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certain that they will wish t o do so after they have availed themselves of this opportunity to become familiar with Scheele's own account of his remarkable activities. RALPHE. OESPER U N I V B R S ~ ~OF Y C~NCINNATI CINcrNrrArr, Omlo
Lavoisier. J. A. COCHRANE.Constable and Co. Ltd., London, Eng., 1931. xiii 264 pp. 20 X 30 cm. 7s. 6d.
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This book is an accurate and entertaining account of the life and work of the famous French chemist. Lavoisier. I t traces his career from the early days, through his association with the French Academy of Sciences and the Ferme Gknkrole, to the troublous period of the Revolution, which finally led to his tragic death. Much material found only in inaccessible books is included in s condensed form. A careful examination of the book confirms the statement of the publisher that the author "has brought into prominence the event3 in the life of the great Frenchman, and has rescued from obscurity incidents that strike deep into the foundations of European history." The author is just, though somewhat severe, in evaluating the relation of Lavoisier's experimental work t o the discoveries of Priestley and Cavendish. The record of this work is unusually complete and due credit is given the French chemist for his logical treatment of discoveries, his own as well as others, which led to fundamental generalizations, particularly the interpretation of the rhle of oxygen in combustion and respiration. Lavoisier's ability in the fields of geology, agriculture, finance, economics, literature, education and politics are adequately set forth in language which is lucid and often witty. We are shown vividly the ceaseless activity of Lavoisier in a life marked by generosity, versatility, and usefulness. It is clearly demonstrated that while Lavoisier was an aristocrat by birth, training, and association, he was actually and dynamically a rare combina-
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tion of aristocracy and democracy, living and working among the Clite but coincidentally planning and striving for the good of the common people, be they the unfortunate peasants on his own estate or the potential mobs in the cities. The suppression of the Academy that was so dear to Lavoisier, the arrest, imprisonment, trial, and execution are depicted in appropriate words, and Mme. Lavoisier's devotion during the last days is described, perhaps t w briefly, in a way that shows she was a keen appraiser of her husband's worth and his country's infamy. We are fortunate in having in this book an adequate, reliable, and balanced story of the man who is often called "the founder of modern chemistry." LYMANC. NEWELL BOSTON UNIYBRS~IY BOSTON,MASSACXUSBTTS
Physical Chemistry for Colleges. E. B. MILLARD.Professor of Physical Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (International Chemical Series. James F. Norris, Ph.D., Consulting Editor.) Third edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 370 Seventh Avenue, New York City, 1931. viii 522 pp. 87 Figs. 13.8 X 20.2 cm. 83.75.
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This book is a revision of the Second Edition, published in 1927, the original having made its appearance in 1921. The author's aim in writing the book was expressed in the preface to the first edition, namely "to bring before college students certain of the mare important aspects of physical chemistry, together with modem data which illustrate the applicability of its laws t o the phenomena observed in the laboratory." The prerequisites to an intelligent use of the book by the student are: general inorganic chemistry, quantitative analysis, college physics, and the simple processes of the calculus. The text proposes not only to emphasize "the limitations of the orthodox laws of physical chemistry," hut also t o impart "an appreciation' of the fact that i t is an unfinished and growing
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science," calling for thoughtfulness and further research. The extent to which the author has achieved his aim may be judged, not only from a critical examination of its pages, hut also by the extensive adoption of the text for college courses. I n an attempt to evaluate the merits of a textbook, the reviewer does well t o bear in mind the group or class of students for whom it is intended. Professor Millard's course in physical chemistry a t the Institute is required, as the beginning course in this subject, of all caudidates for the degree of bachelor of science in "pure" chemistry, and in addition of certain groups of students in the applied sciences: namely, metallurgy, geology, and mechanical, chemical. and aeronautical engineering. Teachers of the subject were, doubtless, impressed with the presentation, in the earlier editions, of the important equations without any logical or codrdinated plan of deriving them. This policy of tt.e author's may have militated against the adoption of the book in some instances. However, it is consistent with the character of the student to whom the book is directed and for whom the mastery of the minutiae upon which the science rests may be less important than a working knowledge of the principles. I t is, of course, pedagogically unsound t o place in the student's hands a fomu!a in which the mere turn of an arithmetical crank produces the desired answer. Some teachers of the subject, on the other hand, adopt the opposite exlreme, and submerge the physical concepts with so much mathematical formulation, that the student fails to "see the forest for the trees." In the present edition the author has chosen a happy medium. and the objections to former editions have been met in large measure by the incorporation of derivations of most of the important equations. The successful use of this, or any other, textbook will depend upon the presentation of the subject by the instructor, who will necessarily derive the equations and emphasize their assumptions and limitations. ~
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The present text presents a number of desirable additions and corrections t o the preceding editions. The chapter dealing with heterogeneous equilibrium, especially the part which treats of phase diagrams, has been entirely re-written. A new chapter on "Radiation and Chemical Change," showing the simple applications of the auantum theory t o photochemical processes, a topic of absorbing interest to ~. phvsical chemists a t the present time, is well presented. New sections have been added dealing with X-ray diffraction in liquids, buffer solutions. and the iso-electric point of colloids. Thermodynamic concepts and equations are scattered throughout the book where the subjects demanded. To the reviewer it appears that a separate chapter on thermodynamics in which the concepts are assembled and presented in logical order, together with a derivation of the important equations from them to he used later, would constitute a valuable addition to the book. Several apparent errors or inconsistencies in definitions have been noted. Definitions, of course, involve a certain degree of arbitrariness, and where the phenomenon is complicated, a definition may be quite inadequate. In many instances, however, definitions are indispensable for the sake of clarity. On page 4, for example, the laws of thermadynamics are stated in terms of a "reversible cycle." a concept which is not defined. The definition of the term "element" (p. 7) would he more consistent if worded: "haw not as yet been decomposed by chemical mans." I n the definition of the international coulomb (p. 23). the term "standard coulometer" is not definite, unless i t is indicated that the instrument is a silver coulometer containing neutral silver nitrate solution. (Reference might have been made also to Figure 42.) The international ohm is correctly defined in terms of a mercury column, but the definition in terms of Ohm's Law which precedes it, is only a special case, which holds rigorously for
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metallic conduction only, a fact which should have been stated. On page 63, the expression "Simple" Gas Laws should have read "Ideal" or "Perfect" Gas Laws. We note that the author has chosen to include the BeattieBridgman equation of state, which though possessing certain advantages of mathematical form, contains purely empirical constants. I t is unfortunate t h a t the equation of Dieterici is omitted, for its constants have the same physical significance as those of van der Wads, and permit, from this equation alone, the calculation of the characteristic properties of the critical point. I n connection with the discussion of the Periodic Law, it is worth while to point out one notable exception in the case of the solid elements-namely the property of specific heat, which is not a periodic, but a hyperbolic function of the atomic weight. The printing and binding of the hook are excellent. I t is substantially free from typographical errors. A few instances of careless proof-reading appear in the spelling of proper names; for example, Huygen, Berkley, Bridgeman, Craghoe, Wycoff, Kirschmann, and Bohi. The book has so many desirable features that its shortcomings are insignificant in comparison. The choice of the illustrative material and the co6rdination of so heterogeneous a group of subjects in a book of this scope, give evidence of much critical and painstaking effort on the part of the author. The clarity and freshness of style exemplified in this b w k also reflect a measure of the author's enthusiasm and interest in the subject. The wide variety of excellent problems which the student is called upon t o solve, after an intelligent selection of the necessary data from the tables, indicates the thoroughness of mastery of the subject necessary for their solution. The author deserves much credit for producing so splendid a text for the beginning course in physical T. F. BUEH~EK chemistry. U~rvnasrrvon Aauom TUCSON. ARIZONA
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An Introduction to the Principles of Physical Chemistry. 0. MAASSand E. W. R. STEACIE,McGill University. First edition, John Wiley &Sous, Inc., New York 269 pp. 62 Figs. City, 1931. vii 15 X 23 cm. $2.75.
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As the authors state in the preface, the book is intended for use as a text for a first course in physical chemistry for chemists, chemical engineers, and students intending to enter medicine or the biological sciences. The authors suggest that in the case of chemists the course be taken a t the earliest possible stage of training. The viewpoint of the text is that the basic principles of theoretical chemistry are most important-an idea which is brought out in a well-written first chapter. On the whole, the authors have lived up to this chapter. The first ten chapters are well presented and form a good foundation for more advanced courses in physical chemistry. Chapters X I and XI11 were somewhat disappointing to the reviewer. I n Chapter X I the law of mass action is derived from kinetic considerations and the assumptions involved are discussed. The statement is then made (pages 185 and 186) that ". . .it is also possible to derive it" (the mass law) "from energy considerations. In such a derivation it is customary t o use a fictitious 'active mass' in place of the real concentration and thus t o appear t o avoid the inaccuracies of the mass law." This statement is unfortunate, for it is not the energy relations or the mass law which is inaccurate. The difficulty arises from the fact that the free energy changes cannot be accurately related to the concentrations. I n explaining, a n page 225. the fall in specific conductance of sodium chloride solutions with dilution the authors state "Presumably there are more ions in two liters of the dilute solution than in one liter of the concentrated solution. This can best be explained by assuming that the dissociation of sodium chloride is not The statement is one complete..
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