BOOK
REVIEWS
Some Problems of Chemical Kinetics and Reoctivity. Volume I
N . N . S e m m v , Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. Translated by J . E. S. Bmdle!,. Pergamon Press, Inc., New 305 pp. 31 figs. York, 1959. x 39 tables. 15 X 22.5 om. $7.50.
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Some Problems in Chemical Kinetics and Reactivity. Volume I
N . N . Semenou. Translated by Michel Bou&rt. Princeton University Press, 239 pp. Princeton, N. J., 1958. xii Figs. and tables. 15 X 22.5 em. Paper hound. $4.50.
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The original book by Semenov was published in 1954 by the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R., and was an expanded version of the opening paper far a conference on Chemical Kinetics and Reactivity. The translations listed above were prepared in collaboration with the author and incorporate certain revisions and new data. The original book contained nine chapters. Both translations are partial and a further volume is promised in each case. Bradley's trenslation contains seven of the nine chapters and Boudart's sir. The translations are of equal merit and the reader e m choose which he prefers. Bradley's is bound in hard covers, is well printed, on good paper, has an author index, a subject index and one chapter more than Boudart's. Boudart's has soft covers, is a reproduction of a typed manuscript on poor paper, and has no indexes. The Bradley translation coats half as much again and in the opinion
of the reviewer is worth it. For reasons mentioned below, the book is of a type which makes it very valuable to Western readers, and the trenslation of Russian works like this is of the greatest importance. I t seems a. most unnecessary waste of effort that two English translations of the same book should appear prrtctieelly simultaneously. Both translations were made in collaboration with the author, and it is hard to believe that the translators were unaware of each other's efforts. I t is certainly to be hoped that a similar waste of effort will not be too frequent in the future. The book consists of four parts. Part I is on Radical Reactions (Propagation and Branching of Chain Reactions), and oontains three chapters: Uniradical Reactivities; Alternative Univalent Free Radical Reactions; The Reactions of Biradicds, Part I1 is on the Initiation and Termination of Chain Reactions, with chapters on Molecular Dissociation rtnd & d i d combination, Ions as Chain Initiators, and Wall Initiation and Retardation. Part 111 on the Kinetics of Chain Reactions is represented by one chapter in Bradley's book, and is not represented in Boudart's. Bradley's translation also contains appendixes on The Activated Complex and on The Quantum Mechanical Calculation of Activation Energies. The hook is of great vvalue and is a "must" for all labonltories working in the field. Professor Semenov's contributions are of great importance. In recent years there has been rather a split in outlook between Western work and that in Seme-
nov's institute. This is particularly marked in questions of interpretation of reactions of alkyl radicals, especially those involving hydrogen-abstraction r e actions. As a result it is of particular importance that Semenov's point of view he available to Western workers. In a number of cases the reviewer disagrees strongly with the oonelusions. The fact that such disagreement is possible, however, makes the availability of the book in the West of prime importance. Translations such as this can do much t o help overcame the barriers between work in Russia and in the West, and the b w k is thus a mast villuable account of the opinions of the major school of chemical kinetics in the U.S.S.R. E . W. R. S T E A C I ~ National Research Council Otlawa, Canada
Soviet Research in Catalysis. Volumes 1-7
Chemistry Collection No. 3. Consultants Bureau, Inc., Now York, 1959. Vol. 1: Theoretical rtnd Sundry AssociatedEffects. 265 pp. Vol. 2: General. 257 pp. Vol. 3: General. 253 pp. Vol. 4: General, Reduction, Oxidation, Fischer-Tropsch. 225 pp. Vol. 5: Hydrogenation, Dehydrogen* tion, Cracking. 297 pp. Vol. 6: Isomerization, Alkylatian, De-hydration. 275 pp. Vol. 7: Polymerization, Friedel-Crafts, Zeigler. 129 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.5 X 27 cm. Paper bound. Volumes 1-6, $50 each. Vol. 7, $30. The set, $200. The contentsaf this set consist of articles in the field of catalysis from Russian jawndls which have heen previously translated into English and published by Consultants Bureau. The original Russian janrnal.ls are: Journal of Applied Chemistry, Bulletin of /he Academu of Sciences, Journal of'General Ch,emint~y. The original publication dates in Russian range from 1949 to 1955, so i t is well over ten years since some of this work was done in the laboratory. This extended time lag, as well as the high cost of commercial translations, should be a powerful incnntive for scientists to master the art of reading scientific Russian. The range of subject matter and qua& ity of thetie papers is wide. They have been roughly organized according to subject. However, some of the subjects listed on the title pages seem a little optimistic. For example, under palymerization one finds only three articles: one on decomposition of oleic acid, one on decomposition of styrene oxide,, and one on polymerization of isobutylene vapors on quartz. A polymer chemist might be disappointed by this showing. Some of the ot,her titles listed also shes this weakness. The general subject areas which are listed are: theoretical, general, reduction, oxidation, Fischer-Tropseh, hydrogen* tion, dehydrogenation, cracking, isomeriaation, dkylation, dehydration, ,polymerization, Friedel-Crafts, and Ziegler.
Volume 36, Number
9,
September
1959
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475
