JANUARY, 1950
53
The book is full of such imaginary incidents, but what is much worse. actual historical events are often used as a basis for em-
theevents in the life of t h i man. Such an incident, for example, is the story of the valiant horse, as well as the story of the man who tried to make crystal sunshine. There are others." This last short sentence a t once makes it impossible for the reader who does not know the sources to form any estimation of what is true and whst is not, and even the reader fairly well acquainted with the life of Mendeleev can never feel sure that some unfamiliar episode may not have same factual basis. All the historian of soienoe can do is to disregard such s. book entirely. Even for the general reader the melodrsmatic style and poor quality of the writine offer verv little. I t is unfortunate that the editors of
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHEMICAL SCIENCE Williom H. Hotcher, Professor of Chemistry, McGill University. Second edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1949. x 449 pp. 79 figs. 14 X 21.5 cm. $4.
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THE author has followed the same arrangement of subject matter as in the first edition. Eighteen chapters are devoted to inorganic chemistry, eight to organic chemistry, four to food chemistry, and ten to industrid chemistry. Considerable material has been added to bring the book up to date on such subjects as vitamins, pharmaceuticals, and raw materials from which chemical products are made. A good summary at the end of each chapter iallawed by a list of questions is an excellent feature of the text. In the words of the author, "the course of study for which this book has been written is not a survey of the physical and hiologicrtl sciences." Professor Hatcher believes "that of all the sciences chemistry lends itself best to the inculcation of s to the applibasic scientific principles inherent in all ~ i e n e e and cations of modern science as they touch most frequently and intimately thelives of our people." The book is well made, the printing is clear, the illustrations are simple in design and quite adequate. For a terminal course, as is intended by the author, this book can be recommended as an eveellent text.
satisfy all such noods. "The Science of Chemistry" is in the opinion of the writer one of thc best books thus far written far a terminal course in chemistry. The style of writing is attractive, the book reads easily, the illustrations are numerous and well selected, all of which makes it an outstanding book in the field. Although no mention is made by the authors of the number of semester hours for which the book is written, it is the writer's opinion that a t Least three and preferably more semester hours should be available for the course. The authors state in the preface: "It is a continuing conviction that the nontechnical student cannot achieve anything approaching a proper appreciation of an experimental soience without an active participation in laboratory study." A companion laboratory manual has recently been published by the authors under the title, "Chemical Laboratory Experiments." However, the text is so writtenhhat it can be used equally well for a purely lecture-demonstration course without laboratory work. The scientific accuracy of the book is, in general, very satisiactory and the authors should be complimented on the absence of tvoaeraohioal and other errors in the mrtnuncrint,.
omission of the traditional discussion of, for example, the Law of Multiple Proportions, and the derivation of oombining weights." Students who take the terminal course in ohcmistrv are not uotential chemists and need not be indoctrinated wkh the si&ificance of the deviation fromRwult's Law or the intricacies of the synthesis of quinine. Exercises containing numerous qieiestions for consideration are included at the ends of the chapters. A collateral reading list is also included for each chapter, consisting of chapter referenecs to standard college chemistry texts. For a book designed for a terminal course it is surprising that EfeTence~to pertinent articles OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION and other sources were in thc JOURNAL not given in place of the technical textbook reierenceslisted. A p proximrttely a third of the book is devoted to fundamental principles of chemistry and tho philosophy of the subject. The chapters are well illustrated with industrial applioations and their implications for the reader. An unusually complete treatment of organic chemistry is given, with up to date applioations to pharmaceuticals, agriculture, plastics, and protective coatings, which cover about the last third of the book. Extensive use of structural iormules is made to differentiate and illustrate the common organic compounds with which the student is expected to have contact during his life. The book has an adequate table of contents with chapter headings that are truly descriptive of the msr terial covered. The index is unusually complete, with references to both chemical names and subject matter. L. REED BRANTLEY
R. CHESTER ROBERTS
ION EXCHANGE
THE SCIENCE OF CHEMISTRY George W. Watt, Professor of Chemistry, and Lewis F. Hatch,
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Associate Professor of Chemistry, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1949. viii 567 pp. 227 figs. 20 tables. 15 X 23 om. $4.50.
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INPREPARING the first edition of "The Science of Chemistrv."
chemktry texts written for students of soience are available, the field has been comparatively wide open for a text designed ponly for the terminal course. Due to the many varieties of courses of this type offered, and the varying proportion of lecture to laboratory or laboratory demonstration time, as well as semester hours devoted to the course. it would be impossible for anv one book to
Edited by Frederick C. Nachod, Sterling-Winthrop Researoh Institute, Rensselaer, New York. Academic Press, Inc., New 411 pp. 124 figs. 49 tables. 16 X York City, 1949. xii 24 om. 58.50.
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EVERYONE intere~tedin the progress of science will find in this book on ion exohmge an outstanding example of a new trend in scientific development. Recognition of the phenomenon of ion exchange resulted from practical studies in agriculture, and the major advances came from workers interested in industry. This book, edited by F. C. Nachod, illustrates the great quantity and high quality of basic scientific information now being produced in industrial laboratories as u d ss in academic institutions. About a century ago British soil soientistsfound that the nutritive uotmsium and ammonium ions reouired bv olants were absorbed preferentially and reversibly b; soil. This absorption phenomenon dopended upon the exchange of the nutrient ions
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