VOL.6, NO. 2
RECENT
Naming of several common acids and salts is introduced in the chapter on hydrogen, as is the electromotive series. The chapter on the gas laws (chapter 6) is particularly well presented for highschool students and includes some types of problems not usually found in highschool texts. An unusual order is followed in presenting chapters on valence, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and chlorine. The chapter on valence is exceptionally well handled. Sixty pages of organic chemistry follow chapters on carbon and precede the study of the metals. Unusual space is given t o graphic formulas far organic compounds. I n view of the shortness of the chapter on colloids and its present-day importance, i t does not seem best to the reviewer t o place i t next to the last chapter, where lack of time may cause i t to be omitted. I t is generally conceded that the historical viewpoint is not of interest to highschool students. The authors have stressed historical facts and have succeeded in doing i t well. Twenty-three cuts of famous chemists are shown. Practical recitation experiments, genemusly interspersed through thegrst part of the text are valuable aids t o the busy teacher, and it would seem worthwhile to extend them throughout the text. Paragraph sections are numbered and many references are given t o earlier and later explanations. Concise summaries are found a t the end of each chapter, and important words and statements throughout the text are emphasized by bold face type. Line drawings are well executed and the halftone illustrations are on the whole clear. A good grade of paper, good type, and binding have been used. This book should have a strong appeal t o teachers of college preparatory classes, classes of exceptional ability and as a supplementary text where several are used. Any teacher interested in the development of chemistry from the electron standpoint should examine the text. LORMN HIGHSCHOOL M. V. MCGILL LORAIN. OHIO
A The Handwriting on the Wall. Chemist's Interpretation. ARTHURD. LITTLE, Ch.D., Little, Brown, and Company, Boston. Mass., 1928. viii 287 pp. 13.5 X 20.5 cm. $2.50.
+
The hook consists of 12 essays and kctures prepared for spec& purposes and here edited and arranged in a cofirdinated manner with the general objective of emphasizing the enrichment of the common welfare by the creative power of research, especially along chemical lines. To those who have listened to the addresses or have had the essays in l e d e t form, this assembly in attractive binding will be especially appreciated. The topics, as handled by Dr. Little, are both inspirational and informational; the former without exaggeration and the latter with fidelity to scientific facts. The hook is especially commended to those who wish t o secure up-to-date information expressed in common terms which they can readily comprehend and free from technical embellishment which for the average reader would he meaningless. As an adjunct to chemical education in this highly important field the work is t o be highly commended. Here is illustrated a peculiarly fortuitous combination of circumstancesleading chemist in the industrial field, thoroughly conscious of the significance of chemical research in the present and potential advancement of human progress, a willing and enthusiastic writer in terms of universal comprehension. This is a real accomplishment and of special value as an educational medium. s. W. PARE UNIVERSITY on ILLINOIS Colloid Symposium Monograph. Vol. VI. Edited by H A ~ Y B. WRISER. Professor of Chemistry, The Rice Institute. The Chemical Catalog Co., New York City, 1928. 346 PP. 15.5 X 23 cm. $6.50. This volume contains the twenty-five papers delivered a t the Sixth Colloid Symposium held a t the University of
.
