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NEW BOOKS
ments relating t o the composition of gases (water, hydrogen chloride, ammonia, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous and nitric oxides, and ozone) usually shown in lecture demonstrations, so that i t would be a very useful book to have in the preparation room of a college chemistry department. I n many cases such experiments fail for want of attention t o some minor point, and Mr. Goddard’s book will usually disclose this point. The details of apparatus are given, and the book may be strongly recommended. Teaching hints will be found useful in schools. J. R. PARTISGTON.
Kurzgeschichte der Chemie. By F. FERCHL and A. S~SSENGUTH. 26 x 19 cm.; 230 pp.; 200 illustrations. Mittenwald (Bavaria): A. Nemayer, 1936. Price: unbound, 12 RM.; bound, 15 RM. (less 25 per cent). This book is a noteworthy supplement to all existing histories of chemistry in that i t is mostly illustrative material. There is a satisfactory amount of text, and this takes account of recent studies in the subject, some of which have considerably modified older ideas. The illustrations are reproductions from actual manuscripts, old books, etc., and are very attractively printed on a r t paper with explanatory legends. The reviewer found the book absorbingly interesting, and he is sure that his colleagues will like to share his pleasure. There are many portraits of famous chemists, some unusual and some (e.g., of Libavius) rarely seen, and some illustrations of old laboratory interiors. One of the authors is Director of the Chemical Section of the Deutsches Museum, Munich, and has had unusual facilities for collecting material. J. R. PAXTINGTON. Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants and some .l.lathematicaZ Functions. By G. W. C. KAYEand T. H. LABY. Eighth edition. 25 x 16 em.; 162 pp. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1936. Price: 14 8 . net. Kaye and Laby’s is the best known short book of tables. The fact that i t has reached eight editions since its first publication in 1911 is proof t h a t it fills a need. It is one which the individual worker can afford and find space for in his laboratory, the larger volumes of tables finding a place in the library. The revision has been successfully extended to several parts, but there are still some old values which there is no point in retaining. Hartmann’s values for the ratios of specific heats of gases (p, 61) are worthless and might have been replaced; the book by Partington and Shilling is now available for reference here. Only very old values for the dielectric constants of gases are given on p. 88; some of the historical data on p. 1 is incorrect; the English silver coin has long ceased to have the composition attributed to it on p. 22; and the melting point of chlorine dioxide on p. 120 appears to be copied from the Landolt-Bornstein TabelZen and, as i t is really in Fahrenheit degrees, is incorrect as i t stands. These are examples of what the editors and their helpers should not have missed in their eighth edition. I n future editions-which should be thoroughly overhauled-it would be better to send each section to specialists for comment. It could then become a really valuable book. As i t is, no worker can safely rely on any figure unless he has also looked up the recent literature J. R. PARTINGTON. with four Recent Advances in Organic Chemistry. Volume 11. By A. W. STEWART, 489 pp. London: Longmans, new chapters by H. GRAHAM.22 x 14 cm.; xiv Green and Co., 1936. Price: 21 s. This is in the main a re-issue of the 1931 edition, but the four chapters by Dr. Graham are new and deal with such interesting and important topics as the bile
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