ROOK R E L’IE W S A N D NOTICES. LENGTH OF A TECHNICAL PAPER. Editor Journal o,f Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. DEARSIR: In the April issue of THISJOURNAL, on page 157,is a note by J. W. Turrentine on the “Length of a Technical Paper.” I wish to endorse all t h a t he says therein. There is often too much abbreviation. The technical paper is written for the eyes and use of some one interested practically in the subject, and too much detail can hardly be given. It is too often assumed t h a t well-trained chemists or men of standing are capable of reading between the lines and supplying the details. They may be capable with the hints given of working the process successfully after they have experimented with it and found what was lacking in the article. For instance the methods for crude glycerine analysis might be boiled down to: weigh out 1.5 grams crude glycerine into a IOO cc. flask, precipitate chlorine and act on reducing matters with silver carbonate, subsequently precipitating organic matters with basic acetate of lead. Make u p t o mark, filter off a n aliquot, rejecting the first portions, take 2 5 cc. in a 2 5 0 cc. flask and add about 42.5 cc. of the bichromate solution and 15 cc. of strong sulphuric acid, etc. There are several very essential details left out of the above for a convenient and correct determination of the glycerol, but t o the reviewer, who may not be acquainted with or interested in glycerine, the above appears all that is essential for a trained chemist to have. Give us the details in any articles printed in THISJOURNAL and let the Abstract Journal and Journals on Popular Science or Chemistry handle the articles pruned down t o Hints for the Imagination. Yours truly, WILSONH. Low.
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NEW YORK,March 17, 1910. Chandler Testimonial. DEAR SIR: After a very long period, almost a lifetime, of the most useful activity as head of the Department of Chemistry and Dean of the School of Mines of Columbia University, Dr. Charles F. Chandler will retire from duties a t the end of the coming term, to be appointed Professor Emeritus of Chemistry. We all know the great service rendered by this distinguished man to our science and to the industries of our country, and it is difficult to convey in words the gratitude which so many of us owe to him who has always been ready t o give his advice and t o lend his assistance in practical ways. To commemorate this important epoch in the life of our esteemed friend, the following organizations have taken the initiative i n planning for a testimonial t o be tendered t o Dr. Chandler by the chemists of the United States: The Chemists’ Club, The Society of Chemical Industry, The American Chemical Society, The American Electro-Chemical Society, The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, The Verein Deutscher Chemiker. The form of this testimonial has been arranged a s follows: FIRST: A banquet a t the T1’aZdorf-=lstoria, on Saturday, April goth, at 7 P . M . The cost of each dinner ticket will be $5.00, a sum which, while not sufficient t o defray the expenses, will we hope insure a large attendance. Ladies will be admitted t o the galleries and light refreshment served them at a nominal charge of $1.00per person. SECOND:The presentation t o our honored guest of a bronze bust of himself in heroic size, to be executed by the famous sculptor, Mr. J. Scott Hartley, which bust we expect will finally be presented to the Chandler Museum of Columbia University. A replica of this bust is t o be presented to Mrs. Chandler. THIRD:The Creation of a Chandler Testimonial F u n d for the purpose of purchasing books for the library of the Chemists’ Club. The committee solicit your subscription for the object set forth, and request you t o make your contribution a liberal one, so t h a t a large sum may be collected which will be finally used for the
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development of the library of the Chemists’ Club, New York, in which, as you know, Dr. Chandler has taken a special interest. This already contains the Perkin Library and is intended to be a reference and circulating library, covering the entire field of theoretical and applied chemistry, which is t o be in charge of a salaried librarian, and is to contain duplicate sets, one of which is to be used for circulation among American chemists. In addition t o any personal interest you may take in this testimonial, you are urgently requested to bring the matter of subscribing to this fund, t o the notice of any chemical concern with which you are connected, drawing their special attention t o the invaluable service which Dr. Chandler has rendered t o the industries of this country and to the development of its economic wealth. Respectfully, I. F. STONE,Pres. of the Chem. Club, IRAREMSEN,Pres. of the SOC. of Chem. Ind., WILDER D. BANCROFT, Pres. of the Am. Chem. SOC., L. H. BAEKELAND, Pres. of the Am. E1ec.-Chem. SOC., CHARLESF. MCKENNA, Pres. of the Am. Inst. of Chem. Eng., VIRGILCOBLENTZ, Chairman of the Verein Deutscher Chemiker. COMMITTEEOF ARRANGEMENTS:Treasurer, MORRIS LOEB, 273 Madison Ave., New York; Chairman, I. F. STONE, IOO William St., New York; Secretary, CHARLESF. MCKENNA,50 Church St., New York.
BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTICES. Hygienic Laboratdry-Bulletin No. 58. Dec., 1909. Digest of Comments on the Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America and National Formulary. By MCRRAY G. MOTTER and MARTIN L. WILBERT. This volume of 523 pages represents a complete digest of the literature selected from all available sources, relating to the Pharmacopoeia and National Formulary for the year ending 1906, issued under the authority of the Surgeon-General and approved by the Secretary of the Treasury. The recognition of these two standard works through the provision of the Food and Drugs Act, in connection with the U. S.Government becoming signatory with other powers respecting the unification of pharmacopoeial formulae, creates for the U . S. Pharmacopoeia and National Formulary a position of great legal importance. Therefore in the coming decennial revision, it is highly important that the mass of comments and criticisms, more especially those bearing on the relations of these works to the law, are in shape readily available. Also during the interval of 5 years new revisions of several foreign pharmacopoeias have appeared which must receive careful consideration in accordance with the agreement between the United States and the Brussels Pharmacopoeial Conference. As a work of reference for chemists, physicians and apothecaries, this report is highly recommended since there is scarcely a field in which they are interested not revieJved. I n the table of contents appear some of the following headings: Legal Status of Food and Drug Law, Standards, Analytical Data (physical constants, thermometry, polarization, apparatus, color standards), Biologic Products, Vegetable Drugs (valuations, ash determinations, alkaloids, physio;ogic standardization), Pharmaceutical Preparations, International Standards, Foreign Pharmacopoeias, Rules of Brussels Conference, Comments on Official Standards, etc. The compilers are t o be commended upon the thdroughness and care exercised in this task. V. COBLENTZ. New and Non Official Remedies 1910 Containing Descriptions of the Articles which Have Been Accepted by the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association Prior to Jan. Ist, 1910. The purposes of this book (256 pp. with index) are explained
