look it over t o get suggestions of how aimply lecture denmnstrlitionr em hc done. The principal ubjertion to the book warld tw that i t is mow a list of denamrrrations rather than i t is a means of interpreting what is ohserved. Too many of the experiments are merely outlined and the results pointed out with no suggestion whatever as to the scientific interpret* tion of the results. Were i t on a more advanced level, this would he quite defensible, hut on the level for which it Reems to be intended of general seienee in high school, i t might he better to have added a sentence or two in many eases pointing out the principle which is being demonstrated. Even this criticism is not serious enough, however, t o prevent this book from heing of great use to teachera, hoth in training and in practice. orA L I t is true that readers of the J O ~ R N C H E ~ C AEDUCATION L will have relatively little use for the actual material presented here, but I hope that many of them find it pos8ihle to point out to the high-school teachers they know t h ~ the t hook exists, and even to obtain the hook for the local high sehools so that i t may he used to stimulate seientifie experimentation in the serondsry schools of this country. J. A. C.411PBELL HARVEYMODD COLLE(IE C ~ * n w o mC . A~.IFO~NIA
electricity was discovered, nor when a loadstone was used for the first time in navigation, and we may wonder whether they were new a t the time of Prometheus. And so it goes throughout the "Introdue tion" which culminates in a. call for ". . . one great effort for more effective utilization of man's recorded knowledge. . . This is a worthy cause but perhaps we should first acquire the knowledge. Upon boarding the galactic conveyance and before admission t o the company of the select we are to pass through a purgatory where we are to be cleansed of such archaic impediments as grammar, syntax, etymology, etc., and then iustmeted in "language engineering." This new form in which the wise will commune is defined on p. 330 in "phrastie elements" whioh I do not understand. Whatever i t does, the article is certainly phrssy. If we still persist in using that obsolete tool there ia no hope for us. Page 93 warns us to "keep in mind that the basic struetural features of modern language were developed long before the dawn of our modern industrial era." Do we not realize that dealing with our grocer or butcher, or when ordering a double bourbon in our favored bar, we are doing so in the language of Beowulf? Such othera, as Mendeleev, Planek, or Einstein did formulate their ideas in the existing languages hut for "documentation" these me inadequate. On page 197 we find, "The lihrmian of the future. must he a creature of many muts, tions. . ." What does this mean? There are more questions of this kind that we could ask if space permitted. However, the hook contain8 several papers of value and interest, such as those by Adkinson, Fano, and Bernier, hut these presentations are too "earthy" and of little use in the stellar realm of manage ment, executives, decision makers, and other Olympians. The problems of gathering, recording, storing, and dissemination of scientific information are very important and need solution. The problems are not new; they existed a t the time of Hammurahi and they will exist after wire recording will become archaic. Kent (pp. 2741) outlines the problems clearly and presents the cause for s cooperative effort very effectively. We ehould work for the best possible solution of these problems. But whatever these may he, I do not believe that they will stem from "language or engineering," "conceptualization," "semantic factoring."
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DOCUMENTATION IN ACTION Jesse H. Shero, Dean, Sohool of Library
Science; Allen Kent, Associate Director, a n d l a m e s W. Perry, Director, Center for Documentation and Communication Research-all at Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1956. xii + 471 pp. 16 X 23.5 cm. $10.
THEpeople whose avowed occupation is "scientific information" appear to have convinced themselves and ave trying hard tn convince the rest of us that u new Road is upon us. Unless we quickly houd the good ship "Documentation" the consequences are too frightening to contemplate, Now, in the days of Xoah the problem of preservation waa rather simple: there was one ark and no other choice or ehance. This time there is quite a fleet of arks ready to rave us, our firm, or corporation, and indeed civilizsi tion itself. These new vessels are not only modern but of space-ship quality. The most ambitious of them all is describedin a. "graphicreeord"called "Documentation in Action." The ship's cruising radius is in the galaxies and beyond for which i t is fully equipped. Apparently her terrestrial worth is very slight, but that need not disturb us for ". . . knowledge carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction-a kind of radiw (p. 6). No need to get active halflife.. technical about "halflife." The galactic conveyance is equipped with the most advanced and some, as yet, nou-existing devices. I t is propelled by thrusts generated by hot air derived from verbiage not necessarily based on correct informs, tion. The "new social dynamics" are not really new. They were not new whet,
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VOLUME 34, NO. 8, AUGUST, 1957
\I. HOREH
cxr;uro*l. ABBTR*CTB W ~ s n m o r o D. ~ , C.
,
THERMAL POWER REACTORS
FROM NUCLEAR
A. Stanley Thompson and Oliver E. Rodgers, Studebaker-Packard Corporation. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1956. riii 229 pp. 15 X 23.5 Em. $7.25.
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THEmajor portion of this volume, eonsisting of eight chapters, constitutes a eoncise introduction to the pertinent nn-
clear engineering arising in reactor design and operation. The opening chapter gives the necessary nuelear physical background and is followed by two chapters, totaling 91 pages, whioh develop reactor criticality conditions and hoth steady state tend transient neutron distributions. Chapter Four covers radiation shielding, Chapter Five, reaotar materials. Only the three final chapters, totaling 65 pages, are primarily related to the question of power production, and here are covered thermal stress, power extraction, and thermal power cycles. This hook is recommended to the reader with a background in differential equations who desires familiarity with quantitative considerations of thc neutron reaetor. R. A. NAUMANN PRXNOETON UNIVEBS~T~' Pnwceron. N e w J~aser
PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES IN BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. VOLUME 2: PHYSICAL CHEMICAL TECHNIQUES Edited by Gerald Oster, Polytechnic Institute of Brmklyn, and Arthur W. Pollister, Columbia University. Academic Press Inc., New York, 1956. xv 502 pp. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $12.80.
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BIOLOGICAL research is distinguished by the complexity both of the systems investigated and the methods employed. Few biological scientists tare familiar with all the techniques that could he used to advantage in their work. On the other hand, methods are sometimes developed and refined by scientists who are unaware of specific systems for their novel applioation. Unfortunately, a scientific method is generally reviewed in detail far the expert active in the field or outlined superfieidly in a. brief qualitative descrip tion. Neither approach satisfies the real need of the research worker. In the present volume, the editors and authors are to he complimented for maintaining a balanced diseu~sion that indicates the limitations and advantages of many physical chemieal techniques. This hook, the second in a three-volume series edited hy Gerald Oster and Arthur W. Pollister, reviews physical chemical methods commonly used by biochemists, cytochemists, and biophysicists. The nine chapters include: Tracer Techniques: Stable and Radioaetive Isotopes (Jacob Saeks); The Measurement and Properties of Ionizing Radiation (J. S. Kirh,vSmith); Sedimentation, Diffusion, and Viscosity (A. G. Ogston); Surface Film Techniques (Alexandre Rothen); Adsorption and Chromatography (Norman Applesweig and Thomas F. Cleary); Electrophoresis and Ionophoresis (Kurt G. Stern): Electrical Potential Differenees (K. S. Spiegler and M. R. J. Wyllie); Magnetic Methods (Scott Rlois); and X-Ray Diffraction and Scattering (Gerald Oster). The value of m y measurement is limited by the modifications in the experimental system that result from the measuring process, and the assumptions necessaF for the interpretation of the
data obtained by the measurement. Unless the investigator has some understanding of the theoretical basis for the experimental technique, the technique may be incorrectly applied or the data. misinterpreted. The problem is well indicated by Ogston in his discussion of the hydrodynamio properties of solute particles, it ia clear therefore that there is a risk of estimating not the oherilcteristics of the solute psrticle itself, but of the model perticle whioh replaces it in the theory!' Thus the need for a good introductory discussion cannot be overemphasized. This volume fills that need. I t does not replace the many comprehensive monographs available, but, it supplements these monographs and provides the investigstor with the necessary background for his further study. The book is a valushle addition to the literature and highly recommended for the personal library of any biochemist and biophysicist aotive in research.
". . .
their derivatives (including numerous organo-fluorine and physiologioelly active compounds) require 186 pages. Exercises and problems are provided at the end of nine chapters. The usefulness of this book is greatly enhanced by the very extensive bihliographical references a t the end of each chapter and the inclusion of an Index of the Text ttnd an Index of Tables. The latter index lists spproximately 5000 organic compounds exclusive of thousands of their derivatives which are found in the tables. This book will be welcomed by students of qualitative organic analysis as well an by more mature chemists faced with the problem of identifying organic compounds. JAMES L. A. WEBB SO~X-XEBTE ATBM NBMPH~
CHAPMAN CAEMICAL COMPANY TEIN.BB.E MEMPHIE.
DAVID G . CORNWELL OHLOSFAFB UNLVEPBITI
Comueoa, Oxro
SEMlMICRO QUALITATIVE ORGANIC ANALYSES: THE SYSTEMATIC IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS Nicholas D. Chemnia, Professor of Chemistry, Brooklyn College, and John B. Entrikin, Professor of Chemisky, Centenary College of Louisiana. Second edition. Interscience Publishers, Inc., New Yark, 1957. xiv 774 pp. 92 figs. Numerous tables. $9.
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THE completely rewritten and enpanded second edition of thia book is divided into four parts: Part One-Teehniques of Organic Analysis; Part T w o Procedures for Tentative Identification of an Unknown; Part Three-Procedures for Final Chsracterization of an Unknown; Part Fou-Tables of Organic Compounds with Their Constants and Derivatives. T h ~ sis the most comprehensive treatment of qualitative organic analysis ourrently avdilable in a single volume. The chapters on laboratory techniques are clearly written and amply illastreted; specific, detailed examples of various techniques and apparatus tempt one to go immediately into the laboratory. The inclusion of discussions of fusion techniques, vacuum fractional sublimation, rhromatographic procedures and ion exchangers is notable. The discussion of solubility classifications is supplemented by a chapter on the use of Davidson's acid-base indicators as a further aid in clmificetion of water soluble compounds as well as compounds exhibiting borderline solubility. A section on the detection of functional groups by infrared spectroscopy is also included. Stress is laid on the separation of mixtures and, in addition to the discussions in the chapters on techniques, a chapter on systematic procedures far fractionation of mixtures of unknowns is included. The section of the book devoted to derivatization of organic compounds covers 211 pages. Tables devoted to physical constants of organic compounds and
SPOT TESTS IN ORGANIC ANALYSIS Fritz Feigl, Laboratmio da hoducao Mineral, Ministerio da Agricultura, Rio de Janeiro; Professor at the University of Brad. Translated by Ralph E. Oesper, Professor Emeritus, University of Cincinnati. Elsevier Publishing Co. Amsterdam: distributed by the D. Van Nostrand co., Inc. Princeton, 1956. n 616 pp. Fiqures and many tables. 16 X 23 cm.
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$11.
A DrscwsIoN of the use af spot tests for the detection of organic compounds and organic functional groups has a p peared in earlier editions of Professor Feigl's well-known hook, "Spot Tests." Prior to the fourth edition, which was published in 1954, the material on organic spot test analysis was of such limited soope that it was included as a supplement to the discussion of inorganic spot test analysis. In recent years, however, an increasing interest in this subject has resulted in the accumulation of a great amount of information, and in 1954 the fourth edition of "Spot Tests" appeared in two volumes, the second of which was devoted to the use of spot reactions in qualitative organic amalysis. So many new tests have now been developed that the present edition is not merely a repetition of the fourth edition, but it consists of an essential and fundamental enlargement. This is indicated by the fact that the number of pages has been increased by almost 200. The new fourth edition, which originally appeared as Volume I1 of "Spot Tests," is now titled "Spot Tests in Organic Analysis." The content of this book is arranged essentially according to the pattern adopted in the previous edition. The description of numerous procedures and the chemical principles upon which they are based, together with extensive literature references, are presented ss before. Some of the important changes appearing in the present volume are: The introduetory chapter has been increased to 28 pages, snd includes a more intensive treatment of the basic philosophy of the analytical use of organic reactions; it includes a consideration of the principles
employed in the discoveryof newanalytirnl reactions for organic compounds. Chapter I11 on Preliminary Tests has now been enlarged to 25 subsections with 62 tests. Chapter IV on the Detection of Functional Groups has now been enlarged to include 49 subsections with 116 tests. Chapter V on the Detection of Individual Organic Compounds now includes directions for the detection of 78 compounds. Testa that are of significance to the chemistry of natural products are included. Chapter VI on sperial applications has been enlarged to 62 examples and includes the identification of medicinal products. A special ehapter has been included to provide a bibliography of studies of spot reactions not considered in previous chapters. Professor Feigl has drawn on a very extensive knowledge of chemical reactions in preparing the material for this book. Although the primary objective has been to develop a technique for the rapid identification of organic compounds by simple methods, this hook is not simply a isboboratory manual. .411 reactions used in the procedures are fully explained and are abundantly illustrated with chemical equations. For this reason "Spot Tests in Organic Analysis" should be a valuable reference work for the organic as well &B the analytical chemist. This hook is another of the many valuable contributions by the author in the development of new snalytieal methods. It should prove to be of value in practical organic analysis and as an aid in analytical research. FRANK J. WELCHER INDLANAUNIVBRBITY
INIIIANAPOGI~. INOIAWA
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS Cumming and Kay. Revised by R. A. Chalmera, Lecturer in Analytical Chemistry. University of Aberdeen. Eleventh edition. O l i ~ eand ~ Boyd, E h h u r g h , 540 pp. 91 figs. 15 X 1956. xvi 23cm. 30/-.
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T m s text which first appeared in 1913 is now in its eleventh edition, a fact which sttests to ita popularity. The section on eolorimetly has beeu completely rewritten, and sections on the theory of precipitation and contamination of preripitates have been included. A brief outline of newer phyaieo-chemical methods has been added. The former treatment of water analysis has beeu omitted. Suggested references have been added. Cnlihrstian of volumetric glassware now follow the British Standard Specifications. The book is divided into eight seotians. General Principles, Volumetric Analysis, Gravimetric Analysis, Photometric Analysis, Sytematic Quantitative Analysis, Examples of Complete Analysis including Simple Ores and Alloys, Gaa Analpis and Pbysico-Chemical Methods. The appendix lists common reagents, solutions for analysis, typical analyses, specific gravities of reagents, logsrithms and a selected bibliography. Interesting points to the reviewer are the adjustment of platinum weights by JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
