BOOK REVIELVS less comprehensive than Pitzer and Brewer's revision of Lewis and Randall, for example, this treatment by Klote is s. book which will continue to recommend itself warmly to students by the clarity, rigor of its development, the logic and systematization of its presentation, and its consideration far the average learner. I t should prove especially useful to supplement physico-chemical texts as this subject and chemical thermodynsmics as well gets introduced into the curriculum a t an earlier level. The paperback "Intraduetion" involves simply the first twelve chapters of the hard cover volume and consequently covers only the exposition of the three basic principles and the application thereof to simple systems of constant composition. Unfortunately, treatment of systems variable composition and aceompawing standard states for which the original volume was especidly used rostricts severely its ut,ility as a textbook in this abbreviated version. Although the printing and composition are relatively free of embarrassing errors, i t is amusing to see the revised edition referred to as "Basic Chemical Thermodynamic9 in the preface of the paperback version.
EDGAR F. WESTRUM, JR. Uniuereity of Michigan Ann Arbor
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Thermodynamics of lrreverrible
Procerrer
Pierre Van Rysselbel.ghe, Stanford University, Stanford, California. Blaisdell Publishing Co. (a division of Ginn and Co.), New York, 1964. 165 pp. Figs. and tables. 17.5 X 23.5 em. $7.50. Irreversible thermodynamics concern systems which are not in equilibrium. This short monograph introduces the subject and clesrly shows how conventional thermodynamics is extended to the nonequilibrium region. There are clear discmsions on the First and Second Laws and entropy production, the fundamental concept, followed by examples. Consistent with the author's main field of interest these examples deal largely with chemical reactions, but a vmiety of material such as diffusion, thermal diffusion and thermoelectricity is treated in a. simple and novel manner. There are some omissions: The concept of local equilibrium and the Onsager relations might have been discussed more fully, even allowing for the fact that repetition with existing books has been deliberately avoided. The lack of an index is also somewhat irritating. This book is recommended as an introductory text for those with a knowledge of basic classical thermodynamics, and is especially useful as a prerequisite to the sophisticated studies by Prigogine and De Groot. The presentation and explanations in the book will be very helpful as well to workers already using
the methods of irreversible thennodynsmics. HOWARD HANLEY Pennsylvania State University Universitv Park New German-English Chemists
Dictionary for
H. H. Neville, Building Research Sta, tion, N. C. Johnston, Bankheed Academy, Bucksbum, and G. V. Boyd, Northern Polytechnic, London,England. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, 330 pp. New Jersey, 1964. xviii 13.5 X 19.5 em. $8.95.
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The more than 40,000 entries in this dictionary were selected for chemists who know only a little German. Therefore many non-technical terms are included, as well as numerous explanations which would be superfluous to one fluent in German. Separable verbs, for example, puezle beginners who have made a quarter hour journey through a sentence and suddenly collide with the verb prefix a t the end. They will find useful guidance here. The compilation is entirely fresh, from a wide range of literature (including patents) in theoretical and applied chemistry. Some allowance is made for differences in British and American usage, hut evidently with mental reservations; there is no trace of concession to sdf- as an alternate to sulph-, and u is not omitted from words ending in -o(u)r. (Continued on pare A 146)
BOOK REVIEWS Prefixes, suffixes and abbreviations are well treated; for example, the German ending -in is clearly ditferentiated as to its English equivalents -in, - h e , and -we. Nine (;erman uses of the prefix ab- are listed. The vccasional use of prepositions as postpositions is also explained. The book makes no attempt to be a grammar, hut the introduction gives enough in~truction about Germm peculiarities to help users out of many a hard spot and teach them to avoid t,raps for the unwary. T h e x aids are reinforced by specific instructions in the vocabulary, such as the ten lines devoted tu explaining the meanings and uses of der. Some trade names ur their acronyms are entered, e.g., Adurol ( a ehloroquinol developer) and PAN far polyacrylonitrile. Names of many chemicals are enteredeven t.hough nearly or quite identical with the English names; this serves to alert users to small dilferenees in spelling, reassure them of identities, and remind them that apparent identity is sometimes deceptive. The volume is not as large as its vocabulary size would indicate. Space is saved hy small (but clear and legible) type, and by tricks of lexicagraphy such as avoiding repet,ition of adjectives, which in German are mnerallv also adverbs. The double duty is indicated thus: saihw, cleanlly, neat/ly, tidy&. The expedient- mentioned, and other small devires for helping dictionary users, are not, novel if taken one by one, but their
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combination as employed here is a rare if not unique lexieagr;tphic aid to scientists seeking to read a language with which they have only a modest familiarity. The publishers have produced a rompact and come-packed volume, easy to oarry and read, with goad t.ypography and adequate but not excessive white space, with a large store of information in small bulk. I t will earn its price and its shelf space "a plurality of times," as a patent attorney would say.
J U L ~ AF. N SYITII Lenoir Rhwe College Hickory, North Carolina
Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Volume 4, Calcium Compounds to Chloramphenicol
Anthony Standen, executive editor. Interscience Publishers ( a division of John Wiley and Sons, Inc.), New York, 1964. 937 pp. Figs. and tables. 19 X 27 em. $45 each; $3.5 subscription. Volume 4 continues in the same pattern as previous v o l u m ~of the "Encyclopedia" by providing competent coverage of the multitudes of subject matter that arise in m y encyclopediawith such broad purposes. The people selected have done an admirable iob of containinn - their suecialty to carefully selected reviews which will certainly be stimulating to students learning for the first time about certain subjects and helpful to seasoned profes-
sionals who need a starting paint for lurther study on many topics.
F. RASE HOWARD University of Tezav Austin Elements of the Theory of Gases
Sidney Golden, Brsndeis University, Boston. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Ine., Reading, Masssehusetts, 1964. iv 154 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 em. $5.
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"Elements of the Theory of Gases" is a. brief account of some of the equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties of gases. Both thermodynamic and statistical ttreatments artre given for some of the topics. These include: equation of state of ideal and real gases, corresponding states, molecular distributions, mechanics of collisions, and the mean-free-path theory of transport properties. The level of discussion is slightly above or on par with Moore's or Sheehm's "Physical Chemistry." I have my doubts about the usefulness of the book. Much of the subject matter is included in the books mentioned above, and much more in advanced treatises such as "Physical Chemistry" by MoelwynHughes. The discussion of the mechmics of collisions is given in more detail than usual in elementary discussions of gases; this is a welcome addition. It. is easy to find faults with a book,
(Continued on page A l 4 8 )
