BOOK REVIEWS learns t o identify the lnnthanidcs as the -If dements. Keverth~less,ytt,rium and lanthanum because of their chemical pmprrtips are het,ter discussed with the lanthanides than with any other elements. Scandium is markedly different; even though i t was first isolated from yttria, its primary mode of occurrence is not with thc lanthanides. d l amounts for the oxidation states of the lanthanides in terms of rlectronir ronfiguration, insoiar as this is possihl~. Tlw reader is candidly told, and shown, that direct eorrclatiun between the two is the exception rather than thc rule. The pomrful reducing action of the d e mental lanthanides is correlated with their large atomic sire, as are the pronounced ionic character oi lanthanide compounds and the paucity of complex spccies. Consequences oi the lanthanide contraction are discussed, such as the invariable nr~tural occurrence of yttrium with the heavier lanthmides and the small variations in properties that permit separation of thc lanthanides by fractional operations. The third chapter supplements the chemical information already presented by discussing in some detail the general chemistry of the lanthanides in terms of their several uxidatiun states. This presentation provides the background esscntial to underatanding the problems or recovery and separation h a t e d in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter provides n brief consideration of the actinides. The thcmr of this final chmter is Seab:,re's h v ~ o t l l ~ ~ i s that bhey are 5felements. The value of this excellent little hook, the seventh in the series, is enhanced by a. complete index and by a valuable list, of selected readings a t the end of each chapter. LAWRENCE P. EBLIN Ohio Uniuwsily Athas
Nouveau Trait6 de Chemi6 Min6rale. Volume 8, Germanium, Etain, Plomb
Paul Pascal, general editor. Masson 816 pp. e t Cie., Psris, 1963. xxxix Figs. and tables. 17.5 X 26 cm. 136XF, brochP; 148WF, eartonne toile.
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Volume 8 of the new treatise by Pasral on inorganic chemistry is t o appear in three part,s, and it will include the material on the elements carbon, silicon, germanium tin, and lead. Part Three is the only part puhlished t o date, and i t includes t h e elements germanium, tin, and lead. With volume 9, this volume, will cover the elements in Group IV. The section on germanium was written jointly by A. Tchakirian, P. Bevillard, and A. Godfrin. The section on tin was written by B. Lemanceau, except for t h e material concerning organic compounds of tin, which was written by Payeal himself, and the section on lead was written by It.
A832 / Journal of Chemical Education
BOOK REVIEWS Faivre 2nd It. Weiss. Separate paging fur earh of the three projected parts evident,ly is intended, its this part has its own paging and indexing, although i t is designated as the third part r,f volume. The tahles in the section for tin are used frequently and etfert,ively, and they hnve exrellent hibliographic notes. As is the rase with the entire treatise, bihliogmphies are listed frequently and contain numerous reierenres. A number of hihliographies might well have been brought closer t o tho date of publication, and n few do not go beyond 1053, although most are rcmunahly up t o d a k . The index is f i ~ rfrom thorough but a good arrangement in the treatment of earh element :md its compu~~nds does much t o overrome this handicap. The greatest use of the set undoubtedly will he ~8 n reference t d , but much use can lhe made c,i individosl vnlurnev and their parts ior intensive reading and stud:. 35 well. This :tppears to be the ease with t,hr mat,eri:d in this part of Volume 8.
nucleie acids and their components are succinctly presented. The remaining two thirds of the hook is devoted to the exposition of the metnbolism of biochemical compounds and the integration of metabolism, presented clearly with pertinent diagrams, figures, equations, and schemes for reaction sequences. After the general characterination of the enzymes in one chapter, the individual enzymes, of known metabolic importance, are introduced as the resetions they catalyze are encountered. Vitamins are presented as participants in meti~hrrlism with emphasis on the coenzymatic activities af their derivatives and with indication of what is known of t l u m vitamins (R, E , A, D, and C) with no established coenzymatic function. Nutritionnl aspects of the vitamins are not included. The authors have concisely presented
the salient aspoets of the catabolism of the carbohydrates and fats, and the associated and ensuing electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation. The catabolism of the amino acids is briefly indicated. Outlines of the biosynthesis of carbohydrates (including plmtosyntheais), fatty acids, other lipids, purines, pyrimidines, porphyrins, nucleie acids, and proteins are admirably up-to-date. Digestion, ahsorption and excretion: the urea cycle, and the nitrogen cycle in nature are outlined. Clear introductions t o biochemical genetics and metabolic regulation are especially cnmment-worthy. This book, not designed to be erhaust i d y encyclopedic, provides, in brief compass but in generous measure, a referenee "dietionr~ry"far terms, concepts, and reactions of modern biochemistry. As (Contin~
