might, in the reviewer's experience in teaching, and after the use judgment, be given much earlier, perhaps of this baok in mimeographed form for in connection with the chapter an hydrothree years in his own classroom, the gen, as a simple explanation of the reasons
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1'01. 5, NO. 11 why certain metals cannot be, and other metals are not, used in the preparation of hydrogen by their reaction with an acid. One is pleased to note that in the solution of stoichiametric problems the old style of proportion, A : B : : C : D , has been abandoned in favor of the fractional form now used by all the best teachers of mathematics. The hook contains some items, such as the Law of Raoult, the Law of Henry, and the generalization of Dulong and Petit, which are frequently omitted from elementary chemistries. On the other hand, some items might well have been omitted, such as the moribund LeBlanc process which is now only of historical interest in this country There will be differences af opinion as to the order of chapters hut the reviewer would prefer to have the three chapters on organic chemistry, now a t the end of the book, follow the chapter on the compounds of carbon, and the chapter on halogens follow the one on chlorine and hydrochloric acid. It is of course impracticable to attempt to list all the recent developments and applications of chemistry in an elementsry text but one regrets the omission of: atomic hydrogen flames; hydrogenation of soft coal; Duco finishes; bakelite; ore flotation; adequate treatment of explosives, war gases, and the use of nitrites in dye manufacture; and other similar material. Energy is not treated with the fullness it deserves. Revision will probably care for these omissions. I n the treatment of the metals the author has shown a good sense of proportion by giving t o such elements as barium, strontium, cadmium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese but a small amount of space. The index is not entirely satisfactory. While the work of such men as Bohr, Lewis, Langmuir, and Millikan on atomic structure; of Acheson on electric furnace products; of Perkin (not Perkins) on dyes; of Cottrell on smoke precipitation
is mentioned in the text, the index does not give any reference to these nor to Ostwald, whose process is given without credit under nitric acid. Neither text nor index gives any information concerning the work of Baekeland, Berzelius, Faraday, Morley, Remsen, Richards, and others. The hook might be made more serviceable by inclusion of these and some other chemists, with correction of the index; the human interest side of the subject might also receive much more attention with a consequent increase in the value of the book for the beginner. The -appendix contains tables of solubilities, melting points, weights of a liter of different gases, and other useful information. The half-tone illustrations are sometimes not sufficiently clear to he entirely satisfactory, while the pictures of chemists are still less clear in several cases. The drawings of apparatus by Mr. Schanck are good but it may he questioned if a simpler line drawing would not be more satisfactory than the ones in perspective which are difficult for pupils t o reproduce. The hook is well printed an good paper and substantially bound. A few errors in the spelling of chemist's names and one or two mistakes in grammar were noted. While there are several matters to he regretted, the book on the whole has much to commend it to the careful consideration of teachers of secondary school chemistry. C. H. STONE ENGLISH HIGHSCHOOL. BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS Laboratory Methods of Inorganic Chemistry. HEINRICH BILTZ,Univ. of K i d , and WILHBLMBILTZ,Univ. of G6ttinpen. Translated by W. T. Hall and A. A. Blanchard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Second edition, 1928, John Wiley & Sons, New York, and Chapman & Hall, Ltd., London. 261 pages. 27 figures. 15 X xv 22.5 cms. $2.511.
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