VOl. 79
BOOK REVIEWS Chromatography. A Review of Principles and Applications. However, it seems undesirable to define the “electronic Second, Completely Revised and Enlarged Edition. BY energy” of a molecule to include nuclear repulsion energy, EDGAR LEDERER,Professor of Biochemistry, Sorbonne, as is done on p. 123, and the unhappy old term “la methode Directeur de Recherches, Institut de Biologie Physico- des orbitales atomiques” appears repeatedly. Curious Chimique, Paris, and MICHAEL LEDERER, Maitre de notations are rampant in the equations. Recherches, Institut du Radium, Paris. D. Van Sostrand The book and its paper cover had half parted by tllc Company, Inc., 120 Alexander Street, Princeton, S e w time this reader had reached its last page, but his annoyance Jersey. 1957. xx 711 pp. 16 X 23 cm. Price a t this was partly assuaged by something he found there$12.75. an invitation to head for Paris! Four years after the appearance of the Lederers’ first DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY edition of “Chromatography, ” this excellent summary had ROBERT G. PARR CARXEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY t o be revised and expanded t o double its size in order to do PITTSBURGH, PENSSYLVANIA justice t o the flood of publications in this field. T h e reason for this expansion is t h a t nowadays hardly a n y experimental work in chemistry is started without at least some considThe Structure of Nucleic Acids and their Role in Protein erations of the possibility of using chromatographic methods Synthesis. Biochemical Society Symposium N o . 14 l1eld for purification or analysis. a t The London School of Hygiene and Tropical 1Iedicme A short, b u t properly documented, history precedes a 150o n 18February, 1957. Organised and Edited by E . hl. page discussion of adsorption, ion exchange and partition Crook. Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th Street, chromatography. This more general treatment is followed S e x York 22, N. Y. 1957. 74 pp. 16.5 X 25.5 CIII. by a detailed survey of the chromatography of organic and inPrice, $3.75. organic substances. These sections, comprising nearly 80% This brief volume is an excellent and highly readable status of the book, will be of great help t o the worker in selecting report 011 the title subject. Each of the five chapters is a the proper method suited t o this problem, and will save him a tremendous amount of literature search. T h e most spec- concise survey of the background and general area of the tacular progress in t h e intervening years has been in the authors’ research interests, and, with the two informati\-e introductions, they provide a perspective of the evolution field of gas and liquid chromatography, and in order to keep of the concepts regarding these evolutionary substances. the reader up-to-date as much as was possible during the editing, an appendix was added t o supply references in the The whole is a comprehensive picture of the structure of 1956 period. T h e results of this heroic effort is a literature nucleic acids, and of the intricate morphologicd and metalist which, even after Lederers’ thorough screening, still bolic relationships which so closely intertwine thein with the proteins. contains 4,000 references. AMthougha review of this kind could easily deteriorate to SLOAX-KETTERING DIVISIOSOF a cook-book of unrelated recipes, the authors succeeded in CORNELL UPI’IVERSITY hfEDIcAL COLLEGE presenting a n attractive blend of theory and practice. Ever). GEORGEBOS\VOKTH BKOIIN N E ~ YORK Y 21, N. Y . clieiriist or biologist owes thanks to the Lederers for compiling this survey of a method whicli, in a short period, has crossed the barriers of many scientific disciplines. Quelques Problbmes de Chimie Minerale. lktpiiorts ct DIVISIONOF BIOLOGY Discussiotis publiks par les Secrktaires du Conseil sous les CALIFORSIAIXSTITUTE OF TECHSOLOGY auspices du Comite Scientifique de 1’Institut. DisiPme PASADEXA, CALIFORNIA J. HAAGEX-SMIT Conseil de Chimie tenu B I’CniversitC d e Bruxelles du 22 au 26 niai 1966. Institut International de Chimie SolV:LV. R. Stoons. Editeur. 76-78. Coudenbera. Bruxelles, Les Fondements de la C h i d e Thdorique. Mdcanique Bt;lgium. 19&,’ 545 pp.’ 17 X 24.5 cm. Piice, Broch6 Ondulatoire Appliqu6e B 1’Etude des Atomes et des Mold500,--; rcliC, 675,--. cules. Volume VI. Trait6 de Physique Thdorique et de Physique Math6matique. This volume contains twelve papers presented a t the S - t l i Ouvrages RBunis par JeanLouis Destouches. BY RAYMOSD DAUDEL,Laurkat de Solvay Congress on Inorganic Chemistry in 1956. T h e subl’Institut, Secretaire General du Centre de Chitnie jects discussed fall roughly into three main topics, nonThkorique de France, Charge de cows A la Sorbonne. stoichioirictric cotnpounds, complex compounds of transi~ion mctals and tlic solid state chemistry. Sex-eu of the papers Gauthier-Villars, 55 Quai des Grands-Augustins, Paris VI, France. 1956. x 236 pp. 16.5 X 25 CIII. Price, are in English, the rest are in French. The authors are $10.20. R . hf. Barrer, J . Benard, R . Collongues, H. h l . Powell, Every research worker in the quantum theory of molecular R . S. Nyholin, L . E. Orgel, C. I(.Jorgensen, U’.A. IVeyl, R . Lindner, J . A . Hedvall and H. Porestier. electronic structure will want to read this book, and it also T h e papers deal with the more recent developmetits iii tile should be of interest t o beginning students. It contains the above three fields. illthough a strong emphasis is made u u most up-to-date and frank account of this field yet published. This is only the first of three projected books by the the theoretical aspects of the discussed topics, the presciltation should be clear and readable t o a non-specialist. AS author on molecular structure and chemical reactivity, but it nevertheless spans the whole theory of electronic structure can be seen from the list of the authors, the presentatiuris of atoms and molecules. Very little is said about atomic or were all made by well-known authorities in the respective molecular spectroscopy; the stress rather is on the descrip- fields and the coverage is uniformly good. Each paper i y appended by a transcript of a discussion which followed tllc tion of atomic and molecular electronic states in terms of presentation, which, on occasions. are as ~olurninous:is the wave functions of varying degrees of complexity. Liternoriginal paper. The discussions raiic numerous intercstitig ture references through 1954 are cited, although no mention is made of the important papers of Boys, h1ciVeeny and points and in the reviewer’s opinion this feature adds c(mAloffitt ( t o name three), and appreciation is not shown for siderably to the value of this compilation. Numerous 1AIiographical references are given, most of which refer to I l i O l w the current importance of electronic computing machines recent work. The printing and the illustrations are clrxr in this field. The book is divided into two equal parts, one dealing and only a few minor typographical errors were obscrvetl. In general the book can be recommended strongly to ally with xtoms, one with molecules. 45 pages in the firit part chemist desiring to acquaint himself with the present d a y are devoted to discussion of “la notion de couche,” 32 pages i n the second to discussion of “nature e t classification des status of the three discussed topics. liaiioiii chitniques.” These secticliis ci~iitain11iuc11niatcri,il DEP.1RThlEST OI: CIIEMIS.I’KY t h a t is original with the author. STATE t T OF ~ Io\:.a~ ~ .~lLES’ZSUEII ~ ~ 1. I’OIJUV ~ ~ 111 the main tlic language u d is tlic prcseiit vogue. Iowa CITY,IUIIA
+
+
~
~
-
