RECENT R O O K S TORCHAND CRUCIBLE. THE LIFE AND DEATAOP ANTOINB Lnvorsmn. Sidney I. Frcnch. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J.; Humphrey Milford, London; Oxford University Press. 1941. xi 285pp. 15 X 23 cm. W.50. This book is different in spirit and in content from the other biographies of Lavoisier which have been published recently. There is no doubt whatever that there is room for it. I t describes not merely the scientific work af this m a n a n d describes it critically and lucidly in the light of the most recent historical researches, particularly those of Meldrum-but i t also describes the man of affairs, "intimate of same of the greatest figures of the eighteenth century," a "human being caught in a strange mixture of passions and prejudices and swept along by the roaring tide of the French Revolution." The question of Lavoisier's priority and originality is discussed fairly. The matter was, as Berthelot had said, "an incident in the long-standing feud, continually being renewed in the history of science, between the sagacious discoverers of particular facts and the men of genius who frame general theories." The author says (page 179): "If every accusation charged against Lavoisier were true, it would make no difference. His fame rests not on the originality of his experiments but on the way they were put together. We admire the edifice now for its beauty and utility; we are no longer concerned with the question of who quarried the rock. We admire Lavoisier for the sheer genius he showed, for the tremendous energy he displayed, far the monumental conclusions he obtained, for the magnificent structure he built. "Both Priestley and Cavendish had the opportunity t a d o with their own discoveries what Lavoisier did with them. Priestley, in fact, had a better opportunity, for he knew far more about gases than Lavoisier would ever know. Both Priestley and Cavendish were justified in their complaints against Lavoisier's useof their facts. Yet, the woridmnst be thankful that Lavoisier had both the ability and the courage t o make use of them!' The book is well docume"ted and well indexed. The only visible illustration is a reproduction of David's painting of M. and Mme. Lavoisier, which, unfortunately, is not included in the book but is printed on the jacket. T o a youthful reader, however, with an active imagination, the book will be as full of pictures as a well-remembered movie. T T n...,= Ar -lrl,n"
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Cluearooa, M n s s a ~ u s s r r s
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY,WITH APPLICATIONS TO PHARMACY AND Msorcrrre. Eldin V . Lynn, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. First Edition. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, 1941. 410 pp. 14.5 X 23 cm. $4.50. The title defines the purpose of the book. The author amplifies his aim by his statement in the preface, yogive an adequate discussion t o the important principles of modern organic chemistry that and t o bring in for purposes of illustration those in pharmaceutical and medical practice." purpose are agree ~ i t the h seems t o be ably fulfilled, but thereviewer does further statement in the preface that "the text should he equally of value for a course in pharmaceutical organic chemistry where the student has previously studied the general subjeCt." The pharmaceutical and medical applications have been so successfully subordinated t o the excellent brief course in organic chemistry itself that the book would almost certainly lose its interest for a student who was already well grounded in the general subject. This last opinion of the reviewer may seem t o be contradicted by the imposing list of pages upon which are found medicinal applications: pages 45, 53, 70, 72, 107, 113, 126, 128, 139, 14850.246-9,252,25941, 272-6,2803, plus too many pages in the last hundred for listing. The differencein emphasis between this book and the usual general organic chemistry is indicated by this
distribution of space. The fact still remains, however, that the pharmaceutical and mcdical compounds would seem to need considerable amplification in lecturr$, while the chief value of the book lies in the ercdlcncc, combined with the brevity, of its presentation of general organic chemistry. I t is, in fact, remarkable haw completely and accurately a suhject can be treated in wry small space, as the following examples show: acetoacetic ester in a single page (219), the tartaric acid isomers also in a single page (137), and the Grignsrd reagent in only a little over two pages (177-9). I n this connection, bowever, the reviewer suggests that most of the subject n d t e r of Chapter I might easily be omitted, as i t is from many organic texts, t o afford more room for amplifying the rather too brief treatment of carbohydrates, or, even more important, for including more of the recent theoretical applications in organic chemistrv. We note with remet the conservatism of the author " with respect to electronic formulas, which he metfitionsin a smgle paragraph (page 133 only to dtsrard them. "in order to economize and simplify"; and similarly with respect to resonance. which is not even mentioned in connection with the structure of benzene (page 216). The treatment of organic nomenclature is excellent throughout, although of course it is less emphasized in the latter half of the book. A very useful list of reference books is included a t the end. The Review Questions a t the end of each chapter really serve to summarize the chapter and are very goad for that purpose. As with most organic textbooks, such questions would need t o be supplemented by a b w k on Problems in Organic Chemistry. I n the later chapters the Review Questions not only summarize, but supplement the text, thereby aiding in the brevity and conciseness of treatment characteristic of the book. Occasionally also in the text itself the excellent teaching device is used of leaving the reader to oraduce his awn illustrative formulas and eauations as.. notably, for the pruhlrm of orientation on pagc 219. The buok has the neat orderliness esscntinl to training in organic chemistry; it is almost entirely free from errors and inaccwacies; it is clear and logical; it puts the applications to pharmacy and medicine into their correct relationships t o the general subject; and it shows throughout its author's skill and experience as a teacher. I t is certainly to be recommended for thme for whom it was intended-those who wish a brief concise treatment of the essential facts of organic chemistry, with sufficient mention of the pharmaceutical and medicinal applications t o serve as the basis for amplifying lectures. HELENS. FRENCH ~
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WerLssLRv COLLBO~ WBLLBSLBY, MASSACAL7SBI78
A BRIEF COURSEI N ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. A C~MBINED TEXTBOOK AND LABORATORY MANUAL. Reynold C. uso on, professor of Chemistry. University of Illinois, Ralph Connor. Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Pemsylvania, Charh C. Price, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Illinois, and H.R. Snyder, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Illinois. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York . 15 X 23 cm. $2.50. City, 1941. X f 2 4 8 ~ ~24figs. This book is designed primarily for the short courses in organic chemistry offered t o students of agriculture, home economics, veterinary medicine, pre-dentistry, and pre-medicine. Theobject is t o give the beginner a mastery of the essential principles and important types of organic compounds as soon as possible. Therefore a brief outlineof the fundamentalsispresented in the first 118 pages, and a more detailed discussion of topics such as recent industrial developments in aliphatic chemistry and the chemistry of various natural products is given in the following 64 pages. The systematic chemistry is begun with the aliphatic hydrocarbons, and then the aromatic hydrocarbons are described.
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