RECENT BOOKS O~GANIC CHEMISTRY FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS. Genrge Burger,

M.A., DSc., F.R.S., Hon. D.Sc. (Liverpool), Hon. M.D. (Heidelberg), Hon. Mem. Nederl. Chem. Vereen.; Corr. Mem. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. Munich, Soc. de B i d , Paris, Gesell. d. Aente. 15enna; Professor of Chemistry in Relation to Medicine in the University of Edinburgh. Gurney and Jackson, London: 33 Paternoster Row, E. C. 4; Edinburgh: Tweed- dale Court, 1932. xi + 249 pp. 15 Figs. 22 X 14 5 cm. 12s. 6d.. net.

"This textbook was originally intended to be a revised edition of 'Organic Chemistry for Students of Medicine' by Sir James Walker . . . . actuallv i t has been written de nouo." It is an attempt "to meet thespecial requirements of the medical stu- dent" since "the ever-increasing burden of the curriculum makes i t desirable that the student should he taught what is really useful for his further studies: much that is included in the ore- liminary training of organic =hemists is quite unnecessary." -

It appears to the reviewer that the selection of material is excellent. No one who has heard Professor Barger lecture could doubt t h a t t h e material in a textbook written by him would he clearly and interestingly presented. The student is introduced to organic chemishy by a chapter on alcoholic fermentation and takes his leave of the subject, as far as this book is concerned, by way of a discussion of ergosterol, carotene, and vitamins D a i d A: In between there i r ,m,ugh orgnnic chemistry to krep a student busy in a rlasi carrying four stmcstur credits and nwcting two or three timcs for thirtr-ax wecks. Panicularlv interestine paragraphs are given an -inhalatian anesthetics {p. 46) an; explosives (p. 72). The vividness of the presentation is illus- trated by the following paragraph (p. 96).

The orinciole of this"reso1ution" of 1 raeemie substance mav be illustrated hv an inalodv. A left hnod. gmwing n tennis racket, conrurircs a romt 1cr rhirh i % .t#ll rhr minor imrzr uf n i h r hlml T r.avk6.t. \roc. .iryntmc"i'..sl, 1 lrfl baud h ~ l d i ~ w 811 (~.ynlmetric iolf rluh IX 1101 Lbe mirror imd-e of a nchr hnod I- the same club TI!? hmdi rcprrrcnt the two constnt.cnfr of r..t.crnlr *rid the gulf club the 0, ttrilly v t i v c . bra?

There are certain statements which in the opinion of the re- viewer are incorrect. For example, an p. 33 i t is stated that formaldehyde is produced commercially by oxidation or de- hvdroeenation of methanol over "feeblv elowine charcoal." o n p.-40 it is stated that petrol (gas~li&)~consis?s largely of

is rwmtially cirl,un, whrn of cuurrc it is a mixture oi hydro- c a r h n i . Prohibition has been held rtrponstbl: ior many t h m ~ r . Innt it is hardly imsible to justify the folloriny on p. 51;.

Owing to the introduction of prohibition into the United States, amyl alcohol from fuscl oil is no longer sv*ilsble there, and hence butyl aleohol is used instead for the manufacture of varnishes, nitrocellulose lacquers, etc.

As a matter of fact, butyl ncetatc possesses unique solvcrrt proptr- tics not shared hy amyl acetate. Amyl acrtatr (synthetic) is availahle in thp lnitcd States in excess of thr drnund.

AInrc unfortunate are certain .;tatrmcnta and irnplirstions in the chapter on stt:rroisome"%rn, fur example: "The difirrmcr hrtwren d - and /-lactic w i d . . .only shows itself in their rhvi iul properties. . . ." It seems to the reviewer of the highest impo&ance tlvat the dilferencc in chemical bchlvior toward opttcal IWIISTS, Irtwcen o m enantiomorph and the othtr should bu cmphxrirrd r;ithcr t h m dcnicd. Indctd thc author ha5 ~ointvd out thi5 difference between d- and Gadrenalines (p. ~ o o ) . The term "st~rcoisorncrism" is used throughout the hook nllrrc rcfcrence is mndu to the subdivision of that aubjcct ordi~arily mfrrrcd tr, as a ~ t i c d isomcriarn. The other suhdivisiun of rfrrcuiwn,erism. Gometrical isomerism, is not mentioned by name although this type of isomerism is discussed.

The errors referred to are relatively unimportant and in the opinion of the reviewer should deter no one from using Professor Barger's eminently worth-while textbook.

HOMEIZ ADKINS THE UNIYBBS~TY OP W~VISCONSIN

MADISON, WISCONSIN

MODERN ALCHEMY. W. A. Noyes. University of Illinois, and

At the prcwnt time, when, in svcry branch of science, new developmentc are proceeding a t an accrler:ttcd paw, the averaye intelligerlt rrsdcr. and even the specialist in any one ficld. finds it morr and more difiwlt to k:ep infurmcd regarding these new advancri. The purpw,. of thc lmuk under consideration is to Drcsent to the rvader a survrv of the Droercss which ha- been ichieved, mainly in the past three decade; in our views on the constitution of matter and on the nature of the interaction be- tween matter and radiation (using the latter term in its broadest sense).

The work makes no claim that it is either erudite or compre- hensive. It is written in a simple, readable style, and presents the salient facts in an interesting manner, without having any recourse whatever to mathematical terminology.

I n the first chapter, the various branches of science are sur- veyed very briefly, with the object of discovering their "common characteristics." These are summarized excellently in the closing section. The remarks on the rble of hypotheses in science are specially noteworthy.

Chapter two, entitled "Atomic Structure," deals in the 6rst part with the work of J. J. Tbamson, Rutherford, and Planck and the utilization of the conclusions deduced by these investigators in the Bohr theory of the origin of spectral lines. The second part of the chapter deals with the essential features of the new quantum mechanics with which are associated the names of de Broglie, Schradinger, and Heisenberg.

The third chapter presents the phenomena of atomic disin- tegration and synthesis by means of alpha particles and discusses briefly the application of the new mechanics to an interpretation of radioactive disintegration. The dosing section mentions the most recent work on cosmic rays and the neutron.

Whereas the first half of the book deals with problems which are, in general, regarded as belongina to physics, the second half prcsentj some of the recent dwLlopw&tr in chmnistry. In chapter four, thv diwlsion ol the octct thcury of r:drrlcr of G. N. I.ewi-. and I . 1.anumur is followed h r a d~iruiiion uf ralrncr in organic compound;, a problem toward the solution of which the

" ~ e w Elements and N& Uses far Old Ones" is the title of chaptcr sir, in. whiclt arc mcntioncd thc invcstigntions on haf- nium, masllriunl, rhmlum, illinium, and ekscesium, a* well as rrccrlt rdrk un new alloys. such aq prnuolloy and pcrrninrar and carbolay.

The last chapter, on "The Elixir of Life," deals with umtribu- tions of chemistry toward advance- in medical fields, such os the work of l 'as t~ur on itnntunity, the synthrsis of new ancsthetics. and the work on thc nature of hormonr; and vitamins.

At the end of each chapter is appended a number of references, which the reader who is interested in following up the subject farther, will find very useful^

The binding and printing of the volume are to be commended. The reviewer helieves that the hook should be welcomed by all teachers in high schools and junior colleges who wish to keep abreast of contemporary advances in physics and chemistry and are anxious to stimulate their students with the ideals and achievements of science.

PAMPALETS AND DESCRIPTIVE MATERIAL ON SUI.FUR.-T~~ Texas Gulf Sulphur Company, 75 East Forty-Fifth Street, New York City, has availahle for distribution the following material:

Agrieult-1 aspect. of sulphur and sulphur compounds. Sulphur in world trade. Modan sulohur minine. Some agronbmic consid&ationr in fertilizer manufacture. Chart-Frasch praee~s of mining sulphur. Sulphur, an industrial necessity. Guli coast sulphur deposite. Chart showing uses of sulphur.

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