Recent Books The Construction and Equipment of Another defect, in the reviewer's opinion, Chemical Laboratories. A Report of is that the committee appears to have the National Research Council Com- given very little consideration to the mittee, consisting of L. M. DENNIS, merits of steel for the construction of Cornell University; C. R. HOOVER, laboratory table compartments, drawers, Wedeyan University; L. W. MAT- etc., and for shelving, desks, and other TERN, McKinley High School; J. purposes (see, for example: W. B. Foulk, N. SWAN,University of Mississippi; Mefalcraft, Feb., Mar., April, 1930). and G. L. C o n E , S. J., Gwrgetown The report gives detailed suggestions University, Chairman. First edition. not only regarding high-school, college, The Chemical Foundation. Inc., New and university laboratories, but also 340 pp., considers industrial research buildings. York City. 1930. xiii including a subject index. A separate The authors have had recent experience index (8 pp.) of dealers in laboratory in laboratory planning, and they give equipment and apparatus is furnished. valuable ideas regarding almost every conceivable aspect of the planning, loca124 figures. 15.5 X 23 an. $1.00. T~~members of the committee discuss: tion, orientation, and equipment of a the type and chemical laboratory. Many valuable specific suggestions are given regarding location of the building, its ventilation, of lighting, heating. ventilation, and equipheating, lighting, and the all as weu as the materials for ment of all of the kinds of rooms which building and equipment, chapters, or are to be found in a chemical laboratory. parts of ,,hapters were by The need of cooperation between chemist, upon the following architect, engineer, and others is quite codpersting laboratories for various special purposes: comectly emphasized. On the whole the report contains a G~~ ~ ~ ~M. lL. Nj&o]s; ~ ~ i organic ~ , chemistry, G. N. woollett; physical wealth of practical suggestions, and and ~l~.~~~h~~j~t~~, V. A. coulter;every one who bas a part in the planning chemical Microscopy, E, M. Charnot; of a new laboratory or the extension of chemical ~pe~,,scopy, J. papish; ln. an old one would be well advised to study dustrial Chemistry, Unit Process, F. H. it Rhodes; Unit Plant, Allen Rogers; InN HOWELLFURMAN dustrial Chemical Laboratories, A. V. H. Mory; Biochemical Teaching, C. P. Sherwin; Sanitary and Biological ReGeneral Chemistry. HARRY N. HOLMES, search Laboratories, A. B. Wadsworth. Professor of Chemistry in Oberlin Inasmuch as this report is a co6peraCollege. Revised edition. The Mactive effort there is some duplication of millan New York City, 1930, + 654 pp,, 167 14 subject matter. and a number of differa c e s of opinion upon the merits of various 21,5 -, t3,50, types of construction and equipment. V. H. I n this revised edition. Dr. Holmes I n only one chanter. that by A. . . Mory, is there an extensive bibliography has arranged the subject matter in fwtyregarding the type of laboratory under eight chapters, followed by an appendix discussion. I n one or two other chapters containing a goad description of hydrogenion concentration in terms of pH values; there are literature references on certain phases of the questions that are discussed. tables of melting points, gas weights, 2210
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solubility products, conversion of weights and measures, and relative costs of some important chemicals. I n the index, boldface figures indicate the most important references. The inside cover pages contain tables of solubility, periodic classification, and atomic weights. The printing, quality of paper, and binding is of the usual high Macmillan Company standard, and gives promise of durability. There has always been a difference of opinion as to haw many pages and what suhject matter should be included, from the mass of chemical information, in textbooks for college students. Dr. Holmes has selected, much as in his first edition, the high spots acmrding to the standardized historico-systematic method of teaching chemistry, and has included much of the new material. His effort to interest students, by reference to topics with which they have become familiar in their previous daily life, by brief general and specific historical references, and by well-selected illustrations, many of them unique, has apparently been successful. After the first chapter devoted to Basic Principles, Chapter I1 has to do with the Atomic Theory, and Chapter I11 with Symbols, Formulas, and Equations. Some of the fundamentals are very well developed. Fortunately, these chapters are short, comprising in all twenty-four pages. A few exercises are placed in the body of chapters to stimulate thinking, and many exercises and references are to he found at the ends of chapters. Chapter IV, comprising 23 pages, deals with Oxygen and Ozone, Chapter V with Gases, Liquids, and Solids, Chapter VII with Valence, VIII with Water and Hydrogen Peroxide, I X with Carbon and Its Oxides, and X with ~ o l e c u i a r and Atomic Weights. Chapters following deal with the topics common to college chemistry texts and also with Solutions; Ionization; Applications of the Ionic Theory: Structure of the Atom and Radiaactivik: Eouilibrium, Nitrogen Fixation; Alcohols,
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Acids, Fats, and Soaps; Carbohydrates; Cellulose and Its Esters, Rayon; Food and Nutrition; Photochemistry; Colloid Chemistry; Metals and Alloys; Electrochemistry; Aluminum, Dyes, Cement; and Vanadium, Molybdenum, Tungsten, and Uranium. There is a little space devoted to the electron theory in the second chapter and again in chapters on valence and the ionic theory. Although a statement is made in the preface that a comparison of "the octet theory and the Bohr theory is offered with the warning that the final theory is still in the making," the reviewer feels that the student should also be informed as to the Schriidinger theory and the conclusions regarding electrons as arrived a t in the Electronic Laboratory of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. One could conclude from the statements throughout this text that electrons are a form of energy. Some of the newer theories are incorporated to too great an extent in chemistry texts. when the evidence on which they are based is very complicated or indirect. The student cannot, really, apply them to advantage and something else, more comprehensible and more valuable is often excluded, or the number of pages is increased greatly. Fortunately, Dr. Holmes has not included much of such theories and he has not endeavored to apply them to the confusion of the student, nor has he left out the fundamentals by which the student's progress can really be meas wed. Little differences or inaccuracies of expression occur, such as "cemented roads" on p. 1, and "light also causes wall paper and curtains to fade" on p. 3; also, on p. 18, some teachen would probably express the idea that electrons are associated with all matter instead of "exist in the atoms of all matter"; and on p. 26 some would prefer the term obtaination (although not yet much used) in referring both to how elements are obtained from compounds or separated from mixtures. On p. 58, there is a
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slight but obvious misprint in develop- A Laboratory Manual of Qualitative JR., Analysis. FREDERICKW. MILLER, ment of Van der Waal's equation. On Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemp. 65, the first two sentences of exercise 7 istry, New York University (University could better he eliminated. On p. 205, Heights). First edition, The Century the wording near the end of the first Co., New York City, 1930. xiii paragraph is not correct, likewise near 233 pp. 8 figures. 13 X 20 cm. the tap of p. 206. Near the middle of $2.00. p. 226 there is one of the very few but obvious slip-ups in proof reading. On I n preparing this laboratory manual p. 307, paragraph 1, sentence 2. other to accompany his "Theory of Qualitative wording would perhaps be better. Other Analysis," the author confesses to the possible changes could be made on pages influence of the text by A. A. Noyes 413, 583, 591, and 603. A statement on which he has in the past used in his p. 4 that "about ten of the elements are classes. To any one who is familiar gases" m i ~ hbetter t be "ten of the known with the e x d e n t manual by Prof. Noyes elements are gases." On the same page this influence is noticeable, not only in also, the statement, "Rutherford observed the chemical procedures but also in the a slight but distinct decomposition of arrangement of the accompanying notes nitrogen, aluminum, sodium, phosphorus, and questions. The author has introboron, and fluorine," would, perhaps, duced innovations, however, and made have been better left out, unless the stu- several changes in the procedures, and dent is informed into what they were the general excellence of the manual decomposed. undoubtedly lies in its conservative Considerable use of graphic formulas treatment. is an advantageous feature. The book Following a brief chapter on laboratory is up to date, very much so, and includes technic, the author gives a series of prereferences to para-hydrogen, "dry ice," liminary test-tube experiments for the vitamins, the work of Bergius, etc. purpose of showing the characteristic Valence, photosynthesis, foods and nutrireactions of the cations. This is followed tion, and colloids are very well treated by the systematic procedures. Explanaand some topics are included which are tory notes accompany the procedures usually found only in physical chemistry and are referred to directly by encircled texts. numbers. Accompanying each group of Chemistry teachers will read this book procedures is a tabular outline of the with interest and mental profit. Many group and, as a further aid to the student, will use i t in their classes. Industrial a chart or "flow sheet" is appended which chemists and others interested in general uses that method of tabulation first chemistry should read it. Finally, and desrribed in the literature by Prof. Hodge mast important, the student of chemistry [I. CHEM. E ~ u c . ,6, 242 (Feb., 1927)l who studies it, who is interested, who has and also used by W. W. Scott in his a little guidance by a conscientious teacher "Elements of Qualitative Chemical An(as most students of chemistry have), alysis." and who applies himself; that student Important differencesin the separations will have acquired a great mental asset. from those used by A. A. Noyes are as The reviewer recommends i t to all in- follows: 1. Sodium hydroxide is used terested in general chemistry as an excep- to separate the copper-tin groups. This tionally good text, teachable from an brings mercury mostly into the copper inductive teaching viewpoint, as a second group but avoids the large precipitate book of chemistry. of sulfur when the tin group solution is C. A. B R A ~ T L E C ~acidified. 2. Bismuth, copper, and cadU N I V B ~ or) L ~MAINS ~Y mium are precipitated from lead by excess O~orro,MAINS
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