is becoming increasingly more difficult for hoth the academic and the industrial chemist to keep abreast with developments in the field as a whole, to say nothing of advances which might have an important bearing on his specialty. To paraphrase the editor, this new annual series has been initiated to promote mare effective and fruitful communications among the different branches of inorganic chemistry by providing authoritative and critical reviews on "Progress in Inorganic Chemistry." Volume I contains seven chapters dealing with a wide range of subjects. The length, style, and message vary considerably from chapter to chapter. Some are largely literature surveys, some present information and interpretations which are not to he found in other publications, while others appear to dealprimarily with the author's own studies. Each, however, provides an informative and up-to-date account of the sohject. The chapter on sandwich compounds by G. Wilkinson and F. A. Cotton seems particularly timely. Since the introduction of the first smdw?ch structure, ferrorene, in 1952, some 260 cyelopentadienyl and arene compounds have been descrihed. This review should prove invaluable to the uninitiated since i t eonsiders nomenclature and preparative methods and describes the physico-chemical properties of many systems. In addition a fairly comprehensive description is given of chemical and physical properties directly related to the problem of bonding. Theoretical treatments of s m d n k h honding are also summarized. here. The chapter by G. R. Hennig on interA chemical educator cannot read these stitial compounds of graphite is mont rereports without questioning the wisdom of vealing. Such compounds are very nua national science policy that fails to merous but may be classified as t o bond provide modern research tools for the types, as nan-conducting, lamellar, and universities. These instruments are exresidue compounds. Particular emphasis pensive. Most of the interesting work has been placed on physical propert.ies is therefore being done .in industrial and on ideas and experiments which have laboratories, which can afford the cost, or oceaeioned disagreements and controhyscientistswho constructnewinstruments versies. I t is of interest to note that most for special problems. The average uniof the work reported here has been earversity chemical laboratory cannot sfford ried out since 1950. even a conventional snalytieal mass P. George and D. S. McClure have prospeotrometer. Of the 41 papers, 15 were vided a comprehensive thesis showing from university laboratories, including how the thermodynamic properties of only two from universities in the United compounds of the transition metals are States. influenced by having incomplete d and f This volume is timely and well produced. electron shells. The theoretical basis of All good chemical libraries should have the treatment is the ligand or crystal a copy. field theory. Data are correlated for the crystalline atate, and for hydration WALTERJ. MOORE energies and coordination complexes of Harvard C'nivemit?~ the transition metal ions. Cambridge, Massachusetts The chapters on the isocyanide complexes of metals by L. Malstecta and on nitrogenaulft~rcompounds by M. BeekeGoehring lean more heavily on the ehemical aspects of the systems. W. L. Jolly Progress in Inorganic Chemistry. has emphasized the physical properties of Volume 1 metal-ammonia solutions and how these may he significant in formulating models Edited by F. Albert Cotton, Massaof the solrate species. R. L. Ward hits chusetts Institute of Technology. Inemphasized ~tructural chemistry in his terscience Publishers, New York, 1959. review on mixed metal oxides. 566 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X ix I n keeping with editorial policy, the 23.5om. $14.50. articles are intended for the competent Inorganic chemistry has expanded rapchemist who is probably not a specialist idly during the past fifteen years, hoth in the subject being covered; but rigor in diversity and hreadth. As a. result i t and completeness have not been sacrificed
atomic masses. Bainhridge and his coworkers reported new atomic mass determinations in a large single-focusing instrument to a precision of one part in 2 X lo6. Seven papers discussed the mass spectrometry of solids. The use of a thermal emission ion sauroe, in which the substance to he analyzed is painted on the filament of tungsten or tantalum, and of the electron multiplier ion detector have permitted analyses of one microgram of solid sample. The use of the isotopic dilution technique with such samples leads to sensitive methods of inorganic trace analysis. An example was the analysis of lithium in granite, by means of Li-6 and Li-7, in the range mound 20 ppm, with an accuracy of a few per cent. For the general detection of impurities in solids a spark source is often useful down to about 0.01 ppm. There were 14 papers on the applications of mass spectrometry in organic chemistry. Several interesting efforts were made to apply the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry to the interpretation of reaction paths observed in the maas spectrometer. Wahrhaftig reported on the transitionstate theory, and Lsmpe and Field on recent results of their studies of ianmolecule reactions. There were seven papers on ionization and ion impact ~tudies, and seven on fundamental rosearch applications. Nier described his new mass spectrometer for the measurement of isotope ratios in the rare gases, of particular interest in cosmological research. with which he could deal with lo-"
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since it is the spirit of this series to permit each author to present a "scholarly and accurate account of his subject." In the reviewer's opinion Volume I of this series has fully met the editor's expectations. In addition i t should he pointed out that the volume is remarkably free from typographical errors, has excdlent illustrations and provides a comprehensive author and subject index, in addition to a bibliogra1)hy a t the end of each chapter. E . CHARLES EYERS Uniuwsil?, of Pennsylvania Philadelph,ia
An Outline of United States Patent Law
Rzehard E . Brink and L'onald C . Gipplq hoth of Patent Counsel, and Hayold Hughesdon, Minnesota. Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul. Interscience Publishers, Ine., New York, 280 pp. 16 X 23.5 1959. xiii em. $7.50.
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As indicated in the title, this book is largely an outline, a form which in t,his ease compresses the essence of s, large volume of information into minimum space. A good example concerns what is patentable, and what are the condit,ions of patent.ahility. The following sections are so oot,lined: Preparing a Patent Application, Filing, Internal Reviews of Patent Office Decisions, Interference, External Review of Patent Office Decisions; Modificat,ion of a Patent; Patent Rights; and Infringement of Proprietary Rights. Over 60 per cent of the hook in devoted to four appendixes. The first. is the United States Code, Title 35-Patents. The second is the Rules of Practice of the United States Patent Office in Patent Cases. I t includes copies of 54 forms for preparing papers to he filed in the Patent Office. The third is a kind of index citing pages of the book which refer to specific items of the Statutes. the Rules of Pmetie?, and the Manual bf Patent Ensmining Procedure. The fourth deals briefly wit,h foreign practice. Chemical patents have become of great importance as sources of chemical literature. Thus, in 1959 some 26,iOO of them were abstracted by Chemical Abstracts. I t seems probable that the vast majority of college teachers knon very little about patents, and consequently make little or no effort to acquaint their students with this facet of thepas~ing chemical show. This hook seems of primary interest to those preparing and filing patent applications. However, the reviewer believes that i t contains much of value t,o any teacher who is concerned with patents. Probably i t will be of most value to the teacher who is trying to give his students a balanced perspertive of the place of patents 8.8 one of the pri~cipalsomres of a vast rhemicalliteratrlre.
M. G. M E L L ~ N P w d n e Unioersit?~ Lnfayette, Indiana (Continued on page A4.90)
