..
and confusing to the student. Professor Buerger has compiled a, volume which should be required reading for such authors. He has succeeded in doing what radiation chemistry which are of primary he set out to do, namely, to create s o m e significance in other areas of chemistry. thing useful and understandable for stuLEONM. DORFMAN dents in chemistry, physics, mineralogy, Ohio State Uniuersity rnetsllorgy, and biology. I especially Columbus, Ohio 43U0 like the lavish use of figures. This hook will not he suitable for use as a principal text by all instructors, because, ideally, they should have more insight from prsetical use into this subject. I t should be owned, and read, by everyone who Introduction to Crystal Geometry considers himself a. crystallographer, and by everyone who makes use of the results Marlin J . Buerger, Massachusetts Inof X-ray crystallographers. stituteof Technology,Cambr.idge, Mass., On the minus side, the author displays and University of Connecticut,, Storrs, an undue emphasis on the nomenclatural Conn. MoGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., aspects of his snbject. These include a New York, 1971. xii f 204 pp. Pigs. preference for the 1st setting (which no and tables. 23.5 X 16 cm. 812.50. one uses) in the monocliniesystem, rehashing the hexagonal-trigonel-rhombohedra1 According to its introduction "most of hessel, use of "isometric" instead of the the information conlained in this hook has more economical (and nnembiguons) been available since 1801, when the theory "cubic," and axid labeling in the orthoof space groups was first publiahed." rhombic system including 8. lengthy exWhy, then, this book? Well, for one position of whet happens to t,he space t of fundamental, thing, it puts a g r e ~deal group symbol when the axes are permuted. t,hough elementary, material between the same net of covers. More important, An eleven page table of the equivalent positions and their multiplicities for all however, is the antidotal elTect one hopes 230 space groups seems unnecessary. The t,his book will have against the mounds only misprint noted in this carefully of garbage which have been produced on produced work is an obvious one on p. 154. this subject since 1891: any author writing a text book of physical chemistry J ~ R DONOHUE Y feels qualified to write {.heususl obligatory Uniuersil?,qf Pennsylvania chapter(s) un crystallography and symPhiladelphia metry, and tho resulting jargon is useless
book reviews
A 192 / Journal o f Chemical Education
McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science a n d Technology. 1971
Daniel N . Lapedes, Editor in Chief. MrGraw-Hill Inc.. New York. 1971. and tables. 28.5 X 22 4 8 1 ~ ~Figs. . cm. $27.50. This newest in the oldest series of science yearbooks is a worthy companion to the new 15-volume McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia. of Science and Technology. The bulk of the volume is devoted to 1970 developments from "absolute zero" to "xylem." I n these days when it is impossible to keep even with the frontiers of knowledge in any but narrow fields of specialby, the need for an authoritatively writt,en sommary of recent advances is experienced by everyone. This volume meets that need. I n addition, 10-page essays preview 1971 advances in each of six fields. Chemists will be glad to find those on origin of life and on computecassisted rtnalytical chemistry, a t l e a d The book is further made a visual pleasure by the inclusion of 8. collection of excellent photographs of scientific importance. WFK
Absolute Configuration of Metal Complexes
Cli$'ord J . Hawkins, University of Queensland. A Volume hl the Interscience Monographs on Chemist~y, (Conlinued on page A194)
