RECENT BOOKS

SEMIMICRO Q ~ A L ~ T A T ~ V E ANALYSIS OR INORGANIC MATEFZALS. W. B. Meldrum, Professor of Chemistry, Haverford College; E. W. Flosdorf, Assistant Professor of Bacteriology, University of Pennsylvania; and A. F. Dnggctt, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. University of New Hampshire. American Book Company, New York City, 1939. xiv + 354 pp. 22 figs. 14 X 22 cm. $2.75. Texts of qualitative analysis have been appearing in such

quick succession that the interest of chemistry teachers and of chemists in general can be aroused only when some definitely new features, methods or points of view are presented. This was certainly the case with the QUALITATIVE ANn~ysrs OP INORGANIC MATERIALS by the lirst two of the pment three authors, a book which has been reported on by another reviewer in the December, 1938, issue of THIS JOURNAL and the main feature of which was a new systematic analysis of the anions. The mano methods expounded in the previous bwk are now transformed into semi- mino methods without any change in their chemistry. Quan- tities of materials are usually one-tenth or less of their values in the macro methods. Precipitations are carried out in 3-ml. conical centrifuge tubes. Separations are accomplished in a centrifuge of 1.500 R.P.M., the supernatant liquid being removed by means of a dropper pipet. The whole technic of semimicro manipulations is presented in four pages (pages 170-3).

Large portions of the two bwks are identical word for word. Part I, devoted to Fundamental Principles, now occupies one hundred fifty-seven pages instead of eighty-six and can be re- garded as a sound and satisfactory account of the elements of the physical chemistry of solutions. Several additions to the previous text are welcome, for instance the paragraph on hydroxide complex ions (pages 1324). We would have liked to see the authors use the evidence in favor of these ions (Zn- ~- -~~ ~-~ ~ ~~~~~~ - ~ ~

(OH),- for H%nOt-, and so forth) instead of leaving the ma'tter undecided. We fail, moreover, to see why only the formulas of the HZnOt- type correspond to the amphoteric behavior of Zn(OH),, since the two equilibria

Zn++ + 20H- * Zn(OH), = H+ + HZnOr-

can, in the new interpretation, be written as

Zn(ItO),++ + 20H- $ Zn(OH)n + 4Hz0 *20HsC + Zn(OH).-

Part 11, devoted to Laboratory Work, occu$ies one hundred seventeen pages instead of one hundred fourteen, but the Re- actions of the Ions, previously included in this section, are now more clearly presented in a separate section of farty-three pages. The Appendix is largely similar to that of the previous hook. A useful addition is a list of references for special reagents (pages 3424).

I t is interesting to note that all the methods and particularly the new analysis of the anions have been thoroughly and satis- factorily tested in their semimicro form in the classes of one of the authors. Repeated testing of this type is highly desirable in order to regulate and guidethe trend toward the general use of semimicro methods in elementary college courses.

P I E ~ E VAN RYSSELBERGAE Srnmoao Uxrvsasm

Smsro~o U-m.slru. CALlaoaaU

DAS CH~MISCWE FEUERL~~SCHWBSEN. Dr. 01kW K Q U S C ~ . Volume21 of theSeries CWEMIE m n TECHN~KDER GEGENWAUT edited by Dr. H. Carlsohn. Professor a t the University of Leipzig. S. Hirzel, Leipzig, 1939. xi + 283 pp. 89 figs. 15 X 25 em. Paper cover, R.M. 17; cloth bound R.M. 18.50 ($5.35, plus postage. New York City). The manufacture, storage, and industrial, as well as domestic

applications of the large variety of intlammable solids, liquids. and eases used todav has increased areatly the fire hazard in

homes and industry and has made it necessary to devise con- stantly new and more efficient means of fighting fires from these new as well as old hazards. Although water is still employed today, the use of chemicals of various types has been of great aid to the modern fire fighter in his never-ending struggle against this destructive force. It has been the object of this hook to describe all these methods in which chemical compounds or elements are used, either directly or indirectly after chemical transformation, to combat fires. I n this attempt the author has been remarkably successful. The parts played by solids, liquids, gases, vapors, and chemical foam as well as the more recent development known as air foam (sometimes called mechani- cal foam) in our modem methods of lire extinguishment, are discussed fully in different chapters from the beginning of their use up to the present time. The German and foreign scientific and patent literature is considered in detail, and modern commer- cial fire extinguishers and lire fighting installations marketed in Germany are shown in many illustrations. Various types of fire extinguishers approved for use in Germany by the "Feuer- wehrbeirat" are listed in tables. Following the descriptive section of the baok there is given a patent index, a list of paten- tees, literature references, a list of important fire hazards, and a subject index.

Although this hwk was evidently written principally for use in Germany, the American reader will obtain from it an excellent description of the use of chemicals in our current firedghting operations. However, he will look in vain for information con- cerning American methods and American applications of the chemical facts discussed. American extinguishers and fire- fighting installations are neither described nor shown, in spite of the fact that research laboratories of various American manufac- turers are constantly making contributions to the science of fire fighting. Likewise the part played by such organizations as the Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., the Inspection Department of the Associated F&tory Mutual Fire Insurance Companies. The National Bureau of Standards in Washington. D. C., and others in the establishment of minimum standards far modern fire protection is not described.

The format of the baok has been well chosen. The printing is gwd and the clear, distinctive illustcations are quite satis- factory. The reviewer found only a very few typographical errors of minor significance. It would be helpful if in subsequent editions the year of issue he given for each patent cited.

LEG POL^ ScmaLna PY~BNB M A N ~ A C T O ~ N O COWPINY

N s a A m . Nsw Jeasiiv

TnsRanoouNmrcs AND CHEMISTRY. F. H. MacDougnll, M.A. PLD.. Professor of Physical Chemistry. University of Min- nesota. Third Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1939. ix + 491 pp. 53 figs. 15 X 23 cm. $5.00. Those who are familiar with earlier editions of this book

will find the third edition practically an independent work. I t has been almost entirely rewritten and enlarged about twenty- five per cent.. yet the excellence of style, order, and so forth, has been retained. Professor MacDougall has succeeded in giving life and warmth to the ordinarily cold abstractions of thermodynamics. The purist will be disturbed by the inclusion of such extra-thermodynamic subjects as Debye-Huckel theory and quantum and statistical mechanics, but the value and in- terest of the book is undoubtedly Mhanced thereby. These subjects, as well as heat, fugacity, activity and activity coeffi- cients, electromotive force and electrical potential, have been discussed very much more extensively. Entirely new are chap- ters on mathematical procedures and the thermodynamics of gravitational, centrifugal. and electrical fields and surface tension. New also is the statistical interpretation of entropy Unusual

in a text a thermcdynamics is the extensive discussion of phase rule applications.

All the topics considered in the better works on the subject are taken up, usually in considerable detail. Especially com- mendable is the treatment of deductions from the first and second laws, thermodynamic functions and equilibrium, chemical potentials, electromotive force and the free energy of cell re- actions, and so forth. Not usually found in other comparable texts is a chapter on special cases of ionic equilibria. Unusual attention is paid to critical phenomena. In 1920 the author stated, "It has been my endeavor to write a book which, in addition to being accurate, logical, and sufficiently rigorous, will furnish the student with numerous examples of the application of the principles of the science." The latest edition certainly realizes that aim. Quite obvious to any reader is the meticulous care with which the author defines his terms, e. 8.. in his dis- tinction between the various activity coefficients, between elec- trical potential and electromotive force, and so forth. His derivations are quite detailed, seldom requiring the user to fill in huge gaps.

The svmhols used are those common to American conventions. ~ ~~~~~~ -~

Chrmiral ~mential is preferred generally in lieu of partial mulal free merm. A rompnct talmlation of all symbols should, how- ever, have brcn included. l<xtcnsive sets of problcma, without answers, are found at the end of each chapter. Literature references are not very numerous but are adequate. There are fifty-three tables of useful data. Reference is made to heat capacity equations for gases, but these are not given. Their inclusion, together with an illustration of their application in computing heats of reaction at various temperatures, would seem desirable. Graphic integration could he used more extensively than is the case and log. could be replaced profitably by in. Format and type are very good.

In conclusion, one may say this is an excellent piece.of work for which the author is to be congratulated. It can be heartily recommended as a text in thermodynamics or as a reference book in related subjects.

MALCOLM M. HAF3NO UNIVBXSITY OF M A R ~ A N D COLLBOB P*RX, M*RYL*ND

PnYsrK FUR STUDIEEENDE AN TECHNISCHEN HOCASCH~EN UND UNIYERSITXTEN. Ingcnimr Dr. Paul Wessel, Lecturer. Wigan and District Mining and Technical College, Wigan. Edited by Dr. V. Riederer uon Paar. Ernest Reinhardt in Miinchen, 1938. xii + 550 pp. 277 figs. 12 X 20 cm. RM. 4.90. This textbook "is intended to Drovide a clear understandine of -

physical phenomena with the simplest possible statements." It is to scme as an outline of introdurtury &lltyi;~rc physics for students, cspecinlly in thr technical and applied firlds, who would be spared a vast taking of nates in lectures and so he enahled to direct attention more fully to the lecture itself and to the illustrative experiments. A summary is o5ered to the reader as a general comprehensive survey, in abbreviated form, of the essential facts of physics, including much of "modem physics." The author, from his engineering viewpoint, aims to interest technically minded readers by emphasisof therelation of the basic fundamentals of physics to technics and by illustrations of their application.

The book is divided into three main parts. I. "Outline of Physics. First Half" (one hundred fifty-eigbt pages), subdivided into Mechanics (1) of Solid Bodies (thirty-nine pages), (2) of Liauid Bodies (nine oa~es) . (3) of Gaseous Bodies (eirht ~ a ~ e s ) : - - .. . . . - WA Theory (seven pages) and Acoustics (six pages); Calorics (twenty-five pages); and Optics (sixty-four pages).

11. "Outline of Physics, Second Half" (one hundred ninety- six pages), consisting of Magnetics (twelve pages); Electrics, discussed under Electrostatics (seventeen pages), Electro- dynamics (seventy-seven pages), Electromagnetic Waves and Corpuscular Radiations (forty-eight pages); and Electronics and Atomistics (forty-two pages).

111. "Short Review and Collection of Formulae" (fifty-nine pages); Test Questions and Answers (sixty-three pages); Tables

and Constants (thirty-eight pages); and a very comprehensive Index (thirty-six pages).

Parts I and I1 are somewhat similar in idea and content to the outlines of physics published in this country. In this text. however, more than in others of the same nature, such topics are stressed as optical effects of magnetic fields, electromagnetic waves, photoelectricity, X-rays, atomic structure, the photon, natural and artificial disintegrations, relatively, quantum theory, De Broglie waves, the uncertainty principles.

A novel feature is the "Short Review and Collection of For- mulae," which summarizes the three hundred fifty-four pages of the outline concisely into fifty-nine pages. In addition there are 1447 "Test Questions and Answers," the answers consisting of page references to Parts I and 11. None of the questions requires numerical solutions. Besides the usual tables among the twenty-nine given is that of "Mass-einheiten" in which are tabulated for the various fundamental terms of physics the length-mass-time dimensions, the absolute units, the practical physical units, the technical units, the legal international units nnd the awa'iated equations.

The author presents in clear and precix statements the whole field of phy-irs in systematic order, eas~ly undcrstandablc, making no use of mathematics beyond basic trigonometry. The numer- ous illustrations (two hundred seventy-seven in number) amply and fully serve their purpose. Equations are not derived, al- thoueh the meanine of each letter is carefullv denoted. Further " . ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ - ~~~

explanations are given by illustrative numerical problems (one hundred six throughout the book), solved carefully in detail. with especial regard to dimensional units.

This text should be of interest to all teachers of physics for comparison of content in an introductory course in physics, especially as regards the field of "modern physics." Its concise, systematic collection of physics principles should be useful to all students of Dhvsics in both the theoretical and an~lied fields. . . . . I'ur thwr intrrrrred in such fields as tcrhnrcs, chemistry, medi- cine, and su furrh, it should serw as an admirable introduction tu the application of physics principles to those ticlds, erpccially in regard to the latest phases of physical investigation.

CHARLES G. EICHLIN U~lvnaslrr oa M*E~*"D COLBOE PARE, MABYZIIND ..

LABORATORV MANUAL TO ACCOMPANY INTRODUCTORY GENERAL CHEMISTRY. Harold G. Dielrid and E m i n B. Kclrcy, Assist- ant Professors in Chemistry, Yale University. Revised Edi- tion. The Macmillan Co., New York City, 1938. ix + 118 pp. 19 X 25cm. This revised second edition of Dietrich and Kelsey is designed

to accompany Brinkley's INTRODUCTORY GENERAL CHEMISTRY. The first and larger section of the manual is entitled "Inorganic Chemistry." Section I1 is devoted to Qualitative Analysis.

The exercises in Inorganic Chemistry are written "primarily far the student who has had no previous chemical education," but a great number of them are admirably suited to "the indi- v i d d who has had an exoosure to the subiect." To challenee " students of the second group there are excellent exprriments of a semi-quantitative nature in eleven of the thirty-scven rrerciser. The exercises frequently contain mare experiments than could normally be covered in a single period. This allows for selection by the instructor.

There are numerous questions throughout the text, with addi- tional numbered questions a t the end of each exercise. Alternate blank Dazes on the rieht of each Daze of descrintion are allowed . .. . .. for answer,. SummariA data sheets are pruvicld for the qunn- titattvr wlwimmtsand for srvrml of the rrvirw questions. The arrangement of the book with ipirsl wirr Lindmg dws not permit of removal of these sheets without mutilating them.

The content of the first section includes twelve of the usual exercises an non-metals and their compounds, seven exercises de- voted to metals and brief methods of separation. Interspersed with the foregoing are the well-written exercises pertaining to