book reviews first course in organic. Alternatively, of course, it could be worked in chapter by chapter as t,he conrse proceeds.
RICHARD HIATT Rrock Univemit~ St. Catherines, Ontario
lnlroduclion of the Principles o t Heterogeneous Catalysis
J . M . Thomas, Universit,~College of N. Wale,,, Bangor, Wales, and W. J. Thomas, University College of Swansea, Wdes. Academic Press Ine.. New Yark, 1967. vi 544 pp. &. and tables. 1.5 X 22.R cm. $21.50.
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To write a successful treatment of heterogeneous catalysis is a. formidable task because the field is a diverse and overwritten one. However, the authors of "btroduct~ion to the Principles of Heterogeneous Catalysis" have overcome these obstacles. This new hook embodies both the fundamental and pract,ical aspects of heterogeneous catalysis: I t is devoted almost exclusively to reactinns occurring a t the salid/gas interface. The authors indicate in their introdoct,iou t,hat this restriction was partly made hecause of the enormous industrial significance of solid/gas catalysis. One result, of their decision t,o limit the discnssion t,o solid/gas catalysis is that the hook is well-integrated. Perhaps this limitation should have been indicated more foreefully in the hook, e.g., in the title. One of the many outstanding features of the text is the excellent writing style. I t is a refreshing presentatian which is both lucid and interesting. The format is good; the printing and diagrams are attractive. The style is similar t o earlier books from Academic Press, e.g., Bond's "Catalysis by Metals." Chapter 2, following a brief introductory chapter, is concerned with adsorption. The energetics, isotherms, and rates of adsorption are considered. The mater i d in this ehaoter. as in the remainder
ture into a fresh presentation. Here, as elsewhere in the text, the authors %renot reluctant to evaluate critically theories and experiments1 data. This is essential in a field such as heterogeneous catalysis which has been plagued with a history of experimental and theoretical ineonsistencies. The contributions of Russian workers are considered and waluated with the same perspective as ot,her work. Chapter 3 enoompasses the experimental aspects of adsorption and catalysis. This chapter is very useful. Techniques such as LEED, infrared and ultrrtviolet spectroscopy of adsorhed species, modern gravimetric techniques, optical and elee-
(CmUinued on paqe A844) Volume 45, Number 10, October 1968
/ A843
book reviews tron microscopy are discussed. There are ,556 referencw a t the end of this chapter; this is a11 indication of t,he scope of this chapter. In Chapter 4 the role of pore struct1n.e and surface area in hetemgeneorts cat.alysis is disrussed. hluch of the material covered, while relevant to chemists, is not, readily available i n other chemistry texts. Chapter 5 is entitled The Itole of Lattice Imperfections in Heterogeneous Catalysis. The first part. comists of the usual brief inlmduction to dislocations and point imperfectiony. The detailed role of such imperfections in catalysis is
then considered; far example, t,he possibility that emerging disloealions may be a site of enhanced catalytic activity is bhoroughly examined. Geometric, electronic, and related theories of hete~.ogeneous catalysis are grouped together in Chapter 6. This is a short, chapter. It, strongly 1.eflect8 the authors' owu views. The central thesiz is that more xt,tention should he paid to the properties of the individual atoms nud complexes a t the surface and less to the geomet,ric and electronic factors. Recent contributions of the I h t o h school are rited ns evidence for this thesis. The mechanism of some specific catalytic reactions are developed in Chapter 8. The cxamples in general are wellchosen, ranging from reaet,ions of paramount industrial importmce tr, those oi
more academic interest. The inclusion of electrocatalysis seems somewhat out of place here as the brevity of its presentation severely limits the development of any mechanistic considerations. The final chapter, 9, deals with the design of catalytic reactors. This is s. usefd introduction to t,he subject not only for industrial chemists but for research strtdents who wish to employ flow techniques. This hook was intended as a text. In view of the paucity of courses dealing with heterogeneous catalysis in this cormtry, it is dortbtfol that the book will be widely used here as a classroom text. I t is strongly recommended for g r d u s t e students beginning research projects in heterageneuns catalysis or related areas. Hopefully it will be purchased also by established workers in heterogeneous catalysis for it is not often that such a. lively and literate breatment of a. specific research area becomes available.
TEDB. FLNAGAN llniversily of Vermonl
An American Genius The Life of Ernest Orlando Lawrence, Father of The Cyclotron
Herbert Childs. E . P. Dntton & Co., New York, 1968. 576 pp. Diagrams and photograph. 15.5 x 23 cm. $12.95, This is an extraordinary hook about an extraordinary man. The author states that. he spent almost seven years writing it. I t is written for the general public rather than for scientists; consequently it contains no mathematical equations or any of the technical language that might scare off all hut technically trained readers. The photographs add mneh to the interest of the text. Ernest Orlando Lawrence, or E.O.L. as he was known to many, had a kind of Horatio Alger career (1901-1958). He was of Norwegian stock, raised in South Dakota where his father was a. poorly paid educator. His first excursion into science was in wireless telegraphy; mnchof the eqoipment was homemade. He went to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, planning to go into medicine or teaching, then transferred to the University oi South Dakota where he was steered into science by Dean Akeley. He began graduate work a t Chicago, later transferred to Yale. There he made such a n outstanding record that he was called to Berkeley where he advanced to full professor s t age 29. At California he developed the cyclot,ron and made an international reputation. He gathered a. faithful group of students and collaborators, whose outstanding characteristic was "to invent around hurdles." I n time he became intimate with most of the great men of physics in all countries; his papers and publications brought him uncounted honors. In time he received fourteen honorary degrees, the Nobel Prize, and the Fermi prize. This biography gives what might be called a blow by blow or a day hy day (Continued on page A847)
A844 / Journal o f Chemical Education
