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appronrh like this. Therc are colleges with large rlas~cs of seemingly disinterested students; there are faculty assistants who consider freshman lah.or:ttory sessions n bore; and there are far too many student helpers wlio are products of this same sysiern and can think of nothing else. One might argue t h a t i t is far better far a student to get into the laboratory this way than never t o get there a t all. We can forgive the aut,hors their point of view on this, but must y e Ire tantalized with this glorious "design, set up, carry out, and interpret" ,eoncrpt, only t o have it d w t r o y ~ d by t,hr bnlancr shcet? Yet if we consider this manunl within t h e limitations imposed on the authors bv their concept, we find t,hat they have .done n reasonable piece of work. They hsve not, conrt,ived of the hook as "going with" any particular text, so thpir eclec.. tions cover the entire field. With onc or two exwptions, experiment,^ are stnnda d ones which hsve been worked aver .earrfully. They are presented in groups according to topics. Except for the nine experiments listed undcr l'rcpar~tions and Syntheses and t h e right experiments in t,Lr special section on Qualitative Analysis (both .cations and anions are given), thc emphasis is quantitative in concept. Vnknowns are given whenever possible, i~lthaughthere seem t o be rases whpre everyone is issued the same on?. .4 large numbcr of the questions on the data sheets are conrcrned with possil~lrerrors: thcir enuses, the direction they msy take, nnd thrtir possible magnitudr. The authors are safety-conscioue, rslling attention t o the sources of danger hefore any other topic in their g e n ~ r a directions, l and wh~neverpertinmt in t,heir specific directions. The Imok is well made with hcnvy paper and heavier paper eovcr. I t is perforated for easy removal of thc pages and punehcd with three holm for renssomlding in a ring hinder. Seven full page plates are excellent photographs of collections of indjvidusl Ishoratory items. The five figures are equall\- good photographs of assemhlies used in the handling of vapors and gases. The hook includes n final six pages of unlabeled graph paper, a tahle of aqueous vapor pressure, and a (1955) table of atomic weights. On the back cover is :I copy of t,ha long form periodic table.
excellent outline for this more ambitious project, which might easily require several volumes. The volume also serves as a goad introductory source for graduate students who are beginning research on spectra, and are beginning litcraturc searches. It will, of necessity, appoar superficial to specialists. The book does not emphasize application to identification hut t,hebasic methods of application are indicated el earl.^. The references are selected with care but are inadequate, except as a. rough guide t o further references. The hook may Ire of value to the organic chemist who is interested in the possibilities of spectroscopy. He should find i t a reliahle guide t o further reading.
The question of balance between theory and application is extremely difficult t o h a t in a. volume of such limited aim. The author has attempted no discussion of theory on a sophisticated level. As a result, the examples given of types of electronic transitions appear to he a series of unrelated empirical facts. For this reason, the contribution to the real understnnding of spectra is limited. Unfortunately what is presented may be misleading, unless the reader realizes t h a t this volume provokes questions about spectra rather than answers questions. A. B. F. DCINCAX Untvemly of Rochester Rochester, .Yew Y o 4
ROBERT I). EDDY l'uftla U n i , e r s i l p Merlfard, Mnrsoclruset!~
Ultra-violet and Visible Spectroscopy
C. N. R. Rao, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Bntterworths, Ltd., London, 1961. xiii 164 pp. Figs. and tables. IG X 25.5 em. $5.25.
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There is a genuine need for n, comprehensive survey of electronic spectra, and this little volume might serve as an
Volume 39, Number 9, September 1962
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A697
