B O O K REVIEWS The tent essentinlly contains eookhook directions. In many places it is too hricf, and clarity has been sacrificed. One ensmple of eonriseness is the frequent statement "Deduct a blank." The eolorime& ric procedures contain poor or no directions for the preparat,ion of calibration curves. One examplc of inconsistent directions appears on page 86: "Turn down the flame somewhat and move the flask to bhe edge of the hot plate." Perhap8 the author refers to a gas hurner hot plate which is rarely used in modern laboratories. This hook will serve an an aid to the analysis of nonferrous materials, although it is helieved that many of the procedures will present difficulty to the routine operator. JAMESM.PAPPENHAGEN Kenyon College Garnbiar. Ohio
Metallurgical Thermochemistry
0. Kubasehewski, Senior Principal Srientific offieel. a t the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex and E. LL. Euans, Senior Scientific Officer a t the Chemical Research Laboratory, Teddington. 3rd. ed. Pergzman Press, Inc., New Yolk, 1958. xiv 426 pp. Many figs. and tahles. 14.5 X 22.5 em. $10.
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Research and process m~tallmgists know the v d n e of an up-to-date edition of this standard work. It $so helongs on the 1ihrsr.y shelves consulted hy physical ohemistry ~tudents. No professor who has ~trllggledto m&e a sound phenomenological baais for thermodynamics seem real to students can afford to overlook this prolific source of interesting examples taken from practical thermodynamics. Having worked such problems, students are hound to appreciate how ten minutes with a slide rule and free energy tables can save thousands of hours of costly trisland-error experimentation.
W. F.K.
Nouveau Traid d e Chimie Mine'rale Volume 12 Edited hy Paul Pascal, Honorary Professor, Sorbonno. Mxsson et Cir, Paris, 1958. xaxix 692 pp. 95 figs. 17.5 X 26 cm. Paper bound, 6000 fr. Clot,h hound, 7000 fr.
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A departure from the original plan of Pascal's new treatise is noted in this volume. Volume 11 was to have included the material on arsenic, antimony, h i s mnth, vanadium, niohium, tantalum, and protoactini~imhut the edit,or has decided to publish the data in t,wo volumes instead of one. For this reason, Volume 12 contains vanadium, niohium, tantalum, and protoactinium instead of the elements (Continued on page A t 7 f i )
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BOOK REVIEWS previously announced. There will now he 20 volumes rather than 19 in the set. The date of completion of the treatise remains as 1960. Pascal presents a brief introduction to elements of Group Vb in this volume, and this is followed by 275 pages on vanadium by Morette, 336 on niobium and tantalum by Foex and Rohmer, and 64 pages on protoactinium hy Haissinsky and Bouissieres. Comparison uith other volumes of the set published to date shows that good continuity for over-all presentation of data exists. Standards of organization of material and format remain high. Areas of oriticism remain, and the literature has not been searched in same cases beyond 1955, slthough the volume was published in 1958. The treatise has the a d v a n t a e over earlier com~rehensiveworks of being able to resent modern concepts and newer theories of inorganic chemistry, and i t is in this respect that it has its greatest value. A more comprehensive treatment has been given to the elements concerned in this volume than appears in the work of Mellor. As yet, only protoactinium from this group of four elements has heen described in the latest edition of Gmelin, but in this instance Pascal's work does not appear to he as extensive in most areas.
Physical Chemistry of High Polymers
Mau7iee L. Hugyins, Research Associate, Kodak Research Laboratories. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1958. xiii 175 pp. 55 figs. 5 tables. 15.5 X 22.5 cm. $5.50 college. $6.50 trade.
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Dr. Huggins of the Kodak Research Laboratories has managed to compress most of the ourrent ideas of the physical chemistry of high polymers into 158pages of text. The principal topics discussed include the synthesis, constitution, ~ t r u c ture, solution properties (thermodynamic and hydrodynamic), and viscoelastic properties. Much oi the text is of an extremely abbreviated style. As a consequence, the reader totally unfamiliar with the field will find the going rough. For example, the beginner will not be happy with the m e n stating of the random walk formula for the configuration of a high polymer chain. He might want to know where this formula comes from. Surely Dr. Ruggins in his race through the subject could have granted the reader a few paragra,phphs of explanation occasionally. His repeated reference to "it may he shown that" will also he unwelcomed by the beginner in the subject. Those readers with some familiarity in the field, however, will find this monograph well worth reading and studying. I t is a very concise summary of the most modern ROGER V. KRUMM concepts in the field and Dr. Hugsins has hardly wasted a, single word. The Unit"ersityof Florida specialist in the field will recognize the Gainesuille
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originality of the chapter on the detailed treatment of the second virial coefficient in the equation of state of solutions of high polymers. Dr. Huggins' own oontributions are further evident in his chapter on the structure of polypeptides. GERALD OSTER Pol?,lechnic Imlitute of Brooklyn Brooklyn, New York Nouveau Trait& de Chimie Minirale. Volume 19
Edited by Paul Pascal, Honorary Professor, Sorbonne. Masson et Cie, Paris, 1958. xxxix 954 pp. 29 figs. 17.5 X 26 cm. Paper hound, 8500 fr. Cloth hound, 9700 fr.
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Elements of Group VIII are described in this volume hy Charonnat, Poulenc and Ciepka, Delepine, and C. Duval after general introduction by the editor. The average numher of pages given to each element is around 150, although 275 are devoted to platinum and 78 to palladium. Same 6266 referencesappear in the hihliographies. The literature has not been searched beyond July 1957, in some instmces heyond January 1, 1955. While the former date does not indicate any serious lag in time, it is felt that literature of 1956 should not have been neglected in any case.
ROGER V. XRUMM
llniuemity of Florida Gaineswille
