JUNE. 1951
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covered in the remaining 489 pages if they wish ta be considered m e apparent. Brief mention is made of the therapeutic applies, to be up t o date a t mid-century. This "Glasstone Report" lions of the alkdoids discussed, hut no discussion of synthetic makes it possible to attain this objective with minimum effort. substitutes, e. g., local mestheties for cocaine or antihistamines The treatment given to fundamental nuclear science is no more for ephedrine, is given. The typography is in general not good. This applies partioudifficult than that usually presented to college freshmen, but the scope is broader. It proceeds from the introductory material larly to the confusion as to the presence or absence of double with a survey of nuclem radiations, isotopes and their separations, bonds in ring formulas. For example in Chapter VII all hemnuclear transformation, particle accelerators, nuclear structures, enoid double bonds are shown in the formulas, but in the sucnuolear farces, and nuclear fission. The book concludes with ceeding chapter none are shown. This leads to the conclusion chapters on utilization of nuclear energies, including bombs; the that the ephedra alkaloids are derivatives of cyclohewtne rather new elements; uses of isotopes (as traoers); cosmic rays and than benzene unless the reader already happens to be familiar with these substances. Several omissions of bond lines in strucmesons; and finally health physics. At the rookh haven conference on rare earth elements (Jan. tural formulas, notably in alkaloids carrying methylenedioxy 17-19, 1951) one of the physicists is quoted as having remarked, groups, are apparent. A fairly large number of typographical "It's about time that chemists were disabused of their over- errors in the text were also noted. Despite its shortcomings, the book serves a valu.%blepurpose simnlified notions of valence. Thev've been luckv so far in setling hy with it, I,ut pn.11). F0011 IIIC?. will h v e 1 0 f : ! 1111. ~ ~ : o l u p l t ~ in ~ assembling in one place the various procedures available for iucts uf thc rml situ:~rion." The s*nw i* q u a l l y r r w uf nuiny the isolation of the alkaloids treated. This will he of service both to the teohnologist and t o the laboratory chemist interested chcmkts' iilrw almur nurlwr rvirrtur. Thi* bwk will mukv i~ possible for them to bring themselves up to the starting line. in this phase of alkaloid chemistry. They will then need to be disabused of their oversimplified conROBERT C. ELDERFIELD cepts of nuclear phenomena. So many are so far behind, howC o b n ~ s l *U~rnsserrr ever, that Dr. Glasstone's book performs a genuine service. NEWYORI. NEWYORS The title may he somewhat misleading, since it contains no references to original literature and no quotations from original souroes, and is therefore not a source book in the usual sense. It 0 PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CONSTANTS OF PURE ORis, instead, a statement of what is generally accepted to he true, GANIC COMPOUNDS a sort of quintessence of knowledge (on an elementary level), in this new and, strangely enough, politically important field of 1. Timmermans, Professor of Physical Chemistry, Universite nuclear science. Libre, Brussels, and Director of the International Bureau of As already implied, the hook was not written for the expert in PhvsicoChemical Standards. Elsevier Publishino Co.. Inc.. nuclear physics, nor, on the other hand, for a person completely N& York, 1950. viii 693 pp. 17 X 24.5 cm. untrained in science. A colleee alumnus who had both freshman chemistry and physics ought k possess the background to tackle it, if he has a sufficiently strong reason for doing so. I t is an ideal reference book for chemistry teachers, both high school and college, and for chemistry maiors in colleges and graduate combines these results with those provided by a review of similar sohools, and is highly recommended. data in the literature. There are presented tables of values of the simple physical properties as reported originally by one or LAURENCE. S. FOSTER more investigators whose work is deemed to merit consideretion. 16 WESTSTREET Far the various compounds covered, information and references BELIONT.MABBACRDBETTB are given concerning methods of prepamtian. The properties considered include critical constants, vapor pressure, freezing point, temperature of trimsition, density of the vapor, specific 0 THE TECHNOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF ALKA- heat, heat of combustion, boiling point, refractive index, density, LOIDS viscosity, surface tension, heat of fusion, heat of vaporization, Frank E. Homerslag, Consulting Chemist. D. Van Nostrand dielectric constant, and critical solution temperature. Not all 319 pp. 14.5 X 22.5 om. these properties sse discussed for each compound, and for some Co., Inc., New York, 1950. viii of the properties discussed only references to the original data $6.50. are given. For some of the properties values from the literature As TUE title indicates, the subjeot matter concerns itself for are reproduced. The selection of data consists simply in decidthe major part with the technology involved in the isolrttian of ing which authors' velues ere to be reproduced, rather than an various alkaloids from natural sources on a commercial scale. actual selection of "best" values. Appropriate references are The chemistry of the alkaloids covered is treated in a cursory given for the cited values. The compounds covered in this volume include hydrocarbons manner which often leaves much to be desired as far as up-to-date coverage and accuracy are concerned. Following 8, chapter in (191 pages), halogenated derivatives (92 pages), oxygenated which general commercial procedures for the extraction of a l h derivatives of the aliphatic aeries (155 pages), oxygenated derivaloids ace presented, detailed discussions of the following groups of tives of the aromatic series (32 pages), oxygenated derivatives alkaloids are given: Bconitine, Areooline, Coca Alkaloids, Col- of the polymethylenes (10 pages), heterocyclic oxygen comchicine, Curare Alkaloids, Ephedra. Alkaloids, Ergot, Hydrastine pounds (5 pages), sugars (2 pages), mixed oxyhalogenated derivaand Berberine, Ipecaeuanha Alkaloids, Lobelia Alkaloids, tives ( I 1 pages), nitrogen derivatives of the aliphatic series Nicotine, Alksloids of Kur Vomica, Physostigmine, Piloosrpus (34 pages), nitrogen derivatives of the cyclic series (26 pages), Alkaloids, Sparteine, Solanaceous Alkaloids, Veratrine, and myrutnrwn dc.rtvnti\e (25 p.1g.5 , mixrd Iuhptoatcd irlrmgcn Yohimbine. I t was a source of some consternation to this re- arriratiws ( d pxms , sulfur dcrivutiw.i 1.5 p:i~c,*,,dwiwtivcs viewer to find the staiement in the preface that, "Since the book with orher elrmru!.; ( 3 PRKW . T h e 1 , s of wicn~novsi.wers 2; deals mainly with the commercially practical alkaloids, it was pages and is preceded b y ashort historical introduction of 3 pages. While the author has striven to make the book up to date aa felt that the purpose of the book would not be materially affected if the morphine and cinchona. alkaloids were onlitted." Inas- of January 1, 1950, it is apparent that a number of important much as these two groups probably represent the most important publications appearing in the literature prior to this date have groups of alkaloids, this omission appears t o be utterly un- not been examined. Several of these are referred to in an addendum of one page with the statement "we have become warranted and detracts vitally from the usefulness of the hook. Some attention has been given to the replacement of natural acquainted with the following works too late to include them in alkaloids by synthetic products, but again unfortunate omissions the tables."
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