Volume I, in 18 chapters paginated separately, deals with the ing quantitative determinationr, and extend to long. Frrmuous purirications nnd prelmrntions uf vrgctahle pigments and spccial- analysis of the common military explosives (as well as of dynai ~ e dproteins. The acnior author's field of achievement is well mite), of the raw materials from which they are prepared, and of the intermediates in their manufacture, acids, nitrations, toluene representedbynumerous enzyme and chromoprotein preparations. Theapparatus required for this work isnot ascomplex asmight be and its nitro derivatives, nitroglycerin, nifrocellulose and smokeless powder, amatol, picric acid, nitrostarch, tetryl, black powfeared in times when economy and scarcity are laboratory @nates. The thoroughness and modernity of this manual are exemplified der, primers, fulminate and azide, and a short bibliography. by the expositions on photoelectric calorimeters, and on the poVolume I1 is a dictionam.. the entries under each letter "~ eeriertentiometric determination of pH, as well as the usual ones on the ally paginated separately, of the less common explosives, of subpolariscope and Duboscq calorimeter. Emphasis is placed on types stances related to explosives or of use in the explosives art, the of such apparatus which are teachably constructed so that a entries often accompanied by literature and patent references student can see how they work without taking them all apart. and by summaries or abstracts. The broad scope of the dicMost of the procedures are completeIy described, and many also tionary may be illustrated by the fact that we find the Centralites give references to the literature. A few methods are merely sum- described under C, their properties, methods of analysis, etc., marized along with cited references, to encourage the use of the Cheddites, Chlorates and Chlorate Explosives, Chromates, original sources of information in the library. Schemes for the Collodion, Colloiding Agents, Cordite, and Cyclonite, as well treatment of unknowns cover fats, carbohydrates, urine, dis- as many other materials concerning which questions are likely solved and solid proteins, and enzymes. Instead of placing reci- to arise in laboratory discussions. The dictionary is followed pes for reagents in small type as footnotes or in a distant ap- by a list of definitions and a table of physical constants of compendix, the authors have arranged these directions right along in pounds used in the explosives industry, by a table of weights and the text in regular type. measures, and by afurther bibliography. Complete as it is with a list of equipment needed in each desk, Volume I11 contains supplements to several of the chapters of and with an index, this book surprisingly lacks any tabular esti- the above-described Volume I, two new chapters. XlX which mate of the variety and amounts of chemicals required. Such deals with fuel oil, coal, and boiler water, etc.. with the chemical tables are found in some manuals, and are a great help in course- control work which is necessary in connection with the operation planning. The instructor who uses this manual is due for some of the power house, and XX which deals with the toxicity of extensive page-turning and estimating, as he selects his experi- explosives and with sanitary tests. Further references are ments and makes out his order for chemicals. The authorsintend given, additional abstracts of recent publications on explosives, that in a year course Part I of the hook will be completed during a list of additional items to he included in the dictionary of the first term of 32 laboratory periods of two and one-thid hours Volume 11, a list of errata, and an excellent index. each. Part I1 has more material, including the longer enzyme Clift, Fedoroff, and Young have produced a work which is preparations, so that selections by the teacher, and election of really a manual, something for the explosives chemist t o have alternatives by the students must be made. alwavs under his hand. somethine for him to handle. and use. and On page 22 in the "Determination of the Iodine Number of a Fat." the directions for running the blank are unclear, giving the impression that water is to be used instead of Hanus solution. Then iil the exampleof calculations reference is made to the Hanus solution in this same blank. Elsewhere erromseem to benegligiCHEMISTRY.Louis F. F k e r and Mary Fieser. D. C. ble. The type is clear and well set, and the figures are excellently ORGANIC 1091 pp. 4 figs. Heath and Company, Boston, 1944. xii reproduced. The binding is sturdy, and yet the pages readily lie Tables. Charts. 15.5 X 23.5cm. Trade Edition. $8.00. flat. "Of making many books thereis no end." So said the preacher DAVIDLYMAN DA~IDSON long ago and when good books come along we are happy that it is MIDDLBSBX UN~VB~UI~Y WILTHAY. MASSICRUSRTTS so. "Time marches on." and "He who does not go forward goes backward." Dr. and Mrs. Fieser have given us a wonderful opportunity in Volumes I and I1 this "Organic Chemistry" to gain new knowledge of the subject A MANUAL FOR EXPLOSIVES LABORATORIES. by G. D. Clijt and dB. T.Fedoroff. Vol. 111 by G.D. Clift.B. and its meaning and to rejuvenate our old knowledge. This T.Federoff, and D. G. Young. Lefax Society. Inc., Philadelphia. hefty volume with its 1091 pages is full of much excellent inforEach volume loose leaf, 9.5 X 17.0 em. Vol. I, 4th ed., 1943, mation for both the younger and the older student of the subject. xii 224 pp. Illustrated. Price, separately, $2.00. Vol. The text is very, readable. I t reads along in such a manner that 11, EXPLOSIVECOMPOUNDS AND ALLIED SUBSTANCES, A DE- the subject seems t o unfold easily before your eyes instead of SCRIFTIVE LIST, 1943, iv 266 pages. Price, separately, $2.25. poking itself up in lumps and bumps as it seems to do in some Vol. 111, Comprising Supplements Numher One and Two, books. 1944, ii 236 pages. Illustrated. Price, separately, $2.00. In the early parts of the book the subject is explained in some Price, all three volumes, $5.75. detail and the tempo ib increased as the book progresses and "maThese three volumes contain in a compact package an amazing terial of a more and more advanced nature" is presented "as the amount of information, some of it background or liberalizing reader gains in experience and background. Thus the empirical information for improving the chemist's grasp of the field of correlation of phenomena prevalent in the early chapters graduexplosives, most of i t information which is absolutely essential ally gives place to interpretations in terms of modern theory." So state the authors and their plan is carried out admirably. t o the worker in the chemical labaratorv of an ex~losivesnlantQuoting further from the preface, "The most novel feature of information on physical and chemical properties, on sources and methods of preparation, on impurities likely to be present, an the book is the inclusion of a number of chapters for optional reading dealing with significant applications of organic chemistry their detection, on details of analytical procedures, and so forthinformation which is necessary to the explosives plant chemist, to technology and to the biological and medical sciences." These whether he be new to the work, freshly set down among explo- essay chapters are interspersed throughout the book. Most of sives and busy a t once upon their analysis, or whether he be an them were written by Mary Fieser and cover subjects such as old hand in need of a compendium of numerical and precise in- Petroleum, Rubber, Microbiological Processes. Role of Carboformation for ready reference. The fact that Volume I , first pub- hydrates in Biological Processes, Metabolism of Fats, Proteins lished in 1942, is now in its fourth edition indicates that the and Amino Acids, Synthetic Fibers. Plastics and Resins, and so explosives chemists of the country have felt the need of it. I t is on. Thev are worth readinr iust bv themselves. There seems to be little if any difference in the style of each o f strictly a chemist's manual, and does not describe the physical the authors. Other points worth noting follow. The structural testing of explosives.
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formulas are all that an organic chemist could desire. The yield is frequently given in the reactions outlined. The too few diagrams of apparatus are well done. Thought-provoking questions and reading references are given a t the end of each chapter. Cross referencing is good. Quotations from the literature and the nationality of authors are given frequently. Interesting historical notes, explanations of the derivations of chemical names, the names of authors of important reactions together with the year, the addition of commercial names and processes, are advantageously mentioned. There are a great many useful tables of compounds with their structures and physical constants. and there is a very good index. In a hook of this type one might look for a feature not usually found, if a t all, in any textbook, and that is how to pronounce chemical names. It is hoped the authors will consider such an opportunity in later editions. I t is interesting t o note that the authors in some cases follow the older method of the Geneva system of nomenclature by using terms like butene3 and butanol-2 instead of following the later American Chemical Society procedure, 2-hutene and 2-butanol. The only typographical error found in rather extensive reading of this excellent and authoritative book is the spelling of ethylidine for ethylidene (p. SO)! HARRYL. FISHER U.S.
INDUSTRIAL
CRBIICALS,INC.
Srrarroeo, C o n ~ e c r r c u r
PLASTICHORIZONS (Science for War and Peace Series). H. B. Wcil and Victor I.Anhorn, Gulf Research and Development Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Jaques Cattell Press, Laucaeter, Pennsylvania, 1944. 161 pp. 16 figs. 13.5 X 19 cm. $2.50. The emergence of plastics into the realm of everyday life has necessitated the publishing of a book that would bring plastics out of the status of magic and mystery and put them into the class of realism. "Plastic Horizons" fills this long-felt need for s comprehensive, yet general book, sufficiently nontechnical for the general public, but detailed enough to be informative. From house numbers t o kitchen sinks, our homes of the futuse may he plastic dwellings. "Expandable water pipes which do not burst when water freezes in them, window screens which can be mounted and rolled like window shades, and coated wall paper which can be cleaned with a damp cloth, are some of the intriguing possibilities offered to tomorrow's America. The authors do not predict a wholesale and immediate conversion to plastics, hut a gradual utilization and substitution of plastics where their superiority has been scientifically established. Conclusive evidence is being demanded by both the plastic manufacturers and the consuming public before heretofore readily accepted articles are discarded for the relative newcomer, plastics. The subject matter in "Plastic Horizons" is divided into five sections; the first chapter is an interesting, well-balanced, technical and semitechnical discussion entitled "What Are Plastics!" Interwoven around a slight historical introduction and chemical discussion is a well-written chapter on the types of plastics. Included are the early plastics, hakelite, and phenolic resins, the newer plastics such as the vinyl resins, polystyrene, saran, acrylic resins, and many others. The chapter is augmented with diagrams illustrating compression molding, injection molding, extrusion, and lamination. The second chapter, "Plastics and Our Modern World," discusses the astonishing increase in plastic and resin production during the period from 1927 t o 1941. Figures that would bring the production record up t o date come under the category of military secrets. We can imagine, however, that these figures would he phenomenal, for the growth during the "test tube" era of peace was staggering, while under the "pilot plant" era of war
it would be astronomical. The raw products used in plastic manufacture, among them wood and cotton, can largely be grown in our forests and on our farms. The science of "chemurgy" where the farmer works hand in hand with the manufacturer is made possible by plastic manufacturers. Current interest in plastics is well brought out in Chapter 3, "Plastics I n A World At War." Uses of plastics in ordnance, sea, and air are some of the timely subjects mentioned. A fine chart pointing out the plastic parts on airplanes clearly indicates the role of plastics in the Air Corps. Corsage boxes have given way to windshields of trainer planes, shower curtains t o cable coating, and radio cabinets to bomber d w r s and even entire plane bodies. The importance of plastics in warfare is clearly indicative of American ingenuity and scientific leadership. This section is well worth reading if only to find the tremendous part plastics is taking in defeating the Axis. A text on plastics wouldn't be complete without a discussion of synthctic rubber. In a brief manner, the authors present in Chapter 4, "Synthetic Fibers and Synthetic Rubbers," the progress in the synthesis of rubber, familiarizing the reader with the highlights of one of war industry's biggest projects. I t has been said, "When the minute man returns to his plow, it will have plastic handles!" The fifth and last chapter "Plastics and the Future," allows one's imagination to envision a dream home; I should say, a transparent dream home, with every modern convenience from a sewing machine that will "spot weld" elastics. to a transoarent chest full of nvlon shirts for men.. ~~~~~. Thrre are o ~ l ya few of hundrmi* of pla-tic innovations that will appear in thc pos1n.u tomurrlw. A valuableappendix li-I- the name;, chemical types, and manufacturers of fam~liarplartic 3 and relarcvl marrrrals.
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A SHORTER HISTORYOF SCIENCE. Sir W i l l i ~ mCecil Dampier (jormerly Whetham), Fellow and sometime Senior Tutor of Trinity College, Cambridge, Fellow of Winchester College. 189 pages. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1944. x 14 figs. 9 plates. 12.5 X 18.5 cm. $2.00. The purpose of this hook according to the author's preface is "firstly, to help the general reader, who wishes to know how science, which now affects his life so profoundly, reached its present predominance, and secondly, t o meet the needs of schools. Those older schoolboys whose chief subjects are scientific should look a t them also from a humanist standpoint, and realize their setting in other modes of thought, while those studying literature need some knowledge of science before they can he said t o he well educated." In spite of its inaccuracies and inadequacies the hook will fulfill these two purposes. It will give to the older schoolboys and to students of literature a taste of those interesting and tremendously important things of which a narrow specialization would be likely t o deprive them. I t s value will have been achieved if it is used as a first book in t h e subject, an introduction to more extensive reading by which gaps are filled in and misunderstandings are corrected. The book suffers from the necessity of being brief. I t fails t o mention many of the facts and factors which ought to be included in the barest outline of a history of chemistry. Conclusions are set down in too summary a fashion, and interpretations are couched in language which sometimes misleads. But t h e small hook is interesting t o read and contains many revelations for the student who has specialized narrowly either in literature or in science. TENNESL. DAVIS
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NORWXLL, MISSACBOSETT~
