BOOK REVIEWS
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sion. solid state streneth. thermal conductivity, or heat transfer; little on oonstitution diagrams; and very little on gases. Another omitted area concerns the chemical analysis of refractory substances. This field is extremely difficult and is one to which attention should be drawn. Despite the fact that these areas are omitted, the book is an excellent one. The chapters are exceptionally well documented, and they contain many experimental details and practical suggestions. There me very valusble discussions concerning the ohoico among alternative methods and about the accuracy obtain able. The appendixes will be useful to s newcomer in the field and to teachers who may wish to assign problems, hut an experienced scientist generally has his own techniques and sources. Anyone undertaking work for the first time in the high temperature field will certainly wish to study this book. An expert in the field cannot possibly he BE versatile as this collection of authors, and he d l find the hook very useful, especially when he undertakes s new kind of study. Any course in high temperature chemistry will include diaoussions of the material in Chapters 2 3, 4, and 6; probably that in Chapters i and LO; and possibly some of the others. Whether t,he book will he an appropriate text for a particular course will depend on the purpones of
A826
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Journal o f Chemical Education
tho teacher. Certainly it is an extremely valuable and excellent addition to the literature in high temperature chemistry.
PAULW. GILLES L'niuemity of Kansas Lawrence
Tables pour le Calcul Direct der Constantar D'Equilibre des Syrtemer Chimiques aux Hautes Temperatures
Henri Mauras, Faeulte des Sciences de Toulouse, France. Masson et Cie Editeurs, Paris, 1959. vi 150 pp. Figs. and tables. 17 X 25.5 rm. Paperbound, 1650 fr.; clothhound, 2450 fr.
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Mauras has proceeded via. classical equilibrium thermodynamics to define a composite thermodynamic function
5~here is the standard heat of formation a t 298-K; Solss is the absolute entropy a t 298%; a, b, c, and d are constants in the typical heat capacity equstion; and f,,.fi, fa, and are characteri~tic functions derived by conventional thermodynamic methods. Values of 5r over the range 400-2400°K w e tabulated for various organic and inorganic compounds.
K i t h this function, Msuras paints on1 log K =
[5=(products)] -
[vr
(reactants)]
and thus, ono ran quickly evaluate equilibrium can~tants. Examples of the met,hod when applied to the red~lctionof iron ores hy CO and N,, thp pol.ymeriaation, hydrogenation and cracking of h?-droearbons, and of combustion equilibria involving C-0-H-N syptems are given in detail. In addit.ion, graphs and tables for evaluating the fractional conver~ion of ~.eitctants to products for 18 d i t h e n t equilibria (A A'; A 2A'; 4 B 4'; etc.) are presented. This book would be a useful reference to the practicing thermodynamicist or reramist for quick calculations of equilibrium constants and compositions if he is willing to accept the data used by Mauras in computing his JT functions. Unfortunately, the vast amount of thermodynamic data being produced necessitates constant ~ w i s i o nof the tables and those puhlizhed air largely based on the 1950 data of Circular 5W of the U. 8. Xational Bureau of Standards which is rather old. In addition, the F ~ f u n c t i o nhas the undcsirahle quality of combining both the heat of formation and the heat rapacity, and revision of either of bhese makes the Srfunetion inrorr~et. I t apprars likely that the separate tabulation of free-energ" functions, which depend only 11pon hrat capacities, and heats of (Conlinued on page AM8)
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inquiry," any scientific a r i k r should keep handy a v o h ~ m rsuch as this one. The 800-page cross reference lexicon is designed for pract,iral use. The introducformstion a t 298'K a? discussed hy Martion is written clearly and delighthdly. grave' and now being carried out by the Not only does i t help thc ignorant separate U. S. National Bureau of Standards is tho Greeks from the Latins, hut i t answers pveferzl,le. such pointed questions zs "Is t h new ~ word The Frfunrtion is already, in principle, really necessary?" with x quotation from bring used in many high sl~errlmachine Joh: "Therefore doth Jah open his mouth rnlci~lations w h r r ~ limited information in vain; he mukiplieth words without storage hut rapid rompnting facilities knowledge." make methods h a a d on standard heats of Dumas should have had this book in formation and Cirt:r~u~tionsmmostfeasible. 1834 when he invent,ed the name a,hich JOHN L. MARGRAVE means grcen ant for the compound CHCl*. 1Jnlver.silv o j Wisconsin m.F. I
