smallel. format in 1950, including all of the illustrations. -Bern Dibner's "Agricola on Metals" is a summary of the Hoover edition. I t even in ohemicsl circles. Despite their hegins with a section dealing with the titles, which suggest a concern far mining knowledge of metals before A g r i d a ' ~ and metallurgy, these two works present a time, the life of Agricoln, the circumclearer picture of the state of Renaisstances leading to publication of the book, sanoe chemistry t,han do the voluminous and the subsequent history of the trei~t,ise' treatises on alchemy, the distillation books, There then follow twelve chapters, each and the works from the busy pen of being s, summary of the corresponding Pnmcelsus. part of Agricola's book. A largo numhw Agricola's treatise on metals was of the illustrations haye heen included. published in 1556, s. gear aftel. his death. On tho whole, the book represents I t represented the results of a. lifetime satisfactory s u m m a y although one mav of observation in the greatest eontemtake i ~ w ewith the aut,hor's interprcporsry mining center of Europe. Altat ion^ in a few instances. Anyone though Agricola was a medical man by wishing a digested version of Agricoln will training, his r e d interest W%8 g e ~ l o g i c ~ l find this book a satisfactory one. I t is snd he left several of the e w l i e ~ tworks by no means a substitute for the original on the subject. "De Re Metallica" has which is now available in n good reprint been important not onlv for the soundness for ten dollars. of its information on mining, smelting, and chemical manufacture, but for its ilAARORIHDE lustrations. The many woodcuts, of Ilniue~sit~, of Wisconsin high artistic merit, have been frequently Madison reproduced in works dealing with Renaissance technology since they represent our best knowledge of the practical arts Methoden der Orgmnischen Chemie. of the time. Band 1 1 , Teil 2. Stickstoffverbindungen No English version of Agricolil's treatise 11-111 was available until Herbert Hoover and his wife prepared their excellent translation Edited by Bugae M d l e r . 4th ed. early in the present century. This was Georg Thieme Verhg, Stuttgart, 1958. published with extensive explanatory xlviii 844 pp. 8 figs. 84 tables. notes in a limited folio edition resembling 18.5 X 26 cm. $36.80. the original Latin edition. It quickly Mschiavelli distinguishes three types became s collector's item. Dover Press of men: those who know through their published a reprinted edition in slightly
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o m native intelligence, those xvho]understand vhen informed, and finally, thosr who do not understand even after they have been adequately acquainted with the facts. Although all three type8 write hooks, prudence dictates that one should study t,he works of only the first two. This volume is an excellent compilation of the ~ t u d i e sof investigators of tbe first type and, a8 such, i t should command the attention of all serioun &udents oi the subject. Bnnd 11 1/2 is 3. continuation of the survey of nitrogen compounds. The three divisions of Section 2 deal wibh the reactions of itmincs (223 pp.) under the headings of the transformstion of primary and secondary itmines; tertiary amines; and the elimination of the amino group. Section 3, considers the synthesis, reactions, and properties of: (I) 1,2 and 1,3-Alkyleniminea (42 pp.); (11) preparation, reactions, properties of itmino acids and their derivatives (244 pp.); (111) the chemistry of the lactams (72 pp); (IV) quaternary ammonium compounds (54 pp.); and (V) is a survey of cert,ain nitrogen-sulfur compounds (111 pp.). The principal types are compounds which contain the grouping, CN-&X--; where X is oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, or halogens. This volume is a specialiaed monograph on the subject of aminr.8 and their derivativos. I t maintains the same high lwel of eompctence in both the compiletian of critical information and in the (Conlinued on page 8574)
BOOK REVIEWS
The inclusion of summaries of theoretical conceptB helps to meet some of the criticism of the original volume. Emphasis has been given to nuclear phenomena. Students can atart their searchen for material on such term-paper topics as periodic table, resonance, or gas chromatography profitably with this book. The arrangement of entries is alphabetical; cross references include titles in the major valume.
discussion of the reactions that has been exhibited in the other volumes of this series. Indeed there is a certain esthetic beauty in a n exhaustive treatise of this kind since one has available in a single source not only the ordinary classical knowledge hut also a thorough examination of the less well-known aspects of the subject,. W. F. K. The literature has been surveyed up to 1957 in all sections except that on the nlkylenimines which covers that period Organic Colloids un to 1956. There are a ~ ~ r o x i m a t e l r Bruno Jivgensons, Biochemist, Cni3 i ~ 0entries in the suhjeci'index and versity of Texas, M. D. Andexson ROO0 in the author index. Hospital and Tumor Institute; Assoeiate Professor, University of Tesaa Postgraduate School of Medicine and Baylor University School of Medicine. Elsevier Publishing Company, distrihuted hy D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, N. J., 1058. xiv 655 pp. The Encyclopedia of Chemistry 160 figs. 96 tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. (Supplement) SIG.75. George L. Clark, Editor-in-Chief, -4sstated by the author, thi? writing is a Gesmer G. Hawley, Managing Editor, general survey of organic colloids mad,. as and William A. Hamor, Advisory elementary ns possible. I t is not advoEditor. Kcinhold Publishing Carp., r a t ~ dthorofirc, , far the sperialist to spnreh New York, 1958. v 330 pp. 18 out new information in his own area hot X 26 cm. $10. would he useful to him in presenting genThis is the supplement to the Encyclopedia since the publishers plan no other. I t increases the coverage of the original effort yet maintains the same high standto cxtend their knowledge of marromol:rrds (se? THIS JOURNAL, 35. 374 (19583). rculps and colloids.
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The first sirtern chapters generally rcview methods for preparation of organio colloids, properties of maeromoleculea and colloids, and procedures by which maeromolecule components may be charact,erized. The remaining eighteen chapters present a highly condensed survey of individual polymers both synthetic and natural. The extent of over-condensation of certain subjects is exemplified hy infrared spectroscopy which is d o t e d twothirds of a page. Not everyone would agree to some of the definitions and nomenclrtture wed. Thus the statement on page 5 that mmolecular colloids are true d u t i o n s may be open to debate. Chapter 22, entitled "Starch and Other Branched Chrtin Polysaccharides" by inference neglects linear starch amylose and high amylose starches. On page 6, introduction of the term "micromolecular" might he opposed hy some people. Definition of a micell as a colloidal particle eompo~rdof many aggregated small molecules is not common. Aside from what after all are p e r h a p minor criticisms in such a. large volume, the work meets well the author's intended objective of a general and elementary heatment and compares with earlier but similar hook8 by other authors. I t should nerve well to acquaint penons with a, comparatively new and certainly exciting and rapidly gl.owing field of chemistry.
