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Preparative methods of polymer chemistry (Sorenson, Wayne; Campbell, Tod W.) Thomas Ferington. J. Chem. Educ. , 1961, 38 (11), p A840. DOI: 10.1021/ ...
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BOOK REVIEWS vision of this and the previous volumes in this comprehensive treaties. As Radd's series on "Chemistry of Carbon Compounds" goes into its find phase (only Volume 5-"Miscellmeous and General Index"-remains t o be published), t h e practicing organic chemist must share the happy amaren>ent of this reviewer that such a complete, welledited, thoroughly dooumentecl and u p to-date series of reference books (nine t o date) could have been wrkten and published within the short span of 10 years since the appearance of Volume 1A. Professor Rodd indeed deserves tho gratitude of the entire chemical world for the prompt and excellent aecomplishment of the Herculean task he set for himself and his collaborst,ors a t the outset of this venture.

WILLIAM A. BOXNER Stanfod L'nioersity Slallfo~d,CaliJornia

Preparative Methods of Polymer Chemistry

Wayne Sorenson and Tod W . Campbell, E. I. du Pont de Nemours $ Company, Ine. Interscience Publishem, Inc., New York, 1961. viii 337 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $10.50.

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Anyone who has been concerned with the synthesis of polymers for teaching purposes will be aware that it is rather difficult t o obtain concise, complete directions for such laboratory preparations. At a minimum i t is necessary t o locate t h e directions in the original literature. F r o quently further details must be added to these before the method is useful t o z student. This book is an attempt t o remedy the situation by bringing together syntheses of a. large numher of polymers in sufficient practical detail t o be useful. The attempt has been quite suecessf~d. After a brief, useful discuaaion of general techniques of polymerization, polymer charact,erisation and fabrication. 275 recipes for the preparation of polymers are listed. The recipes are organleed into the areas of: polycondensation polymerization, addition polymerization by free radical, anionic, cationic and coordination cetalysis, ring opening polymerization, no"classical polymerizations and synthetic resin formations. An extensive index sllows for tracing s. given monomer through the various ways in which i t may be polymerized, locating intermediates, specific catalysts, ete. Although this major part of the book is essentially s. caokhaok i t is a n interesting one t o browse through hecause the recipes are interspersed with short paragraphs presenting interesting a ~ p e c t sof the substance or method under consideration. For example, a random opening of the hook haa just brought forth 8. brief discussion of the transformation of ordinary acrylonitrile fibers t o black, fire-proof fibers by controlled heating in

(Continued on page A842)

A840 i Journal of Chemical Education

BOOK REVIEWS air. Conditions of heating are given and s mechanism for the reaction is presented. Other reactions for the modifications of the polymers of: vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, and diehlorobutadiene are given in the appropriate places. The coverage of the field is extensive snd quite complete. The recipes in general are straight forward and should he easy to follow. Special precautions as to safety and sensitivity of reactants to impurities arc well covered. I t should be possible for a college student or technician to get a good yield of polymer after only one to two attempts. This book will make a useful addition to the library of any one interested in making polvmers in small batches. THOMAS FERINOTON College of Vooster Woosler, Ohio Treatise on Analytical Chemistry. 1, Theory and Practice, Volume 2

Part

I. M. Kolthgtl, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and Phzlip J. Elving, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York, 1961. xx 4 9 i pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 24 cm. $16.

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The. [wv-vnr volume ~ m q ) r k t . s111" I ) ~ ~ r l l of o nI'nrt 1, 'l'lmlq :mrl I'mctice For :I n \.iw oi \ ' O I U I ~I.o w T W PJIIVH. N A L 37, 108 (1960).) his section alone is expected to consist of about 124 ehapters and to he aeeommodeted in 8 or 9 volumes. Part 11, Analytical Chemistry of the Elements, and Part 111, Analysis of Industrial Products, will rtlao consist of many chapters and several volumes. Thus the scope of the treatise is truly aweinspiring-for after 1308 pages and 30 chapters perhaps one fourth of Part I is now in print. Volume 2 concludes the discussion of .4pplication of Chemical Principles (Seation B ) and contains a large portion of Section C, Separation: Principles and Technics. Its 11 chapters and their authors are: Reactive Groups as Reagents: Introduction and Organic Applicstions (Leo Schuhert and Irving May), Reactive Groups as Reagents: Inorganic Applications (May and Schuhert), Principles of Separation (Lackhart B. Rogers), The Phase Rule in Annlytical Chemistry (L. 0. Case), Decomposition and Dissalotion of Samples: Inorganic (Hobart H. \Villerd and Charles D. Rulfs), Decomposition and Dissolution of Samples: Organic (E. C. Dunlop), Mechanical Methods (Harold C. Mattraw and Frederick D. Leipsinger), Diffusion Methods (A. L e e cher Jones and Glenn R. Brown), Electromigretion and Electrophoresis (John R. Cann), Distillation (Arthur Rose), Vacuum Methods (William S. Horton). Indexing obviously becomes a problem in a work of this magnitude. It is the present plan to provide an index covering Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of Pert I, to he included with the forthcoming Volume 3. (Continued on page A844) t r l d

A842 ' lournol of Chemical Education