MAY. 1948 Owing to the Gelman drives for slaveworkers it was often risky for men under forty to go about in the streets; only very urgent duties and the necessity to procure food or wood for fuel could indnoe them to leave their houses. In spite of this, howkver, mientifio work was continued here and there. In the Zeeman Laboratory of the University of Amsterdam enough fuel was left for one room to still he heated, so that this building remained one of the few centers where research work was carried on. The news supplied clandestinely by the radio, run on the batteries of the laboratory, constituted a h an attraction to the scientific and technical personnel. Owing to the absence of electricity and gas activities were mostly of a theoretical nature: writing theses, discussing theoretieal problems, designing, calculating and working out previous observations. Though from an objective point of view the value of this work was perhaps not outstanding it helped people to rid themselves for a time of the daily absedion and anxiety about food, warmth and the slow progress of the war and to hold their own as self-respecting seientific workers. P. W. SELWOOD
Aside from a few such matters which impress this writer far more than they would the student, there is nothing to pritieize and much to praise. Wisely, I think, Professor Hildebrand is "not in favor of 'going BrBnsted' in the freshman course." Nevertheless, he devotes an exeellent later chapter to aeid-base systems which it will pay the better student to explore carefully if only to discover for himself that definitions increase in complexity about as the square of the understanding. In a few brief parsgraphs he handles without fanfare the wartime developments in nuclear fission. Graphs, line drawings, tables, and photographs are used only as they serve to clarify the text. The publishers have done a pleasing job even though forced to
words of praise could do. I t need only he added that the new edition enhances in no small measure the very enviable reputat,ion already established by its predecessors. S I D N E Y d. FRENCH
NOPTBWBSTGRN UNIYBBSI~
EVANSION,ILL~NOIS
0
PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY
Joel H. ~ i l d e b A n d ,Professor of Chemistry, The University of California. Fifth Edition. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1947. x 446 pp. 77 figs. 51 tables. 14.5 X 22 cm. $4.25.
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REVIEWINQ the fifth edition of Professor Hildebmnd's distinctive hook is like coming home after a long journey. Even before looking inside one knows the modern warmth, light, and eompaetness he will find. Inside, one is far from disappointed; new furnishings are there, carefully placed to blend with, complement, or replace the old. The warmth, light and compactness are there, too, with the same broad windows looking out over clear vistas. Professor Hildebrand summarizes his teaching philosophy in discussing, on pages 80 and 81, the three ways of presenting the subject: The logical, the ehnologieal, and the psyehologieal. I t is implicit in a further statement of his appearing elsewhere, ". .. the ability (of the student) to do something difficult is developed not by having it expounded but by firsehsnd effort and The role of the learner must he an active one." Here, one cannot miss the opportunity to express a vigorous "Amen2'-and the hope as well that before another generation of eollege teachers has passed we will hrtve implemented this philosophy on a far broader front in allof college education. The psychological approaeh is used as the best means of making the student's role an active one. While one might take issue with the implied assumption that a. psychological approach disbars, a priori, either the logical or the chronological, the fact remains that he has developed and used it with more than noteworthy suocess. As in previous editions the emphmis is on the "structure" of chemistry. This is sound pedagogy, particularly in a day when it has become hopelem to "cover" descri~tivechemistrv as well as "structure'! ih a first course. T ~ book, Q indee2, comes humanly close to "perfection as a goal" even though the author modestly denies the achievement. While the handling of historical material is necessarily restrieted,.it is nevertheless not neglected and is used where it will contribute to better understanding. One might question, however, the interpretation of the Chemical Revolution presented on page 12. Although Priestley is a discoverer of oxygen, it is indeed a new interpretation to say that he discovered it. "by forming mercuric oxide by heating mercury in air then decomposing it in a vacuum a t higher temperatures.. .." Nor did the assumption that phlogiston might have a negative weight play any significant part in Lavoisier's great work. Again, on page 64, it might be helpful to the student to understand a little of why Avogadro's great work was not accepted until revived by Canniezaro in 1858.
COL.*TEUNIYBRBITY HAMILTON. N E WYORK
YALE SCIENCE, THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS, U011801 Louis W. McKeehon, Professor of Physics and Qireotor of the Sloan Physics Laboratory, Yale University. Henry Sehuman, Inc., New York, 1947. x 82 pp. 12.5 X 18.5 om. $2.50.
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IN TEE early days of the oldest universities in this country presidentsand tutors were primarily concerned with preparing young men for the ministry. However, as centers of culture in the communities they served, these clergymen were interested in astronomy, Newtonian mechanics, and the compilation of almanacs. Dr. McKeehao presents the story of the beginnings of interest in science a t Yale College using material gathered from original sources. His book will serve well as a prelude to the study of the development of science in this country. JOHN A. T I M M
ORGANIC SYNTHESES. VOLUME 28 R. L Shriner, Editor-in-Chief. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New 121 pp. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $2.25. York, 1947. vi
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THIS is the 27th annual publication of the series of reeommended methods for the preparation of selected orgsnic eompounds, whieh illustrates useful and practical methods of synthesis. This volume, as previous ones, gives the equations for the reactions, procedures for production with accompanying notes, and other methods of preparation for 39 different orgauio compounds. The directions have been contributed by 52 ditIerent eollaborator8 in addition to members of the Editorial Board. The suggested directions have been further checked or verified by competent referees. Preparations are listed under the names whieh are used commonly for the compounds. For the convenience of those who wish to make ra complete survey of the literature on any preparation, the Chemical Abstracts indexing name for eseh compound is given as a subtitle where that name differs from the title of the preparation. The cumulative subject index comprises all material included in Volumes 20 to 27, inclusive, of this series. Methods for the preparation of the following compounds are included: 6-ahnine, 8-aminopmpionitrile and bis-(Scyrtnoethy1)smine, benzalaeetone dibromide, biallyl, a-bromohenzalaeetone, tert-hutylamine, csrboxymethoxylrtminehemihydrochloride, deeamethylenediamine, diethylaminoacetanitrile, dihydroresorcinol, 3,5-dimethyl4oarbethoxy-2oyclohexen-1-0and 3,5-dimethyl2-eyelahexen-l-one, 1,5-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2,bdiphenylindone (2,Miphenyl-l-indenone), 2,4dipbenylpyrrole ethyl a-
