Books more profound background in acidbase equilibria would have to consult other texts. A good bibliography for such complementary readings is pro vided, however. The author starts with an overview of solvents, titrants, and end-point detection methods for acids and bases. In the second chapter, the key acid-base equilibria are summarized separately for water, acetonitrile, ace tic acid, and dioxane, each repre senting a different class of solvents. The picture would be complete if a typical basic solvent, like ethylenediamine, were also included. Next, the criteria for the selection of solvents in acid-base titrations are discussed in terms of such solvent properties as their availability, purity, acidity, ba sicity, dielectric constant, autoprotolysis constant, and potential range, first in general and then for 22 specif ic solvents and solvent mixtures. After a chapter on titrants, there fol lows a thorough coverage of end-point detection methods, including descrip tions of the various original electrode systems designed specifically for non aqueous potentiometry, as well as conductometric, spectrophotometric,
thermometric, and visual-indicator methods. Detailed discussions of the titration of bases and acids, with many specific examples, are found in separate chapters. A selection of typi cal laboratory procedures concludes the text. On the whole, the author has suc ceeded in his stated objective to pro vide a clearly and concisely written source of easy-to-find information on nonaqueous acid-base titrimetry for the practicing chemist and the stu dent. The weaknesses of this book lie in a certain lack of precision in the use of symbolism and in the defini tion of terms as well as in the few careless errors. Thus, when summar izing the Kolthoff and Bruckenstein treatment of acid-base equilibria in acetic acid, the author would have done better to retain their original symbolism throughout. For example, the analytical concentration of base should be designated by the symbol CB, and not (B), the latter being an equilibrium activity or concentration. Similarly, referring to [HCIO4] as the "analytical concentration of undissociated perchloric acid" compounds a wrong symbol (for an analytical con centration) with a misnomer. A stu dent might also be confused by the interchangeable use of symbols such as H H A C + and H + . The equations are
not numbered, which makes it impos sible to refer to them in derivations, rendering the brief theoretical sum mary less lucid than it could be. In the equation on page 32, which re lates the potential of a glass electrode to pH, the constant Κ is identified as one that includes the asymmetry po tential, whereas it is much more im portant to point out that it represents primarily the E°. In the discussion of indicator electrodes, there is no ex plicit general statement for the bene fit of the students that these elec trodes indicate hydrogen-ion activity. The figures depicting titration curves and potential ranges would be more meaningful if the nature of the elec trodes and of the titrant were speci fied on all of them. Oversights are in evidence both on page 11, where it seems that in the second parentheti cal expression the word "acid" should be replaced by "base," and in the leg end to Figure 7.9 on page 116, where there are five different symbols for the data points, whereas in the di agram itself, only filled circles are used. There is also a misspelling in the legend to Figure 7.5. The quality of this timely and valuable book would be enhanced fur ther if these and similar careless er rors were weeded out in the next printing.
Platinum Group Metals and Compounds ADVANCES IN CHEMISTRY SERIES, NO. 98 Eleven papers from a symposium b y t h e D i v i s i o n of I n o r g a n i c C h e m i s t r y of t h e A m e r i c a n Chemical Society chaired by U. V. Rao. What new complexes of the plat inum group metals have been synthesized? Here is a collection of papers presenting data on chalcogenides, oxides, nitrido and hydrido complexes, as well as the catalytic properties of these metals and their alloys. In formation is included on • synthesis • structure • magnetic susceptibility • double bond migration The platinum group metals are considered from the viewpoints of both industry and research. Their magnetic and thermody namic properties are explored, 336 A · A N A L Y T I C A L CHEMISTRY, VOL. 46, NO. 3, MARCH 1974
as well as recent chemistry of a- a n d τ Γ - b o n d e d c o m p l e x e s . Crystal structure is discussed by several authors, with data pre sented in the form of • x-ray scattering data • absorption spectra • crystal spectra • infrared spectra • Mossbauer spectra • vibrational spectra 165 pages with index. Cloth bound_(1971) $9.00 Postpaid in U.S. and Canada; plus 35 cents elsewhere. Set of L. C. cards with library orders upon request. Order f r o m : Special Issues Sales American Chemical Society 1155 16th St., N.W. Washington, D. C. 20036
