method for aligning a. powder diffractomI), t,he comprehensive eter (chapter $and treatment of accurate determination of r l:ct~i.?p:tr.trwters h p t ~ 11, .\ fcn d 11,s. 1111m. < h i o w~.rilivi-mr idI. I TIN.r l ~ t n t v ' r r i ~ X-ray t i ~ ~ wnvrlengths for the commonly used* targets shanld have been given to more than three decimal places (cf., pages 1-14, 8-4, and 7-5 where the reported values do not always agree). (2) The "typical" powder pat,terns illustrated in chapter 9 are hardly typical of organic materials and may confuse the uninitiitted. (3) I n the preface the editor st,ates that "primary emphasis throughout the hook has been placed on practical working information." It. is extremely difficult to furnish s practical and concise guide far the location of atomic positions from X-ray dabs. h s a result, and through no fault of the authors, chapter 29 is too technical and condensed for the novice, even though i t is nearly twice as long as any other chapter in the book. (4) Chapter 25 is titled Diffractometric Techniques for Single Crystal Analysis. One would expect the author to discuss, among other items, the various scanning techniques presently used for collecting data. Unfortunately, this very important topic is omitted. Although this chapter could have been a. valuable contribution to the "Hmdbook." it is little more than s. collection of ~.of'erencesto the "scetterod" literatnre. Furthermore, the author of this chapter states that methods for aligning the small (ca. 0.05 mm) single crystals used in crystal-strnctwe determination can he found in Dr. Elizabeth Wood's "Crystal Orientation Manual." A discussion of these techniqnes is forind in chap1.e~24 of the "Handhook for X-Rays!' I h . Woad's hook is devoted exclusively to the nse of L m e techniques far aligning large crystals. ( 5 ) I could find no discussion of back-reflection Laue techniqoes. This method is very widely used for aligning large, highly symmetric single crystals (e.g., silicon or quartz bodes) and a detailed description should have been included. In concl~~sion,the "Handbook of XRays" offers a satisfactory survey of the applications of X-rays to modern science and technology. REUBENRUDMN Adelphi Universitv Gayden Citf,, N m York 11530
Kinetics and Mechanism of Polymerir~tionSeries. Volume 1. Vinyl Polymerization: Part I
Edited hy George B. Ham, Geigy Chemical Corporation, Ardsley, New York. Marcel Dekker, Inc., Now York, 1967. xi 546 pp. Figs, and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $26.75.
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The production of polymers from vinyl monomers hay been an area of rapidly expanding technical and scientific interest for the past three demdes. The rate of expansion is still high. This expansion is reflected in the large number of hooks about polymerization
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which continue to issue. "Vinyl Polymerization," edited by George Ham is a worthwhile addition to the list. Although some of the chapters artre better than others, the general level is very good. We have been given current, intelligent reviews-in-depth of the topics covered in this first volume of the series. These topics include: Cyclopolymorie?tion of Nonconjugated Diolefins, Styrene, Vinyl Acetate, Vinyl Chloride, Vinylidene Chloride, Acrolein, and Occlmion Phenomena in Polymerization (Acrylonitrile and other Illonomers). I n addibion to these, there is a well conntrncted introductory chapter bv the editor. on free radical nolvmeriza. titm a u d t i clllptcr 1111 l l e 3 b of I'
