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
