BOOK REVIEWS graduate or beginning graduate student can learn to integrate spectroscopic data into chemical structures. The book is divided into seven main sections with the four areas of spectrometry discussed in individud chapters. The remaining portion of the text consists of forty problems. These sets are divided into three chapters. The first one, (Chapter 6) covers twenty problems in which the spectrometric information provided is translated in detail into a molecuhr structure. A second set of ten problems (Cbepter 7) is given simply with a. Beilstein Reference, and the remaining set of problems (Chapter 8) is presented without any identification. The major strong point of this hook is that it serves as an excellent inexpensive text in organic identification courses which we oriented toward instrument* tion. Although the information presented haa necessarily been pared to a bitre minimum, the instructor can easily delve more deeply into the four spectrometric areas by utilizing any number of excellent reference texts. The beginning student thus may avoid purcbasing a number of rather expensive treatises. Furthermore, other than Cains' text ("Spectroscopic Problems in Organic Chemistry"), which does not utilize mass spectrometry data, and Nakmishi's hook, which is entirely infrared (with a little ultraviolet) oriented, no other text of this type is currently available. The authors do a satisfactom job with
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the chapter on maas spectrometry dthough a number of typesetting errors with the authors' notation will cause coufusion. The assignment of the base peak in phenetole to the phenol ion will mislead the student as to the initial poaition of hydrogen rearrangement, and the discussion of the cleavage of amide N-alkyl groups could use same expmsion. I t should be streased that the inclusion of mass spectrometry is another of the o u e standing features of this text which make it unique as a source of unified spectm metric problems in structurd determins, tiou. In the chapter on infrared spectrometry the authors unhappily introduce the student to the wavenumber aa a unit of frequency and incorrectly describe antisymmetric vibrations as asymmetric vihr* tions. The discussion of C = C stretching vibrations in cyclo6lehs is antiquated and, in addition, no reference is made to the excellent paper by Lord m d Miller concerning the factors influencing group frequencies. (R. C. Lord and F. A. Miller, App. Spec., 10, 115 (1956).) The authors happily employ the convention of wavenumbers fallowed by microns in Chapter 3 and 6 values followed by r values in Chapter 4. In the latter chapter the authors could have made the discussion far more straightforward by stating that as a result of the uncertainty principle the natural width of a spectral line is proportional to the reciprocal of the average time the system spends in the excited state, rather than heating around the bush on this point. The discussion of ultraviolet spectrometry (Chapter 5) is
quite satisfactory. Silverstein and Bassler have done a commendable job. This is an excellent text and will he invaluable to those teaching organic instmmentation courses as well as to beginning graduate students in organic chemistry.
DANAW. MAYO Bowdoin College Brunsurick. Maine
Juslus von Liebig in eigenen Zevgnirsen und solrhen seiner Zeitgenossen
Hertha von Dechend, Institut fiir Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Frankfurt/Main. 2nd supplemented ed. Verlag Chemie, Weinheim/Bergdtrasse, We8t Germany, 1963. 159 pp. Figs. and tables. 15 X 21 em. 14.80 DM (approximately $3.75.) This book was first issued under the auspices of the Gesellschaft LiebigMuseum Giessen in 1953 in connection with the commemoration of the 150th miversary of Liebig's birth. After due consideration, the author decided not to add another conventional biography to the long List of books dealing with the life and career of this famous founder of a system of chemical training, but thought it better to utilize the rich store of letters written by and to Liebig. Specialized collections of his correspondence with W6hler, Ber(Continwd n page A8101
BOOK REVIEWS zelius, Merck, Mohr, etc., had already appeared hut Dr. von Dechend had the brilliant idea of giving her readers 8, bird'seye view of Liehig's life by means of key excerpts from letters, newspaper and journal articles, etc., dealing with important events in which he was involved. After an appropriate Foreword by Willy Hartner, the stage is set (in this supplemented edition) by reprinting the autobiographical notes (first published in 1926) in which Liebig gives a survey of his early years, his training in Paris, and the start of his teaching and research career a t Giessen. The letters are arranged in chronological order, from 1820 when he entered the University of Bonn, t o a few week before his death ( s t Munich, April 18, 1873). The letters written by Liehig are placed on the left page, those written to and about him on the facing right page. The excerpts deal with chemical, family, and political matters as might be expected. The author has thoughtfully supplied a bibliography of 369 publietstions and directs the reader to the proper member of this list so that the entire original can he consulted if need be. In addition, she has supplied authoritative notes regarding certain topics. Another appendix supplies information about the main persons dealt with in the text. A short list of publics, tions (ahout 25) gives the principal sources of information about Liebig. Letters such as these afford 8. hehindthe-scenes glimpse into the life and feelings of these correspondents. They, like Liehig, wrote their letters in longhand and hence without the bothenome intervention of a secretary whose presence frequently has an inhihitory effect. In her opening remarks the author expresses the hope that the living impression left by the perusal of these excerpts may incite the reader to delve deeper into the lives and careers not only of Liehig hut also his correspondents, both friendly and critical. This is an unusually interesting book.
RALPHE. OESPER Unive&y of Cincinnati ('lncinnati. Ohio
Magnetism: A Treatise on Modern Theory and Materiolr. Volumes 1 and 3 Edited by George T. Rado, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, 11. C., and Harry Szchl, University of California, La Jolla. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1963. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. Volume 1, 688 pp. $19; Volume 3, xii xii 623 pp. $18.
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These two volumes, plus Volume 2, which is in preparation, give a worthwhile and unique compilation of information h x ~ tmagnetically ordered materials. ( V r m t i n ~ r don nnnna A X l 9 )
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