VOL.2, No. 8
RECENT
different phases of the work, j l ~ as t they discr concerning methods of instruction in the elamroom; for the personality of the teacher is the important factor in both eases. The nutho. is to be congratulated upon his recognition of the real need for such a book. and even more upon his courage and enterprise in attempting to meet thi. need. How well he has succeeded is indicated by the favorable reception already accorded hio book. w e may well leave the final appraisal t o the many teachers who will gladly give the Intermediate Chemistry Companion a fair trial and t o the students themrelves who are the r e d judges of its chemical companionship. G. A. h a o w
A Pronotmcing Chemical Formula Speller m d Contest Goide. C. A. J~masou.West Virginia University. Tha Williams and Wilkins Co.. Baltimore. xviii 279 pp. 13.5 X 20.5 cm. $4.00. The appearance of this book on the market ia due to the success achieved by recent chemical spelling matches. I t will be received with open arms by many teachers, p M l y because of the help it will give in such matches and partly because of the vast amdunt of data condensed in its pages. I t s scope is best expressed in the words of the second paragraph of the introduction:-"The pxsent volume contains about 2850 names of inorganic chemical compounds together with their formulas and waters of hydration. It also contains more than 1000 names end formulas of the more common organic compounds, as well as in the neighborhwd d 300 minerals. I n addition t o these three lists of compounds, the volume contains 1554 questions and answers covering the typical chemical reactions of all the accredited ehemieally active elements. The answers t o these questions are expressed in the form of balanced equations." The lists are very full. The presence of five Hafnium compounds shows they are up t o date. The quertions and answers covering typical chemical reactions are unusually full. Here, a. in the lists, the rare metals are given much prominence. I t is refreshing t o see the name beryllium given preference over glutinum. That greatcarehasbeen t a t e n t o havethetext accurate is shown by the fact that numerous authorities such as Prof. C. James and Prof. E. C. Franklin, have contributed from their respective fields and have read proof thereon. The use of the prefix "thio" for "sulfo" shows an attempt to bring nomendatin line with that used in the A. C. S. publications. The names in the lists are syllableired, m a t e d , and marked with diacritical marks, for the last n helpful key t o pronunciation being gium. There is no hint aa to why somenames are printed in caps and some in small type. Two pages are devoted to dercribing the method oi condvcting spelling matcher and "ring the apcller. I t is unfortunate that in thc formulas for
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hydrated ralts the period is raised above the line, became in mathematics this means multiplication, and there is an attempt under way t o have a series of signs and conventions that.shall be consistent for ell the scientific subjects c o n manly taught in the schools. If separate lines were used for the several salts, when ralts with varying amounts of hydration are given. much might be gained in elearners so f a r e the ~ t v d c n t is concerned. The reviewer ha. made no attempt to find mistakes in the names or formulas; his eye did not catch any as he glanced over the lists; nny such mistskes, if present, will show themselves to those wb0 use the ]isfa. The atatcment that "Modem tendency narrants**.the calling of the metal, represented by the symbol Al, aluminum instead of aluminium" seems rather strong in the light of divided usage and of the feeling many have that the names of the metals should, for consistency's sake, end in -ium so far as possible. In spite of the fact that much enort was taken t o attain eonsiatency in nomenclature (see peg& riv and xv) one's confidence is shaken a little on seeing "University of West Virginia" on the jacket. "West Virginia University" on the title page and in several other places, and " W e t Virginia university" (with the first letter of "university" not capitalized) in another place. One must not look for tw great' freedom from little errors, h6wever. in the first edition of a book Wn.a~S ~H r OH~LOII of this sort.
High 8chool Chemi~tw. C ~ a n a m s E. Dmz. Hen* Holt & Company, New York (1925). xi 577 PP* 18.6 X 12 em. $1.80 postpaid. The High Sehool Chemistry, by Charles E. Dull, is an attractive and substantially bound volume, j u t published by Henry Holt & Company. The illustrations throughout the b w k espetia11y modem a n d commendnble. I t follows, in general, the order of the average highschool texts. which are the most popular and satisfactmy. with some changes of arrangement and addition which are especially interesting. Some of these I heartily spprove. Others 1 do not endorse without question. Ail the organie chemistry (earban and its oxides, treated in two chapters, following the order of the average text) is treated a t the end of the book, ro that it may be used, in the words of the author "for students who will not go to college. certain topies may be omitted t o gain time for the study of the chapters on the compounds of carbon." I n my opinion, the chapters on organic chemistry are a. imwrtnnt to thase who go t o collllege as t o thme who do not, and are almost a.important as any of the ~"bjeetstreated in the high-school text. Many of the college t&. do not emphasize organic chemistry, and some teachers omit it entirely, neces3itatir.g a special course, even for t h e e who go t o college. The great majority of eo1iege students taking
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chemistry d o not take this murse, and therefore
get little or no organic ehemiptry. I n any course in high-school chemistry, the compounds of carbon are very important. A great deal of the theory; %.e.. atomic theory. atomic and molecular weights, valence and equation writing has been grouped in a number of conoecutive chapters. T h e arrangement is questionable. Will i t not tend t o give mental indigestion on theory? Is i t not better t h a t the theory be introduced where i t explains facts arrived a t by experiment as they are learned? A very ~ q r n m ~ ~ d feature, ~ b k compared with other books, is t h a t much less space has been given t o the different metals. Thin .is justified in t h e words of the author in "that the principles of m e t a l l w w cam he taught better by means of a few typical metals than by a great variety of them. Thus t h e redvetion of iron ores with carbon is typical of the proresses used in extracting the ore of copper, tin, and ~ i n c . In like manner, t h e electmlysis of bauxite illustrates another important method of extracting metallie elements. The m e t a l l w w of magnesium, calcium, sodium, and pots~sium is too similar t o need much further detailed study." Two interesting chapters on colloids and the chemistry of the w a r have been introduced which emphasize the modern aspects of t h e uses t o which chemirfry is being put. A very great improvement has been made in
teaching the pupil t o write equations, especially those involving oxidation, in t h a t difficult equations are worked out by the partial equation method. A feature of great value i. the summary at the end of each chapter, followed by a series of qvestions and problems, some of which are practical application. of the mntent of the chapter. Dull's High School Chemistry. taken as a whole. has few objectionable, and many omm mendable feature., and is one of the best modern tertbooks oubiihed within the last several "cars. I t will repay careful ~nvesttgationby any chemistry teacher. SAHPOBDSWBBT TO B E REVIEWED LATER. Qualitative Anabsis-NOYHS l e c t u r e and Laboratory Experience in Physicd Chemistry-VAN K ~ o o s r a s S ~ I p h u t Acid i ~ Concentrations-PAIIPI~~ A N D SNELLING Couege Chemistry-NBWSLL Madern Inorganic Chemiatry-Msr~oa The Effects of Ions i n Colloidal SytemaMICHABLIS Phyalcal Chemistrg-Pn~u? Second Year College Chemistry--Cuprrr Barteriology-A Text Book on Fundamentals
-THOMAS Early Steps in Science-Wsaa
AND
Drococr
Fish-Poisoning Plants Now M a y Be Insecticides.-That the age-old custom of intoxicating or poisoning fish so that they may be easily caught, as practiced in Madagascar, India, Ceylon, the Ivory Coast, Centdl and South America, and other tropical parts of the world, may he the forerunner of a very heneficial discovery for the same peoples, is the prediction of Monsieur Anguste Chevallier, in presenting his recent findings on the subject t o the Academy of Sciences in Paris. For many centuries the natives of these lands have been in the habit of using certain plants for capturing fish. The method of using these narcotic growths to catch fish is by taking the leaves and bruising them in a mortar. Thus crushed, they are put in sacks, which are thrown in the ponds where fish are known t o exist. Several natives go out and stir up the water around this "belt" of narcotic material, while the others chase the fish toward the poisoned area. As the fish pass through the poisoned zone, they become intoxicated or are killed, and float t o the surface, where it becomes only necessary to gather them in. So far as has been discovered, this poisoning does not make the fish harmful in any manner t o the natives. As these plants drop out of use one way, they seem to be turning toward another and even more beneficial service to mankind. A chemical called "tephrosine" has been isolated from the tephrose group of plants by M. Hanriot, a chemist. A small dose of this compound kills instantly the fish that come in contact with it. Lately three English investigators, Tattersfield, Ginningham, and Morris, have showed that this drug can also be used to kill harmful insects. And here the plants of this group, which are still under cultivation, may play an important part in the warfare of man against insects.-Science Service.
