0 . ORGANIC CHEMISTRY panding field by emphasizing some fundamental principles, so that the student will be better able to grasp and understand the Lucasr of Organic Chemi*y' The general relationships governing physical plaperties and chemical fornia Institute of Technology. Second edition. American

Book Company, New Yark, 1953. vi + 760 pp, figs. 110 reactions of organic compounds." This purpose is admirably tables. 16.5 X 24 cm. $7. achieved by the author. Concurrently, a problem of the student

(as well a8 the instructor) is how to cope with the ever-expanding Tars is a revision of the well known textbook, the fist edition organic textbooks. This point is mentioned not as a particular

of which was published in 1935. I n the intervening eighteen criticism of the book under discussion but as a problem that ac- years the field of organic chemistry has undergone considerable companies almost all of the more recent organic textbooks. change and, needless tosay, 80 has this excellent text; indeed, i t is From the standpoint of the instructor, organic texts can be a tribute to the author that much of the material retained from classified into two categories: (I) those that present a minimum of the earlier edition required but little rewriting to bring it up to material a i th full and detailed description such that the lecture date. time is given over primarily to supplementary material, and (2)

The following is a statement from the preface: "One purpose of those that present mast of the desired material, the lecture perioda this edition is to meet the problems connected with an ever-ex- being employed for the elucidation of the material covered. Thia

MAY, 1954 217

hook belongs to the latter classification. Since many additions were necessary during the revision, a number of superfluous sen- tences have been efficiently eliminated from the first edition.

The order of presentation follows very closely that of the first edition, with separate treatment of aliphatic and aromatic chem- istry. Chapters 2 and 3 (34 pages) discuss fundamental con- cepts such as energy relationships, reaonmce, dipole moments, ionic character in covalent hands, and relative electranegativities; these concepts are then used in the subsequent portions of the hook. Some attention is devoted to reaction mechanisms, thbugh not sufficient to confuse the beginning student completely.

The cycloalkanes and the strain theory of rings are introduced early (Chapter 7). Organometallics are also discussed early and in a. separate chapter, thus permitting their use throughout the remainder of the text. As with the 6rnt edition, the ethers, esters, anhydrides, and acyl halides are described simultaneously "in order to emphasize their similarities and differences." The final seven chapters include the usual more complex oompounds as well as the amino acids, proteins, snd carbohydrates. I t would he difficult to include these topics ins, one-year course while following the chapters chronologically.

One of the outstanding features of this work is the number and quality of the problems a t the endaf each chapter; theseexercises should prove an invaluable aid to the beginning student.

The hook appears to he well indexed and relatively free of errors. As might he expected, some inaceuraeies have been overlooked. For example, on page 68 reference to Chapter 15 is given for the preparation of alkenes from hromaethers; this ma- terial, however, ia found in Chapter 17. On page 85, sodium 2- butynoate is named sodium propiolate. On page 128, incorrect formula8 are given far the dithiopropionate and ethanesulfinate ions.

The amount of material and the manner in which it is covered make this an excellent text for the better students. For students of lesser stature, portions of the book could he omitted; however, i t is the opinion of the reviewer that extensive use of this method is not as desirable as would be the use of a less complete textbook with fewer omissions.

ROBERT K. INGHAM Oem UNIYEB(IITT

A ~ x s w e . onro

0 FORMALDEHYDE

I. Frederic Walker, Chemical Reseamh Division, Electrochemi- cal~ D e p h e n t , E. I. du Pont de Nemovrs & Co.. Inc. Second edi- tion. American Chemical Society Monograph Series. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1953. xvi + 575 pp. 41 figs. 59 tables. 16 X 23 cm. $12.

RELATIVELY few individual organic compounds are sufficiently significant industrially and aademically to wssrant publication of an A. C. S. Monograph that is solely concerned with the ehemi- stry of a specific molecule. Formaldehyde has long occupied a rather unique position in organic chemistry and in recent years its industrial importance has steadily increased. An expanded revision of the original A. C. S. Monograph No. 98 seems very muoh in oder.

substance in aqueous solution; its reactions with hydroxy com- pounds, amines, rtmides, heterocyclic compounds; and hydrocar- bons and their derivatives. The chapters on hexamethylene tetramineand theuses of formaldehyde and its polymers have also been enlarged.

The discussions of the nature and behavior of aqueous solu- tions of formaldehyde me partieulrtrly interesting. There is some degree of repetition in the presentation of this material. Although the author notes that he had no intention of developing an exhaustive treatment of the chemistry of formaldehyde, a.

thorough examination of the book can he exhausting. The most significant reactions of the compound with the more conspicuous functional groups seem to he covered reasonably well. Occa- sional discussions of the structural aspects of certain molecules and reaction mechanisms may appear rather cursory. However, the obvious limitations of space and the inherent character of the hook must he considered u-hen criticizing the emosition. The number of references to the original literature is~prohahly ade- quate for a book of this type.

The hook is well written; the style is clear and polished. The author and subject indexes are quite adeqwte. Because this volume is the largest modern collection of material on formalde- hyde, i t should occupy a.prominent position in our chemical litera- ture.

DONALD C. GREGG U ~ I ~ ~ R ~ I T Y O P VERMONT B D ~ L I ~ G T O N . van la ox^

AN AMEXCAN IN EUROPE: THE LIFE OF BENlAMlN THOMPSON, COUNT RUMFORD

Egon Larsen. The Philosophical Library, New Y a k , 1953. 224 pp. 4 figs. 28 plates. 14.5 X 22 cm. $4.75.

FEW who relax before a well-constructed fireplace uith a. cup of drip coffee know the name of the man responsible for these improvements, or if they do know his name, they probably know little about his fantastic career. First a Toryspy, then rtn Under- Secretary in the office of the decrepit Lord Germain, and later minister of war and police in Bavaria (where he acquired his title), Benjamin Thompson's checkered political career aaa equaled by his erratic domestic arlventures, which culminated in his marr iqe to Lavoisier's widow. Domestic science, the im- provement of stoves and lamps, the concoction of soups, and the like, sounds like dull stuff, hut Count Rumford, the founding father of this branch of the humanities, was not exactly a dull character, although somet,imes an unpleasant one, and his con- temporaries were lively in their reactions to him and his works. This biography is a readable account of an interesting and iras- cible personality, s, genius of sorts and undeniably an ingenious inventor. Whether he should really he considered, with Jef- ferson and Franklin, as one of the three greatest minds we have produced, as F. D. Roosevelt once said, is a more dehatzhle matter.

JOEL W. HEDGPETH SCRIPP~ INBTITOT~ON 01. OCEANOGRAP~~Y

LA J O L ~ A , CAL~FORII*

COMPREHENSIVE INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. VOLUME I

Edited by M. Cannon Sneed, Professor of Chemistry, I. Lewis Maynard, Professor of Chemistry, and Robert C. Bmsted, As- sociate Professor of Chemistry, University of Minnesota. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., New York, 1953. xi + 232 pp. Illustrated. 15 X 23 cm. $5.

THIS volume i~ the first in a series of 11 that the editors intro- duce as "a reference work on the ohemical elements and their in- organic compounds. . . comprehensive in the extensiveness of the fields covered rather than in the fullness of their treatment." "Emphasis has been placed largely on chemical properties and relationships and their interpretation in terms of theoretical con- cepts of atomic and moleoular structure, the deductions from the periodic system, and the basic ideas relating to electrolytes." I n view of this introduction and the material within this initial