The Analytical Chemistry of Industrial Poisons, Hazards and Solvents

Publication Date: February 1942. ACS Legacy Archive. Cite this:J. Phys. Chem. 1942, 46, 2, 335-336. Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is the article'...
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13, 133 (1929)), in trypsin by J. H. Sorthrop (J. Gcn. l'hyeiol. 16, 323 (1932)) and 11.L. Anson and A. E. Rlirsliy (J. Gen. Phyaiol. 17, 393 (1934)), in chymotrypsin by A I . Kunitz and J. H. Sorthrop (J. Gen. Physiol. 18,433 (1935)), and in pepsinogen by R. 11. Hcrriott (J. Gen. Phyqiol. 21, 501 (1937)). M. L. ANSON. A. E. MIRSKY. Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research Princeton, S e w Jersey, and New York, S e w York. Received October 1, 1941.

KEW BOOKS The Analytical Chemistry OJ Industrial Poisotis, Ilazards and Soluents. By MORRISU. J.AC.OSS (formerly Chemist in the Food and Drug Administration, U. S. Department of Agriculture; formerly Chemist in the Dcpartmcnt of Health, City of Kew York; and formerly Lieutenant, Chemical Warfare Service Reserve). (This book constitutes Volume I of A Series OJ Monographs o n Analytical C ' h i i s ! r j / and its Applications, edited by Beverly L . Clarke, I. M. Kolthoff, and Hobart €1. Willard.) 6 x B+ in.; xviii 661 pp.; 110 illustrations; 33 figures. Xew York: Interscience Publishers, Inc., 1041. Price: 17.00. The author has given an excellent comprehensive resunid of thc principal industrial hazards caused by toxic dusts, gases, vapors, and liquids, the chief industries in which each toxic agent occurs, the symptoms caused by i t , the methods of collecting samples, and the microscopic and chemical tests, both qualitativc and quantitative. Thc discussion of each toxic agent is introduced by a rather brief and correspondingly incomplete statement of the industries in which it is encountered, and a brief account of the toxic effects upon the organs and functions of the human body; in the writing of the latter the author has had the advice of Professor E. P. Pick, formerly Director of The Pharmacological Institute of The Cniversity of Vienna. The concentrations of the substances in air and the amounts which are dangerous and lethal are usually given. The analytical mcthods are presented clearly and completely with citation of the original sources, and for most toxic agents several of the best methods of analysis are described. Thc section on the general methods for collecting and adsorbing samples of toxic or irritant dusts and gases and on the quantitative methods of determining and calculating the size and numbers of dust particles is well presentcd and well illustrated. The section on the microscopic examination and estimation of silica in dusts is particularly good. This is followed by chapters on the dangerous metals, lead, mercury, arsenic, antimony, chromium, manganese, selenium, thallium, zinc, tin, nickel, and on the radioactive substances. These chapters are folloircd by sections on the gaseous poisons commonly encountered in the industries, such as chlorine, phosgene, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, and hydrocyanic acids, and carbon monoxide. Considerable space is devoted to the toxic organic gases and solvents,-methane, gasoline, naphtha, benzine, acetylene, benzene, and the aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons and halogcnated solvents, methyl alcohol, the glycols, alcohols, csters (among them the phthalates), ethers, and ketones. The phenols, hydroxybenzcnes, aniline, nitrobenzene, and the diamines are discussed. A section devoted to the chemical warfare agents, giving their composition, toxic actions, and effective coiicentrations with descriptions of methods for their qualitative detection and quantitative determination, is very timely.

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The bibliography is not large but is usually well selected, chiefly from the publications of The U. S. Public Health Service, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and The New York State Department of Labor and from articles in The American Journal of Public Health, the Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, and The Analytical Edition of The Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. This book contains much useful information and would constitute a valuable addition t o the library of every industrial, engineering, or analytical chemist. ARTHURD. HIRSCHFELDER.

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p H and Electro Titrations. By I. M. KOLTHOFF AND H. A. LAITINEN. 6 x 9 in.; ix 190 pp.; 43 figures. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1941. Price: $3.00. This is the second and revised edition of the book which was published by the senior author in 1931. The three parts which were included in the first edition,-(I) “hcidBase Indicators and the Colorimetric Determination of pH”; (3) “The Potentiometric Determination of pH. Potentiometric Titrations”; ( 5 ) “Conductometric Titrations,”have been thoroughly revised. I n addition, a fourth part under the heading of “Voltammetry (Polarography) and Amperometric Titrations” has been added. This book is intended as a text for a special advanced course in analytical chemistry for seniors and graduate students. Problems and an outline for a comprehensive practical course covering the fundamentals of the subjects are included. This course comprises two lectures and four laboratory hours per week during three quarters. As in the first edition, the theory is given in very condensed form and for additional information the student must consult the references t o general textbooks of physical chemistry and monographs on specific subjects. It would undoubtedly simplify matters for students if the authors of books and articles on these special subjects would adopt a standard nomenclature. Also, the reviewer believes t h a t the name “hydronium” is better for the HJO+ ion than “hydroxonium.” The book is well written and will undoubtedly enjoy the well-deserved popularity of the first edition. M . L. NICHOLS.

Abridged ScientiJfc Publications from the Kodak Research Laboratories, Vol. X X I I . 278 pp. Rochester, New York: Eastman Kodak Company, 1940. This book contains abstracts of forty-one reports of researches by forty-eight members of the staff, published in seventeen journals. These very adequate abstracts give one a clear idea of the variety and extent of the research work being carried on i n the Kodak Research Laboratories. S. C. LIND. J . FBENCE.6 X Torch and Crucible, the Life and Death of Aintoine Lavoisier. By SIDNEY 9f in.; ix 285 pp, Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University Press, 1941. Price: )3.M). It is rarely t h a t an author competent t o evaluate the significance of discoveries such as those of Lavoisier, grasps, a t the same time, the historical background and ha8 the gift of presenting it in a manner so charming, accurate, and thoroughly comprehedble t o the layman as well as t o the scientist. Every chemist, of course, knows the work of Lavoisier i n elucidating the nature of oxidation, in overthrowing the phlogiston theory, and i n revolutionizing chemical theory. Most chemists know that he was a political victim of the French Revolution, but few possess the entire picture in its true setting aa i t is so vividly described by the present author. Had the author added the word “balance” t o the title, while spoiling its euphony, he would but have emphasized further what he frequently points out i n the text t h a t it was by the constant use of the balance t h a t Lavoisier waa able t o replace conjecture with proof and thus to establish his right t o the title “Father of Modern Chemistry.” After a century and a half, it would be futile t o renew discussions of priority for their

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