BOOK REVIEWS follows. Idioms, Words Difficult t o Identify (a chapter on foiling dictionary frustrations), and a chapter on chemical nomenclature lead t o the final round of practice translations. The last chapter reproduces but does not translate five passages from examinations given a t the Royal Institute of Chemistry. Appendk 1 is a list of strong and irregular verbs; Appendix 2 translates (more literally than they would be in elegant English) 16 passages occurring, without translrttion, in the text. Casual readers would probably not notice that the authors are British; differences from American English are not eonspicuous. Chemists who cannot read German as fluently as they read English should use this book; they would be less likely to ignore literature which may be important to them.
JULIAN F. SMITH
Laoir Rhyne College Hickory,North Carolina Steroids
Louis F.Fiesw and Mar?/Fieser,both of Harvard University. Reinhold Publishing Carp., New York, 1959. xvii 945 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 24 om. 518.
+
Ten years have passed since Professor and Mrs. Fieser wrote their authoritative text on the chemistry of the steroids. I t
A1 10 / Journal o f Chemical Education
has been a decade which began with the discovery of the thempeutio properties of cortisone and is ending with the synthesis (both partial and total) of a very wide vanety of steroid hormones having biological potencies undreamed of in 194% Unparalleled research efforts by phsrmaceutical companies and academic institutions throughout the world have led to tremendous advances in every branch of the subject, although naturally, emphasis has been heavy in areas of biological interest. I t was against this background of rapid and continuous progress that steroid^" was written and the authors have been remarkably successful in capturing the spirit and enthusiasm of contemporary Droaress in their detailed and fullv " dorume&d account of all aspects of steroid chemistry. During this period steroid ehemidry has contributed much t o organic chemistry. The need for specificity in multi-functional group molecules has led to the development of selective methods for oxidation, reduction, substitution and elimination reactions which await application by discerning chemists in other fields of ehemistry. The theoretical discipline of conformational analysis was weaned and grew to maturity on a diet of steroids and related compounds. Major contributions to our knowledge of reaction mechanisms have been gleaned from experimentation with steroid substrates and more rec~nt,lv
total synthesis now rceorded arc olassic examples of the artistry and versatility of modern synthetic organic chemistry. These examples represent but a small fraction of the wealth of information contained in "Steroids." The book is divided into twenty-two chapters each of which is reasonably complete in itself. After an orienting survey, chapters 2 and 3 deal with the classic structurc proofs of ehol&erol and the bile acids. Later chapters review the present day position of the chemistry of vitamin D, estrogens, androgens, progcstationnl hormones, adrenocortical hormones, homo and nor steroids, cardiac active principals, rapogenins, steroidal alkaloid and the tetraryclic triterpenes. Miscellaneous topics such as naturally occurring sterols and bile acida, tho biogenesis of cholesterol, displacements and rearrangements, stereochemical correlations, and oxidative methods are also discussed in detail. The book is written in a masterly fashion and is superbly up-to-date. I t is eminently readable to both thestudent and exp w t alikc and the authors' persandizstion of the steroid story produces a vitality rare in a. hook of this kind. I t is remarkably free from errors and the presentation and printing are excellent. The authors are to he rongratulated on a fine achievement. "Steroids" is a neeessity for every worker in the field and will be a valuable asset to organic chemists everywhere. ALBERTBOWERS Syntez, S. A.
Mezico, D.F.
