is carried out at 4O&-55O0C in a fluidized bed with continuous regeneration of the catalyst with air (burning off of C). The C content of the catalyst is adjusted by suitable choice of the regeneration conditions. [DOS 2203 384; Riitgerswerke AG, Frankfurt]

[PR 181 IE G I

To prepare heat-curable acrylic polymers, polyacrylic esters containing hydroxy groups are mixed with a polyfunctional 1,3,4-dioxazol-2-one (nitrile carbonate) having the formula ( I ) and cured at 120 to 150°C. The polymers containing hydroxy groups are obtained by copolymerization of acrylic or methacrylic esters with hydroxyethyl or hydroxypropyl

Esters of N,N‘-ethylenedicarbamic and ethylenedithiocarbamic acids having the formula ( 1 ) (R, R3=alkyl; R’, RZ=H, lower alkyl; X, X’=O, S), in particular the compound (2) with

0 C& H O I/ I

Alk-S-C-N-CH2-CH2-PI.-~-S-*lk ( 2 )

Alk = C3, C4-alkyl, are insect metamorphosis inhibitors similar to the natural juvenile hormone. [DOS 2324020; Stauffer Chemical Co., New York (USA)]

[PR 183 IE S]

(meth)acrylates. The hydroxyl values are between 20 and 150, and the acid values between 0 and 25mg of KOH/g of sub- stance. The preferred nitrile carbonate is adiponitrile carbonate (Z), R =-(CH,),-, n = 2. On curing, free isocyanate groups are forqed, and th‘qse crosslink with the hydroxy groups. Adiponitrile carbonate is used mainly as a crosslinking agent for acrylic varnishes. [DOS 2220806; Atlantic Richfield Co., New York (USA)]

[PR 186 IE W]

BOOK REVIEWS

Bakterien-, Phagen- und Molekulargenetik (Bacterial, Phage, and Molecular Genetics). By U . Winkler, R . Riiger, and W Wackernagel. Springer Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York 1972. 1st ed., xi, 285 pp., 15 figures, stitched DM 1 4.80.

The present book is an attempt to fill a gap among the German-language practical textbooks for universities. It ap- pears to me that the attempt has been successful. The book contains a large number of carefully written experimental procedures for practical courses in molecular genetics. Each experiment is preceded by an introduction giving the theoreti- cal background. This is followed by aim, materials, procedure, evaluation, literaturedata, and sometimes exercises for practice (with answers). Thedescription of theexperiments is so detailed that the student can profitably work through an experiment even if he has not carried it out. Each experiment is followed by a suggestion regarding the recording of the results, a safe didactic form that can save the course supervisor a great deal of irritation, but in some cases also slightly relieves the student of the need to think over the experiment. Besides many experiments with Escherichia coli and cor- responding phages, the book contains a surprisingly large number of experiments with Servatia marcescens and Serratia phages. The main reason why so much space is devoted to this second bacterium is probably that it is one of the author‘s working organisms. In my opinion it would have been better from the student’s point of view to extend the experiments with E. coli, the “pet” of molecular biologists. For example, the book fails to describe an experiment as important as the penicillin selection of auxotrophic mutants in E. coli. The authors are not consistent in their use of abbreviations; along- side the German DNS, RNS, etc., they use English abbrevia- tions such as EDTA and cpm. A detailed subject index should be regarded as an absolute necessity for the next edition. The usefulness of the present book to the advanced student would undoubtedly have been increased by more frequent indications of the relationships with current research work? and not just with reviews. The book should be very useful as a German-language introduction and as a handbook for

practical courses in molecular genetics. It is to be hoped that it will give many students an understanding of molecular genetics“].

Klaus Willecke [NB 180 IE]

Koordinationsverbindungen (Coordination Compounds). By S. F. A. Kettle. Taschentext Vol. 3. Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 1972. 1st ed., xii, 245 pp., 106 figures and 25 tables, bound DM 16.80.

The “representative coverage” of a field of chemistry as large as modern coordination chemistry in a handy volume of theTaschentext (“pocket text”) series is nowadays practically impossible without drastic limitations. The book by Kettle, which was first published in English in 1969 and is now available in a German translation, is thus confined mainly to the coordination chemistry of the transition metal ions, omitting all organometallic, compounds and systems con- taining metal ions in lower oxidation states. The book is arranged not according to groups of substances but accord- ing to general aspects such as “Nomenclature and Geometri- cal Structure” (Chapter 2), “Preparation” (Chapter 3), “Stabili- ty” (Chapter 4), “Crystal Field Theory” (Chapter 5), “Ligand Field Theory” (Chapter 6), “Electronic SpectIa” (Chapter 7) “Magnetic Properties” (Chapter 8), “Other Methods for the Investigation of Coordination Compounds” (Chapter 9), “Thermodynamic and Related Aspects of Crystal Fields” (Chapter lo), and “Reaction Kinetics” (Chapter 11).

The author’s marked interest in problems of electronic structure and static bonding in transition metal complexes can be seen e.g. from the fact that Chapters 5 to 8 together with the “theoretically” oriented Appendix occupy more than 125 of the 242 pages in the book, whereas the treatment of e.g. equally important topics of reaction kinetics and mechanisms is clearly too short, covering only 17 pages.

[‘I For more advanced requirements and as a source of technical hints relating to E. coli genetics. see the recent work by J . H. Millur-”Experirnents in Molecular Genetics”, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1972

3 54 Angrw. C h m inrernar Edit. / Vol. 13 (19741 J No. 5

While the section “Quantum-Mechanical Calculation of the Orbital Angular Momentum” has been added to the Appendix in the translation, the references to more advanced and ad- ditional literature which are given in the English version have^ unfortunately been omitted. The retention or the updat- ing of these references would have helped to make the other- wise very readable book even more suitable for use as a basis of, and as supplementary reading for, lectures on coordination compounds.

[NB 184 IE] R. D. Fischer

Die Analyse der organischen Verunreinigungen in Trink-, Brauch- und AbwHssern [The Analysis of Organic Impurities in Drinking Water, Water for Industrial Use, and EMuents]. By W Leithe. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart 1972. 1st ed., xii, 172 pp., 21 figs., 22 tables, bound

The investigation of impurities in water samples from trade, Industry, agriculture, and the home is becoming increasingly important. Owing to the extreme diversity of the substances and agents with which water bodies are being increasingly contaminated, it is often necessary to limit the investigation to the determination of total contents of certain groups or to use specific methods for individual substances that are of special interest. In the present book the author tries to provide the first survey of the very topical analysis of organic impurities in water. An introduction to the problems of the contamination of water, biological self-purification in running water, and the purification processes in clarification plants is followed by a very detailed description of methods for the quantitative estimation of classes of organic material. These include methods for the determination of organic carbon, the potas- sium permanganate and bichromate consumptions, and the biochemical oxygen demanc!. This is followed by a description of analytical methods for groups of substances and individual substances, such as fatty acids, cyanides, phenols, detergents, nitrilotriacetic acid, hydrocarbons (benzines and mi,neral oils), chlorinated hydrocarbons, pesticides, urea, uric acid, copros- terols, urochromes, humic acids, lignin and ligninsulfonic acids, and 3,4-benzpyrene. With this large collection of special analytical methods for organic contaminants in drinking water, water. for industrial use, and effluents, the book is a valuable addition to the standard literature on water analysis, and can be strongly recommended to all chemists concerned with the investigation and assessment of water bodies.

Dieter Eichelsdorfer. [NB 193 IE]

D M 48.-

Struktur und Reaktivitat polarer Organometalle (Structure and Reactivity of Polar Organometallic Compounds). By M . Schlosser. Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York 1973. 1st Edit., x, 187 pp., 29 figures, bound DM 78.-.

This clearly and fluently written book deals with the structure and reactivity of organometallic compounds of alkali and alkaline earth metals. It is supplemented by a section on C-H acidities, to which a very large amount of space (64 out of 187 pages) has been devoted. Structures in the crystal lattice, the possible aggregations of polar organometallic compounds in solution (from the dimers resulting from association via electron-deficient bonds to the compounds that are dissociated info metal cations and carb- anions by solvation), and the connection between aggregation and reactivity are described in detail. The sections on parame- ters that influence reactions and on the control of reactions are particularly interesting.

Carefully chosen tables, e. y. the scale of “organometallically projected” C-H acidities of hydrocarbons, as well as very clear diagrams and a considerable number (447) of references even to very recent literature further increase the value of the book to the organometallic chemist who is more familiar with the other groups of the periodic system. The book unfortunately contains a number of traps for the non-specialist and for the student; these traps are partly due to the quantitative indefiniteness of the adjective “polar”, but are partly also laid by the author himself when he writes e .g . “the ideal case of an organometallic reaction is the carb- anion process”. While reading this book it would be easy to forget that it describes only one (extreme) aspect of organo- metallic chemistry, and the non-specialist could take the part for the whole. With and in spite of this reservation, this is a readable, very stimulating book. Herbert Lehrnkuhl [NB 196 IE]

Techniques of Electrochemistry. Vol. 1. By E. Yeayer and A . J . Salkind. Wiley-Interscience, New York-London 1972. 1st Edit., ix, 581 pp., various figures and tables, bound L 11.70.

To forestall any misunderstandings, it should be stated that this book is concerned exclusively with electrochemical experi- mental and measuring techniques in the laboratory. As stated in the foreword, preparative methods and techniques for electrochemical reactions and processes will be dealt with in later volumes. Another peculiarity of this book, which is understandable in view of its American orientation, is the strong emphasis that is placed on the theoretical principles and the detailed quantitative discussion of the measuring methods described. This is particularly noticeable in the first article, by R. G. Bates, on equilibrium potentials. It is not until the last few pages that the reader learns anything about the preparation of reference electrodes. However, the instructions for the pla- tinization of platinum electrodes are not precise and therefore cannot be used, while the instructions for silver/silver chloride and calomel electrodes are unnecessarily complicated. The article by R. Payne on the electrochemical double layer is much more balanced. The rigid double layer is also referred to on p. 65 as the Perrin layer and on p. 72 as the Helmholtz layer. The measuring methods based on the capacity of the double layer, the surface potential, and voltammetry are des- cribed in detail, but almost exclusively for mercury electrodes. A . Salkind describes the measurement of the true surface area and the porosity of electrodes from a practical standpoint. The predominantly non-electrochemical methods, which are mostly described for the example of lead dioxide, can also be found in books on catalysis. The topical field of elect.rochemica1 kinetics is finally discussed in two long chapters. J . Kuta and E. Yeayer describe the stationary and non-stationary electrical methods. The relation- ships from themercury drop electrode are discussed in particu- lar detail. However, cyclic voltammetry is also touched upon. The non-electrochemical methods are summarily dealt with in the chapter by B. E. Conway. The emphasis here is on optical methods. The article, which was completed in 1969, naturally contains little information on fields such as ATR spectroscopy that have developed rapidly only during the past few years. Some parts of the article overlap with the chapter by Payne. The book is addressed to the electrochemist, who will certainly welcome a review of measuring and experimental methods in this field. The book contains no operating procedures. Little importance is attached to experimental skill. For

Angew. Chem. internat. Edit. 1 Vol. 13 ( 1 9 7 4 ) 1 No. 5 355