which would not be enriched were the instructor familiar with the general contents of this little hook. As so often in science we find again here that the mathematicians have gone before the experimentalists and worked out the peneml criteria which must be satisfied if stable structures are to be achieved. The infinite structural welter which our millions of compounds might seem to make possible proves reducible to relatively simple generalizations. The road to scientific undwstnnding is smoothed, narrowed, and pitched to the grade which most of us can achieve. You will enjoy this book. Further, this is s, book ideally suited to the inquiring student interested in independent rending whether he be a freshm a n or graduate student. Little of this material is likdv to attain formal areanimake sense out of many previously unrelated idws. J. A. CAMPBELL
MIN~RALE:QUALITATIVEET QUANTITATIVE. VOLUME I1
Clement Duval. Presses Scientifiques Internationalq Paris, 1955. 448 pp. 59 l i p Tables. 17 X 24.5 cm. THISi8 the aecond volume of a proposed
series of four volumes of an ambitious undertaking which can properly be cdled "Trait4 Duvalique." The first volume of the series published in 1954 included H, the alkali metals, alkaline earths, Sc, Y, the lanthanides, and Ac. The present volume is a. continuation of the same systematic approach which appears to be based on the lecture notes of the author expanded by systematic investigations of his students and ewvorkers so sg t o bring together all information which should be usriul for the detection, identification, and determination of small amounts and of traces of the various inorganic suhstances common and rare. The elements and their important isotopes are arranged in the order of the groups of the periodic table. For each element are given (1) occurrence in nature, (2) the outstanding properties of the elements, (3) its ions and compounds, (4) its uses, (5) methods of dissolution and separation, (6) methods employed for detection and identification through spot tests, slide tests, emission and absorption spectra, and sundry other tests, (7) estimation by gravimetry, titrimetry, polssography, gasvolumetry, colorimetry, spectrophotometry and special methods, (8) bibliography which includes from 30 to aver 200 citations for each clement (for example, under titanium 101 references are listed, under manganese 220, under technetium 45, and under urt~niom177). In the opinion of the reviewers the arrancement of the subiect matter is both logical and in many respects ingenious.
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I t hears witlless to the expenditure of a tremendous amount of energy in going through the literature and summarizing the often disconnected reports and isolated facts. There is evidence that many of the tests described in the literature hase been tried hy the author and his eo-workers and in some instances drawings of crystals not given in the original papers are added. A careful evaluation of tho work is extremely difficult; however a spot cheek of the detection and estimation of Na, Li, Sr, Ti, hln, and Cr, indicates meticulus and thorouph treatment. The "Trait6 de Micro-Analyse Min6ral" should he very useful in the hands of the experienced worker; it is assumed that the user is familiar with the techniques involved. Both the analyst and the advanced student will be able to proceed solely on the basis of the information given here without recourse to the original literature, something that cannot be mid of the numerous trost,ises which fall into the category of literature reviews. The series is recommended as an excellent addition to the analytical laboratory and a ready reference for the detection and estimation of small and trace quantities of inorganic ions, common and rare, alike. A. A. BENEDETTI-PICHLER QUEENLCOLLEGE F ~ n s m ~ NEW a , YORK
NICHOLAS D. CHERONIS COSLEOE ~ n a o ~N E~Wr Yona ~ . BROOKLYN
