NEW BOOKS
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NEW BOOKS Kinetics of Chemical Change. By C. N. HINSHELWOOD. 269 pp. London: Oxford University Press, 1940. Price: $4.50. The present volume may be regarded as a fourth edition of the author’s wellknownwork entitled The Kinetics of Chemical Change i n Gaseous Systems. Instead of allowing i t to expand to encyclopedic dimensions, which RTould be necessary t o encompass all of the experimental material in this active field, the author has “cut the Gordian knot” by confining i t to the general principles of chemical kinetics. The illustrative examples of reaction types are suitably drawn from a wide field which is no longer limited t o gaseous systems. The author aptly states t h a t “successive editions of a book should get smaller and smaller.” T h a t this condensation has been effected in a very skillful and acceptable manner may be generally agreed. 5. C. LIND. Electrochemistry and Electrochen~ical Analysis. Vol. I . Electrochemical Theory. By HENRYJ . S. SAXD. 12 x 18.5 cm.; viii 133 pp.; 9 fig.; 1 plate. S e w York; Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., 1939. Price: $2.00. The primary object of this little book, writtcn by one of the pioneers in the field of quantitative electroanalysis, is to explain the fundamental principles of electrochemical analysis, and incidentally to providc a review of electrochemical theory. The subject matter of the book covers all the inain aspects of electrochemistry, as is evident from the following chapter headings: “Electrolysis and the Ionic Theory”; “Conduction of Current in the Interior of the Electrolyte”; “Application of the Law of Mass Action” ; “Electromotive Force” ; Activity and Theories of Interionic Attraction”; “Electrode Potentials and Liquid Junction Potentials”: and “Irreversible Electrode Processes.” The treatment, on the whole, is clear and accurate, although there appears to be room for improvement in some of the portions dealing with thermodynamics. A commendable feature is the consideration of all reversible electrodes as oxidationreduction systems; the same standard equation for the electrode potential which covers all cases is then derived from the reaction isotherm, as suggested by Bancroft many years ago. The convention as t o the sign of the electrode potential is the one generally employed by European physical chemists, which is not the same as t h a t widely adopted in America; the author’s arguments for the adoption of this convention (page 73) are, however, not convincing. The discussion of solubility product, of acids and bases, and of indicators follows classical lines; nevertheless, the book provides an excellent introduction t o the principles of electrochemistry, and undoubtedly fulfills the author’s purpose. The companion volume, dealing with the practical aspects of electrolytic methods of analysis, will be awaited with interest. S. GLASSTONE.
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Intermediate Chemical Calculations. By PARTINGTON AND STRATTON.239 pp. London: Macmillan and Co., 1940. Price: $1.65. This book consist8 of a collection of problems illustrating several of the laws and principles of general chemistry and of elementary physical chemistry. Each set of exercises is preceded by a brief statement of the quantitative laws t o be illustrated and by one or two computations carried through in numerical detail. Answers t o the problems are given a t the end of the book. Most of the problems can be solved by direct substitution in formulae; however, a few, particularly i n the chapter on “Organio Analysis,” do require some thought on the part of the student. These
