RECENT BOOKS QUERSCHNITI DURCH DIE ORGANISCAB &EMIR. Wilkdm Hunten-

burg. Leopold Voss, Leipzig, 1935. viii + 180 pp. 13 X 20 cm. Rm. 5.40.

This Little book covers the entire field of organic chemistry and was written to help critical readen to review and strengthen the knowledge they have acquired-from lectures or other text- books. I t is not an "introduction" to the study of organic chemistry and, although it is well written and carefully compiled, is not suitable for beginners who have had no instruction in this field. The ournose of the book is to furnish a comorehensive . . revlew, to awaken interest, and to encauragc funher study.

The hwk is divided into four parts I'art I rcvicws thc stmc- ture theory and classifies all carbon compounds into groups. The grouping, however, is not the conventional one but is based upon the state of oxidation Aliphatic and aromatic compounds are discussed side by side. Thus the structural formulas of naph- thaliu and dekalin are given on page 14, acetylene on page 15, and four possible formulas for benzene are given on page 18. This illustrates how rapidly the field is covered. In the 67 pages of Part I, about 350 compounds are mentioned and their formulas given. The remarkable thing about the book is the fact that it is interesting and readable in spite of the conciseness and rapidity. The sentences are, ahnost without exception, short, crisp, and easy to understand and the arrangement is logical. so that the reader has no great diaeulty in jumping from one thought to another. No space is occupied with respect to prov- ing the correctness of the many formulas.

Part I1 covers 25 pages and is concerned with organic sub- stances found in nature. Carbohydrates, vegetable acids, fats, lipoids. proteins, tannins, terpenes, alkaloids; natural dyestuffs, ferments, hormones, and vitamins are discussed. Formulas such as those of &glucose, maltose, saccharme, cho- lesterol, camphor. indigo, uric acid, purine, protoporphyrin, bilirubin, and carotin are given and the structure clearly shown. Part I11 is of about the same length as Part I1 and treats of the preparation and uses of organic compounds. Part IV covers 75 pages and is concerned with the typical reactions of organic chem- istry. References to the literature are given in the last 35 pages indicating the first description of the method; about 630 refer- ences in all.

At the beginning of Part IV the application of the electron theory to organic reactions is discussed. The idea that carbon is somewhat negative to hydrogen iu methane and somewhat positive to chlorine in carbon tetrachloride is shown to be logical. The formation of ethyl chloride from ethaw is an oxidation com- parable to the formation of ethyl alcohol or of ethylene from ethane. This point of view underlies the classification of all the chemical reactions. This idea happens to appeal to the reviewer but if some of the orthodox organic chemists object, they will nevertheless h d this little book interesting and profitable reading bentuse the author has been very cautious in stating his theoreti- cal views and is in no way very irritable to those who may dis- agree with him.

The book, let me s,ay again, is carefully planned and carefully written. Considering its brevity, it is remarkably easy reading. There are very few typographical errors and very few things to criticizeunfavorably.

W I L L I ~ T. HALL MISSACBUSBTIS IN~IITOTB OR TECHNOLOOY

CAYBRIDDB, M I S S .

EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS. Edwin Monism. MS., Assistant Professor of Physics, M i c h i n State College, and S. Eliaebeth Morrison. B.S., Instructor in Physics, Michigan State College. P. Blakiston's San & Co., Inc., Philadelphia. 1935. xvii + 235 pp. 189 illustrations. 20.5 X 28 cm. $2.00.

This laborat6ry manual, intended for the introductory courses

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in college physics, contains 65 experiments; 4 on instruments. 2 on kinematics, 9 on dynamics, 7 on elasticity, 9 on heat, 2 on mag- netism, 12 on current electricity, 3 on sound, 12 on light, 1 on electric discharge through gases. 3 on vacuum tubes, and 1 on radioactivity.

Each experiment contains a discussion of the theory of the par- ticular problem or study, with derivations of necessary equations, a description of the required apparatus, and detailed instruc- tions as to its manipulation to obtain the desired data. Printed forms for the data to be obtained and to be computed are pro- vided on duplicate, detachable sheets. The experiments pro- vide the instructor with some degree of flexibility as to laboratory equipment and to the varying abilities of students, the experi- ments ranging in type from "Energy Loss in Commercial Ham- mers" to "Spectrograph" and "Interferometer." Such experi- ments as make use of calculus in deriving equations can be per- formed by students unfamiliar with calculus.

The authors consider the objective of experimental work in elementary courses in physics to be the acquisition of a physics technic, "the power to observe nature, to set up experimental conditions, to manipulate experimental mechanisms, and to or- ganize and formulate one's mental processes in accordance with nature.''

The aim in preparing this manual was to create in the student interest in physical phenomena through experimentation, not to verify handbook constants, or to "master a large number of facts, laws, and principles."

This text is admirably suited to any iutraductory course in college physics. It should be especially valuable to the instructor in large laboratory classes. Cms. G. EICHLIN

UNIYBPSITY or MARYLAND COLLBD& P-, M D

THE SYSTE~ATIC IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. A LABORATORY MANUAL. Rdph L. Shriner and R c y ~ l d C. Fuson, Professors of Chemistry in the University of Illinois. John Wiley & Sons, Iuc., New York City, 1935. ix + 195 pp. 9 figs. 15 X 23 cm. $2.25.

Comparison of this new book with Kamm's "Qualitative Or- ganic Analysis" is inevitable and necessary. The analytical system employed is essentially that of Kamm, with inclusion of two additional solvents (5% ?odium bicarbonate and 85% phos- phoric acid) for the rough classificafion based on solubilities. In bath books the attack is made through the steps: (1) physical examination and determination of physical constants, (2) elementary analysis, (3) solubility tests, (4) functional tests. (5) consultation of tables of compounds, and literature, and (6) preparation of derivatives. Except for the rather considerable duplication of methods which is thus unavoidable, the two books have distinct identities. The new work is consistently a labora- tory manual, its explanatory sections being brief and incidental to the laboratory directions. I t is therefore less informative than "Kamm," and has no full counterpart of Kamm's Part A, which could profitably be studied before or while undertaking the practical work described.

In the new book the student proceeds first to an introductory study of solubility tests (Chapter 11, pp. 3-20), and then to a study of classification tests (Chapter 111, pp. 21-42), the latter including twenty of the familiar functional reactions. The system begins with Chapter IV, which outlines the "Procedure for Examining and Reporting Unknowns." The next chapter ("Special Laboratory Methods") describes the ignition test, the determination of melting point, freezing point, boiling paint. specific gravity, refractive index and optical rotation, and qualita- tive tests for the elements (not yet including fluorine). This chapter includes also the determination of the neutralization equivalents of acids, the saponification equivalents of esters,

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