BOOK
REVIEWS
pH Measurement and Tiimtion
G. Mattock, with a chapter by G. Rose Taylm, Electronic Instruments, Ltd., Richmond, Surrey, England. The MacMillan Co., New York, 1961. xiv 406 pp. Figs. and tables. 14.5 X 22 cm. $14.50.
+
The measurement of the pH of a solution has become such a simple task since the advent of the glass electrode and the electronic pH meter that one tends to lase sight of the theoretical and experimental limitations of the results that are obtained. This book seeks to make the reader aware of the limitations and fundamentals of pH measurement and serve as a practical textbook for technologists in the chemical industry. I t is generdly successful in these aims. The hook treats theoretical prinoiplea and definitions involved in pH measurement, pH measuring and reference electrodes, instrumentation, laboratory and industrial measurements, and aqueous, non-aqueous and automatio acid-base titrations. The author is most successful when he is discussing the pmctical aaspects of pH measurements. Although some of this material has been presented elsewhere, the discussion of the operation and construction of the various measuring and reference eketrodes is very useful. The explanation of "poisoning" of the hydrogen electrode is very clear, as is the discussion of such infrequently-mentioned topios
-Reviewed
as speed of response, resistance measurement and insulation of the glass elee trode. A brief section on reference elee trodes for non-aqueous media is also included. The chapter on the effects of temperature variation on pH measurements discusswr not only changes in the "slope factor" (2.303RTlF) but also the zero shift due to tempert~ture differences between the standardieation buffer and the test solution, temperature hysteresis, and other effects, and is, to this reviewer's knowledge, the most complete treatment of its kind available. The chapter by G. Ross Taylor on pH measuring instruments presents a lucid explanation of the principles of operation of various pH meters and a classification of moat of the pH meters currently in use. The book is much weaker when diacussing theory. The initial discussion of electrolyte solutions, although hasically correct, is too cursory to be of help to a person not already familiar with this material. The same is true of the theoretical treatment of acid-base titration curves. Fortunately these topics have been discussed adequately in other texts. The chapter on acid-base titrations includes, however, a valuable review of the various methods of plotting experimental data in location of the equivalence point in difficult titrations. Although the practical aspects of non-aqueous titrations (solvents, titrants, standardization procedures, endpoint detection, applications) are well
in This Issue
G. Mattock, &h a chapter by G. Ross Taylw, pH Measurement and Titration J . G. Kirkwood and Irwm Oppenheim, Chemical Thermodynamics E. Cartmell and G. W . A. Fowles, Valency and Molecular Structure E. A. Moelw?m-Hughes,Physical Chemistry S . H. Pinner, A Practical Course in Polymer Chemistry Francis J . C. Rossotti and Hazel Rossotti, The Determination of Stability Constants and Other Equilibrium Constants in Solution Stig Vabel, The Identification of Organic Compounds: A Manual of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods A1 Stellerrnark, Quantitative Organie Microanalysis K1al-e S. Mmkley, editor, Fatty Acids: Their Chemistry, Properties, Production and Uses. Part 2 H n r y Guerlac, Lavoisier: The Crucial Year J. H. de Boer et al., editors, Reactivity of Solids J. L. Moilliet, B. Collie, and W . Black, Surface Activity J . T. Davies and E. K . Rideal, Interfacial Phenomena Committee of the National Science Teachers Association, Quality Science for Secondary Schools Eugene Garfield, An Algorithm for Translating Chemical Names to Molecular Formulas Robert F . Gould, editor, Searching the Chemical Literature
described, no mention is made of the theory of these titrations, such as that given by Kolthoff and Bruckenstein for titrations in glacial acetic acid. The hook is well documented with literature references, with some in 1960. Some minor errors are present, hut they do not detract from the usefulness of the book. Generally the hook contains such a wealth of information and detail on apparatus and technique that it is highly recommended as a handbook for workers interested in pH measurement. Unfortunately the price of the book is 80 high in comparison to its size and mechanical conformation that its distribution will probably be somewhat limited.
ALLEN J . BARD University of Tezas Austin
Chemical Thermodynamics
J . G. Kirkwood, late of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, and I ~ w i nOppenheirn, Magsachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. M e Graw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, 1961. ix 261 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $8.75.
+
This hook is an unusual and most valuable addition to the textbook lib erature in thia field. Within the very modest hulk of a scant 250 pages, it manages not only to treat, with adequate detail, eseentially all the topics usually covered, but also eome, like the Thermodynamics of Surfaces, Electric and Magnetic Fields, and Gravitational and Centrifugal Fields which, though of considerable importance, are often neglected. I t achieves this economy by an admirable conciseness and clarity and the avoidance of circumlocutions, fuzziness, and irrelevant details. The necessary concepts are introduced with precision and meminglulnesa and the discussion is vigorous and closely reasoned. Yet, there is no stinting on needed verbal explanations and relevant details and applications are presented fully. A very helpful and welcome feature is the introduction of each chapter by a short, descriptive paragraph giving the contents of the chapter and placing it aithin the general framework. This reviewer especially welcomes the book's concentration on the macroscopic aspects and the almost complete omission of statistical mechanical ideas; it is his opinion that only thus can the power and unity of the subject be demonstrated and conceptud confusion avoided. A noteworthy feature is the thorough discussion of the Second Law in terms of Camtbbdory's principle. At several points the reader will find it necessary to refer to the eources for additional details or derivations and explanations that are only sketchily indicated; a brief mathematical appendix, while helpful, would not in itself be adequate for the average student in mastering the more difficult mathematical points. Volume 39, Number 7, July 1962
/
377
