Annual Review of Nuclear Science. Volume 9 Edited by Emilio Sege, University of California, Leonard I . Schiff, Stanford University, Gerhort Friedlander, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Walter E. Meye~hoj,Stanford University. Annual Reviews, Inc., Pala Alto, California, 1959. viii 625 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23cm. 87.
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Chemists will find much in this volume to make it a valuable acquisition for personal libraries and a. necessity for any institutional library which provides authoritative discussions of "the present status" in fast-moving fields. A full chapter is acoorded the chemistry of technetium and astatine, which includes information published up through March, 1959. The concise survey of Solvent Extraction, both for analytical and for process purposes, is an admirable example of "Annual Reviews" in its most u s ~ f u l form. The long chapter an Nuclear Fission, by I. Halpeyin, not only states the known facts and the postulated theories, but also suggests the fundamental unsolved prohlems. The same is true, with more emphasis on the latter, in R. F. Post's chapter on Plasma Research. No seiextist who thinks about the future civilization in an age of dwindling fossil fuel resources can fail to appreciate having the clear analysis of The Economies of Nuclear Power, by J. A. Lane. His is an optimistic conclusion: power costa in the range 6.3-8.9 mills/kr hr. in thp United Statesare possible by 1970. Biological effects of ionizing radiation receive t,he emphasis of three chapters: Vertebrate Radiohiology, Cellular Radiohiology, and a. collection of treatments of specific topics under the broad heading of Radiation Biochemistry. At the rate work is being done in these areas, mitonis of this series may soon occur to produce a daughter: Annual Reviews of Radiabiology.
Hydrogen Bonding Edited hy D. Hadzi with the cooperation of H. W. Thompson. Papers presented by the Hydrogen Bonding Symposium, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, in 1957 under auspices of I. U. P. A. C. S v m ~ o r i u mPublications Division. Pergamin Press, New York, 1959. xii 571 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 2 5 5 c m . $17.50.
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Thin hook consists of experimental and theoretical papers on the nature and properties of the H-bond. The techniques of neutron diffraction, proton magnetic resonance, infreired spectra, Ramon spectra, electronic spectra, and x-ray diffraction are discussed and applications are made to systems in which hydrogen bonds occur. In several cases, the limitations as well as the succeaaes of t,he methods are indicated. The experimental data range from that for inorganic materials, such as NsHCO.. to organic solvents.
A490 / lournol o f Chemical Education
The theoretical aspects of the hydrogen bond are not neglected in this qmposium. Prof. Coulson's review, the lead-off paper, introduces four different concepts: (1) electrostatic interaction, (2) delocalization effecte, (3) repulsive forces, and (4) dispersion forces. This is followed by papers a n s. "Potential Function Model of Hydrogen Bond Systems," molecular orbital and quantum theories of the h,vdrogen bond, bond energies, etc. The level of writing in this book is high. The Writers h m generally assumed that the reader has an adequate background and an ability to read French and German. This is a collection of papers and has the advantages and disadvantages of sueh an approach. The articles arc wit,ten by authorities; there is no doubt of their mastery of the material. The names of Pauling, Bernal, Gillefipie, and others carry their own eredentisla. In addition, man," techniques arc authoritatively eovered in a way which a. single author would have difficulty matching. On the other hand, the logical development of each phase of the hydrogen bond problem cannot be accomplished as well by this multiauthor method as by a single author. Each speaker must make his major points quickly, and he generally has to assume that the reader can dig ant the background from the rrf~renreseiven a t the end of his paper. This book is recommended ss n rrfermre work for rhemirnl lihrarics.
glucose" far which the synonym, UDPG, is carefully noted, a reference ia given for its synthesis ( J . Chem. Soc. 1954, 2843) and for its isolation from natural sources and its estimation (J. B i d . Chem. 184, 333, 1950.) The remarks then added are: "5 min. a t 100' in 0.01 N-acid liberates allglucose. Similarly decomposes in few minutes in 0.01 N-alkali. 50% phospharun liberated as inorganic P in 30 min a t 100' in N-acid. Ba salt very soluble in HIO." Add the formula and the molecular weight to two decimal places, also given, and what more ran anyone ask of a simple table? The compounds are separated into 10 tables. Thus, table No. i includes lipid" and fatty srida, So. 9includes thefat-soluble vitxmins, No. 13 the carotenoids and so on. Earh table was prepared by n different authority (most from the University of Oxford); presumably honor is clearly aaerded and responsibility as clearly assigned by this deviw. I t is difficult,hou-ever, to see what other purpose the separate listings can serve. It would have been far more convenient if all the compounds were drawn up in n single alphabetical list. As it is, in searching far a compound, one might feel constrained to make a guess a t what heading it would come under. If it were not found, there would always be the uneasy feeling that i t i~ in another list somewhere. and there would he the impulse to hegin a wild acnrch. Jonx I). REIXHEIMER The editors of the book have not been blind to this disadvantage of the system Colley~o j 1Voostw they have adopted, and have compensated Ifrooster. Ohio by prepaxing a complete index. I t is my suggestion t,hat the user of the book make no attempt to guess the table in which a compound is to be found but turn imData for Biochemical Research mediately to the index and be guided by it,. In the long run, he will save time. Edited by R. M.C. Daurson, Institute of This is particularly true since although Animal Physiology, Babraham, Camsynonymous names are not cros~-referbridge, and Daphne C. Ellioll, W . H . enced in the tables themselve~,the more Elliott, and K . M . Jones, all of Uniimportant ones nrr included in t,he index. versity of Oxford. Oxford University The remaining third of the book hae Press, New York, 1960. xiii 299 pp. some valuable items, notably a long s e e Many tables. 16.5 X 24 cm. $10.10. tion on the met,hods for the detection of The heart of this book consists of just tkxhemieal compounds on paper. Conover a thousand compounds, listed in sidering the importance of paper chromanineteen tables, wit,h data given bri~fl? tograpby to modern bioehemiral research, for each one. this listing of methods with references (in The compounds presented are exclusively fourteen ~ubsidiary tablea) could prove those of interest to biochemists (with no t,he hest-thumh~dportion of the bwk. important omissions t h a t I could find). Information is also presented on enzyme The information presented for each comreagents, buffers, ion-exchange resins, pound listed is unusually complete and is. isotopes, manometry, arid-base indirators, in some respects, unique, as far as sueh and a few minor items. listings me concerned. For instance, in The printing is small of necessity, but addition to giving such expected items as clear; the makeup is condensed, clean formula, molecular weight, melting point, and attractive; the Anglo-English spelland solubilities, the tables give, where ings ("haemoglabin") are unavoidable; known and useful, such items as specific and the w-ork involved must have been rotations, pX, absorption peak w-ave enormous. Now that the book has been lengths, occurrence in nature, snd so on. prepared it should, and probably will, beEven more interesting and valuablt, come indispensable to all those engaged references are given tiherever possible for in biochemical research. I t can only be the preparation of t,he substance, either hoped t h a t the energy and time can be by extraction from natural sources or by found for new editions as often as is necessynthesis, and for methods of estimation. sary to keep this hook abreast of the Finally, there is almost always a column advances in the field. headed "general remarks" which serves ISAAC A s r ~ o v as a. cstch-all far additional information. As an example, taken eompletel,~ at, Boston University School oj Medicine Boston, Massachusetts random, nnder "uridine5'-diphasphate
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