R E C E N T B O O K S A TREATISE ON PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. VOLUM& I. ATOMIS-

TICSANDTKEF~ODYNAMIC~. Edited by Hugh S. Taylor, David B. Jones Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University, and Samuel Glasslone, Professor of Chemistry, the University of Oklahoma. Third Edition. D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., New York, 1942. vii + 679 pp. 151 figs. 15 X 23 cm. $7.50. Since i t was published in 1924, Taylor's treatise has been the

standard reference in English in physical chemistry. The inter- vening period has been one of tremendous activity and advance in the field, a fact which has made i t necessary but difficult for re- vised and amplified works to he written. Hence it was with al- most a sense of relief that physical chemists received the publica- tion of Volume I of the third edition of "A treatise on physical chemistry." This and the remaining four volumes will fill a real need.

Volume I concerns itself with the fundamentals of physical chemistryatomistics and thermodynamics. Chapter I, The Atomic Concept of Matter, presents the material in a way famil- iar to all who have had a course in physical chemistry. Its thoroughness makes i t extremely useful. Those who are famil- iar with the earlier editions will find Chapter I1 an up-to-date revision of the discussion of atomic theory and atomic structure. Following this presentation of the microscopic theories of pbysi- cal chemistry, a more or less standard discussion of the first and second laws of thermodvnamics is eiven. which ends with a vem " . hie l prc.entztion of the stati,tiral nature of thrrmodynnmici. One of the most rrrent and signific.ant advances in science has been the clarification 01 thc third law of thcrrnodynarnic$ by the combination of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics. This development is admirably presented in the fourth and last chapter. Chapters I and IV should prove especially valuable to workers in chemistry.

J o m P. HOWE

EsOm UNlvsasrrY PEOVIDBNCB, RHODB ISLAND

VITALIZED CHEMISTRY. Russell T . Dederdins, Department of Chemistry, Pierre S. DuPont High School, Wilmington. Del. Edited by George C. Job, Department Supenisor of Science, Public Schools, Albany, N. Y., and Theodore C. Saqent, High School, Swampscott, Mass. College Entrance Book Com- pany, New York, 1942. iv + 380 pp. 63 figs. 13.3 X 19 cm. $0.50. This paper-bound textbook for bigh-school chemistry is unique

in its format rather than in its content. The most outstanding feature is the liberal use of red ink in the printing of the text and illustrations. The general effect is good, adding clarity to draw- ings and emphasis to tables and text, although i t seems out of place representing sulfur in the diagram of the Frasch process. With one exception the figures are line drawings, superior to photographic cuts for explaining processes. A number of the drawings have been made more effective through the use of white lines on solid black background.

At first glance this hook appears to be a welcome reaction to the tendency of each new textbook to be more voluminous and en- cyclopaedic than any of its predecessors. Closer inspection re- veals that brevity has been achieved by abbreviated treatment of tooics. rather than hv the elimination of tooics. This state- ~ ~ ~ ~ , ~ ~ ~ ~ , ~~~~~ ~~

rnent is less true of thc author's treatment of the fut.danwmls of chcmical theory than i t is of his dinassion 01 the applications of chemistry.

The order of topics is conventional in the first two-thirds of the hook. The remaining chapters deal with various applica- tions of chemistry directly. There are chapters on structural

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metals, "airplane" metals and protective metals, on paints, on fwd, drugs and cosmetics, on textiles and plastics, and on chemi- cal warfare. The information in the twenty-page appendix has been well selected, and includes a bibliography, a glossary, bio- graphical sketches, chemical tests, tables of properties, and a specimen examination. At the close of each chapter there is a list of questions on the text. In addition, many chapters in- clude brief objective tests. One notes but few questionable statements in the book, although the author's definition of pH as "potential hydrogen ion concentration'' would stand re-checking.

ROBERT L. EseL

PHY~ICAL CHEMISTRY *.OR STUDENTS OP BIOCHEMISTRY AND

MEDICINE. Edward Stanton West, Ph.D., Professor of Bio- chemistry in the University of Oregon Medical School. The MacmiUan Company, New York, 1942. xiv + 368 pp. 24 figs. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $5.75.

The author states that he is writing primarily for biochemical and premedical students. He endeavors to accomplish this in the following chapters: Introduction; The Structure of Matter and Some Fundamental Chemical Principles; Gases and Soh- tions; Osmotic Pressure; Electrolytic Dissociation and the Mass Law; Acids. Bases and Buffers; The Determination of pH; The Colloidal State and Chemical Phenomena; Oxidation and Re- duction; the Velocity of Reactions. While all these matters are undeniablv imoortant to hiochemistrv and medicine. it is re- , . grettahlc that the colligative properties of solution;, other than osmotic prrsFurc, are scnrccly mentioned, and thrrc is no discus- sion of the measurement of conductance, of transference numbers, of heterogeneous equilibrium, or of thermochemistry. I t seems that the long treatment of atomic and molecular structure and of activity coefficients might well he considerably shortened to permit the inclusion of some of these more important subjects.

The book is replete with illustrations drawn from biology and medicine. Another valuable feature is the inclusion of a fairly lengthy list of hooks and journals that should he accessible to every biochemist. The author's discussion of acids, bases, and buffers, of the determination of pH. ef colloids, and of oxidation and reduction is quite commendable. There is an excellent ap- pendix on the use of logarithms which should be very helpful. However, the reviewer believes it is entirely reasonable to expect a more adequte mathematical background of premedical students than is required by this book.

The book is marred by several errors and misleading state- ments. Thus per cent by volume is stated to be grams solute per 100 cc. solution; the impression is given that rise of temperature always lowers the solubility of a gas (but consider the HCI- H1O system); fogs and smokes are colloidnl solutions and should not be used as illustrations in a list of molecular dispersions; not all alloys are solid solutions; etc. The author gives 0.3376 and 0.2848 as the voltaces of the decinormal and normal calomel electrodes. Sincr I C. T. gives 0.3331 and 0.2805, respectively, 11 would help to point out that thc value$ furnished include over- age liquid junction potentials.

Each chapter has attached a list of bwks (hut not articles) pertaining to its contents, and a list of questions and elementary problems. There are 32 tables scattered through the book. Type and general appearance are very good.

The book is worth consideration by anyone who must teach a one-semester, elementary, relatively non-mathematical course to premedical and biochemical students.

MALCOLM M. HARINC

UNIVBRSITY om MARYLANO COLLBOB PAEX, MARYLAND

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