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SEIV BOOKS
S E W BOOKS .l/o,tuyruplis o i ~iiic I’royi,ess OJ Research in H o l l a n d during f h e Il.ar. I’,oyress in t h c l ’ h m r y of the Phusiccrl Propertics of Glass. By J. M .STEVELS.S e w York: Elsevicr Puhlisliiiig Company, I n c . , 19%. (;. S . Lewis applied his famous theory of valcncc and interatomic bonding almost P X clusively t o molecular structure, although realizing t h a t the same principles must also I ) c applicable to the structures of crystals and glasses. The reviewer, iii 1020, showcd that this was in fact the case, as regards crystals a t least-a conclusioii which has sincc bceii confirmed by many s - r a y diffraction studies of crystal structures. 1111032 Zachariasen applied the same ideas t o glasses, discussing their structure in eonsidcrably more detail thrrn had bcen done previously. The fundamental corrections of the type of structure so arrivctl a t have also 1)eenverified by s-ray diffraction studies, principally by Warrcn and con-orkrra. JYith t,his knowledge of glass structure as a background, Stevels in the Setherlands ancl t h c rcviewcr in the United States have independently studied the dependence of various properties of glasses 011 their composition. The reviewer has shown t h a t the density arid refractive intles, for esamplc, can be accurately computed additively with the aid of ccrtain constants characteristic of the components. Stevels has sliowi t h a t , within ccrtain composition limitations, approximate values of these properties can be computed by means of simple formulas, involving (in the density case) only two constants. Both sets of results are obviously useful. In thc monograph under review, Stevels gives a clear discussion of the structure of glasscs and then considers the composition dependence of the density, electrical conductivity, dielectricloss, and molccular refl-action. The derivation of equations t o represent this coinposition dependence is outlined and these equations arc tested with appropriate esperininit a l d a t a . Therc are sonic references to corresponding work by others, but no real coniparison of the theories or o f thc relative accuracy of corresponding equations. As specified i i i t h e preface, this is because thc work n-as carried out for the most part during the war, whcii the ;imerican and British literature was unavailable. This book can be rcconiniendcd as a real contribution t o our knon.lcdge of the propertiw of glass and their dependence on coniposition. I t is well n-ritten, x i t h very few indications of thc fact t h a t both author a n d publishcr n-ere using a language other than t h a t of their own 3 I A l J R I C E L. HVGGISS. COU11 t r y . E n c y c l o p e d i a of C h e m i c a l Y‘echnology. p-01. 11. By R A Y h f o s D E . KIRK A N D DOSALD F. O T H m R (Editow). 915 pp. Sen. York: The Interscience Encyclopedia, Inc., 194s. Price: $20.00. This is the second volume of the E n c y c l o p e d i a of C h e m i c a l l’cchnwlogy. The subject :naterial is very inclusive, and under each item is given the general chemistry, the cheniicnl and physical properties, the methods of production, and uses. Equipment used in the manufacture is likewise presented, but there are only line drawings indicating the flow sheet, of the process. There :ire m:my informative tables Tvhere much of the comparative data has been collected. J l a n y literature and patent references are includetl. The prinling is clear and sharp on hard paper and the volume is well bound in paper. This n.hole encyclopedia, of which the volumes appear a t irregular times, will make a11 excellent reference set, comparable t o and probably more complete than the German Encyclopedia, E n z y k l o p a d i n der technischewt C h e w i e , by Ullmaiin. The encyclopedia should be available in university and college 1il)rnries as well as industrial plants, because the information contained in i t will be of estensive use in any chemical field. ch.4RLES
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H i g h P o l y i n o s . J’ol. 1-11, P h e n o p l a s t s , their StructuTe, P r o p o l i c s , und C h e m i c a l Teclinolog?/. By T . S. CARSTYELL.267 pp. Sen- York: Interscience Publishers I n c . , 1017. Price : $4.50.
