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Chaos and Order: The Complex Structure of Living Systems
Book Revrews / The Chemical Engrneenng Journal 60 (1995) 173-180
174
mmr mode as well as dual-mode
(which is a combined model of the former two as relevant to glassy polymers) are presented together with some data on solublhty and diffusion coefficients
New Methods of Membrane Preparation In Part II, five chapters provide extensive discussions of several methods of membrane preparation Mlyakl and FUJImoto show that “charge-mosaic membranes” prepared from multlblocks copolymers, exhibit very high permeability for ions compared with conventional porous membranes If the fabrication methods are Improved, these membranes may find apphcatlons m plezodlalysls which appears to be superior to reverse osmosis for desalmatlon Kondo reviews “mlcrocapsule membranes” hmltmg his discussion to their preparation by mterfaclal polymensatlon, aqueous-phase separation and mterfaclal deposltlon Microcapsules m blologlcal environments are also examined to show mterestmg examples of membrane mteractlon with proteins and mlcroencapsulated enzymes PropertIes - rather than the preparation - of “monolayers, Langmuir-Blodgett films and hybnd LB films” were reviewed by KaJlyama and mcluded presentation of bright-field electron micrographs and electron diffraction patterns Preparation of ‘ ‘Plasma-polymensed membranes’ ’ IS an example of a dry processmg method which IS described by Osada who reviews also fundamentals, propertles and apphcatlons Alzawa exammes “electroconductlve enzyme membranes” which have not only blocatalytlc actlvlty but also electroconductlvlty
Membranes
m Chemical Engrneenng
Diffusion phenomena m ‘ ‘dlalysls’ ’ and its apphcatlons, such as acid recovery, is reviewed by Nlshlmura Recent developments m “charged membrane and active transport” 1s reviewed by Uragaml In this transport form the material 1s actively transported from low-concentration side to high concentration side across the membrane because of the concentration gradient of its complex This technique has yet to find apphcatlons, radloactlve materials and artificial kidney are considered to be potential areas
Blomedlcal Use
The final part of this book consists of a concise treatment of “membranes for blomedlcal use” by Tanzawa Apphcatlons ex vlvo (such as oxygenation), m vlvo (such as contact lens) and m vitro (such as blood filter) are introduced Emphasis is given to current research and development on membrane materials Apart from the lack of nomenclature, which IS a trend m multi-authored review books, this book 1s well produced and the duphcatlon 1s minimal The book should prove to be of interest to those engaged m research on membrane science and technology, especially m the areas of blomedlcal apphcations It is also a valuable resource as a reference book, although it is not particularly well-suited for use as a teachmg text in engineering courses Erdogan Alper Kuwau Vntuersuy, Kuwazt
and Processing
Part III contams five chapters all of which deal with practical apphcatlons “Gas separation and pervaporatlon’ ’ by Nakagawa considers oxygen enrichment from air as well as separation of hydrogen and carbon dloxlde from other gases by polymeric membranes Facilitated transport 1s also considered for oxygen and carbon dioxide separations Data for a new polymer (poly [ I- ( tnmethylwlyl) -1-propyne) which has the highest gas permeablhty coefficient for polymeric membranes are also presented This chapter also reviews pervaporatlon and describes methods for separating water-alcohol mixtures Pressure-driven membrane separation processes of “mlcrofiltratlon and ultrafiltration”, reviewed by Toyomoto and Hlguchl, outlmes filtration and fouling theories, and preparation and characterlsatlon Apphcatlons m semiconductor production and medicine are presented A recent topic, low protein bmdmg membranes, is also hlghhghted Transport phenomena and process design of “reverse osmosis” are discussed by Nlshlmura and Koyama In this chapter, emphaSIS1s given to desalmatlon, whilst recovery of valuable products by reverse osmosis has been revlewed only briefly
Chaos and Order The Complex Structure of Lwmg Systems by F Cramer, VSH,Wemhelm, Germany, 1993, ISBN l-56081-812-3, DM 48 00
When I was a student, a venerated hoary old professor was renowned for ralsmg the question each year at the curriculum review, “How can we, m all conscience, grant the degree of doctor of philosophy, wlthout reqmrmg a course of study m philosophy”” As it was a department of Chemical Englneermg, he was always pohtely dismissed I couldn’t help but imagine as I read Chaos and Order that Frledrlch Cramer was the avatar of my hoary old professor, ralsmg fundamental phllosophlcal pomts m a scientific culture that would rather not deal with them The nuts and bolts issues of science and technology are extremely difficult, rendering it easy for today’s researchers to be consumed by the mlrtad of details Professor Cramer, well known for his accomphshments m molecular biology, takes this opportunity to hft hu head out of the mmutla to ponder how close science 1s to dlscovermg
175
Book Reviews / The Chemical Engmeermg Journal 60 (1995) 173-180
the answers to age-old human dilemmas “What 1s life?’ ’ and “What 1sthe meamng of hfe? ’ The latter 1s a metaphysical question more than Just semantically mtertwmed with the former He discerns that “the Big Picture” unfolding in the current sclentlfic era 1s ever more connected and harmomous m its world view Chaos and Order IS orgamsed mto nme chapters, each taking a “Big Question” As a thought-provoking device, each chapter begins with an lmagmed dialogue between two thmkers selected from fictlonal characters, hlstoncal phllosophers, and physlclsts from the early part of this century (Emstem, Pauh, Helsenberg) The author splices together quotes from their works to attam the appearance of a dialogue, at times applying literary license These dialogues are entertaming m their own right, but also serve the purpose of mtroducmg the theme of the chapter The scientific scope of this work 1s breathtaking Flipping through the pages we find Mandelbrot’s fractals, restriction maps, the bakers’ transformation, the evolutionary tree of man, Raylelgh-Benard cells, and the rings of Saturn JUSt to name a few Although the author clearly intends this work for mass consumption, he does little sugar-coating of the sclentlfic Issues His statements are precise wlthm my areas of expertue, so I have little doubt that he has accurately represented other axeas of science Many figures are ofJournal pubhcatlon quahty and the presentation of each chapter IS at the level expected of a plenary lecture at the congress of a sclentlfic dlsclplme Nevertheless, to understand completely the references made and arguments drawn, one must be an expert m dynamic systems theory, non-equlhbnum statlstlcal physics, biology, blochemlstry, astrophysics, and poetry The last because each chapter 1s rounded off with a poem In short, every renaissance man will thoroughly enJoy these rune assays which connect philosophy, science, and poetry The rest of us need not despair, as the chapter on complexity theory implies that the layers of complexity m the author’s presentation form a harmonious whole, a part of which we can sample with mcomplete understandmg while still achlevmg meanmg For those with a literary bent, this took follows on the phllosophlcal heels of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville who wrote during the so-called “American Renalssance” A question they bandlded about was “Is beauty truth Transcendental questions follow natuand truth beauty?” rally - “Do beauty and truth transcend mto the splrltual world? Are they the meaning of life?” The emerging picture of self-orgamsed non-linear dlsslpatlve structures m physics and living systems far from equlhbrmm m blochemlstry 1s one of the fractal beauty of complexity - the knife’s edge separating order and chaos Cramer argues cogently that life exists on this same precipice - a truth that 1s nonetheless beautiful m detail Can the meanmg of hfe be there as well? In the foreword, Nobel Prize-wmner m Physics Ilya Prlgogme praises this work, expressmg hu wish that it receive internatlonal claim The only recent scientific books for mass consumption that have achieved bestseller status (Hawkmg,
Hofstadler, and Glelck) appealed to the meanmg and beauty of life If that 1s the formula that spells success, this book 1s aimed m the right direction W BJ
Zimmerman (IMIST, UK
Phase Transfer Catalysis Selected Problems and Appbcatlons by Yun Goldberg, Gordon Breech Saence 88124-870-5, pnce UO5, xv +456 pp
Pubhshers,
1992, ISBN 2-
This book was orlgmally published in Russian and has been translated and updated for the English edition The book 1s divided mto seven chapters which deal with various aspects of the SubJect Chapter 1 mtroduces the area and gives a detailed drscusslon of the different types of phase transfer catalysts, the range of reactions catalysed and general apphcablhty For anyone new to the area who wants to have a feeling for the scope of phase transfer catalysis this 1s a good mtroductlon Chapter 2 gives a comprehensive review of the utlhty of phase transfer catalysis m nitrogen heterocychc chemistry A comprehensive list of reagents and reactions are presented m a clear and concise manner Chapters 3 and 4 deal with use of metal-containing organometallic and coordmatlon compounds for transformations of the compounds themselves and their utlhty m catalytic transformations of organic molecules This is a diverse area and 1s covered systematically The emphasis m Chapter 5 1s slightly different It deals with trlphaslc catalysis, that IS where the catalysts are heterogeneous Their preparation IS discussed with details of the various methodologies for preparing heterogeneous phase transfer catalysts Chapter 6 deals with the various approaches to asymmetric phase transfer catalysis and hlghhghts some of the achievements m this area This 1s a growing area m pharmaceutical research The final chapter IS called “Nontypical Variants of Phase Transfer Catalyw” and essentially catches different aspects not covered m the earlier chapters It includes dlscusslon of electron transfer processes and photochemistry In summary this is a useful reference book for those mterested m catalysis and I feel that it 1s the sort of book which I ~111 “dip Into” regularly as an aid to deslgmng selective orgamc transformations The book contains over 1300 references which provide a useful overview of this field of research
stuartw cart Undeuer, Bebmgton, UK
174
mmr mode as well as dual-mode
(which is a combined model of the former two as relevant to glassy polymers) are presented together with some data on solublhty and diffusion coefficients
New Methods of Membrane Preparation In Part II, five chapters provide extensive discussions of several methods of membrane preparation Mlyakl and FUJImoto show that “charge-mosaic membranes” prepared from multlblocks copolymers, exhibit very high permeability for ions compared with conventional porous membranes If the fabrication methods are Improved, these membranes may find apphcatlons m plezodlalysls which appears to be superior to reverse osmosis for desalmatlon Kondo reviews “mlcrocapsule membranes” hmltmg his discussion to their preparation by mterfaclal polymensatlon, aqueous-phase separation and mterfaclal deposltlon Microcapsules m blologlcal environments are also examined to show mterestmg examples of membrane mteractlon with proteins and mlcroencapsulated enzymes PropertIes - rather than the preparation - of “monolayers, Langmuir-Blodgett films and hybnd LB films” were reviewed by KaJlyama and mcluded presentation of bright-field electron micrographs and electron diffraction patterns Preparation of ‘ ‘Plasma-polymensed membranes’ ’ IS an example of a dry processmg method which IS described by Osada who reviews also fundamentals, propertles and apphcatlons Alzawa exammes “electroconductlve enzyme membranes” which have not only blocatalytlc actlvlty but also electroconductlvlty
Membranes
m Chemical Engrneenng
Diffusion phenomena m ‘ ‘dlalysls’ ’ and its apphcatlons, such as acid recovery, is reviewed by Nlshlmura Recent developments m “charged membrane and active transport” 1s reviewed by Uragaml In this transport form the material 1s actively transported from low-concentration side to high concentration side across the membrane because of the concentration gradient of its complex This technique has yet to find apphcatlons, radloactlve materials and artificial kidney are considered to be potential areas
Blomedlcal Use
The final part of this book consists of a concise treatment of “membranes for blomedlcal use” by Tanzawa Apphcatlons ex vlvo (such as oxygenation), m vlvo (such as contact lens) and m vitro (such as blood filter) are introduced Emphasis is given to current research and development on membrane materials Apart from the lack of nomenclature, which IS a trend m multi-authored review books, this book 1s well produced and the duphcatlon 1s minimal The book should prove to be of interest to those engaged m research on membrane science and technology, especially m the areas of blomedlcal apphcations It is also a valuable resource as a reference book, although it is not particularly well-suited for use as a teachmg text in engineering courses Erdogan Alper Kuwau Vntuersuy, Kuwazt
and Processing
Part III contams five chapters all of which deal with practical apphcatlons “Gas separation and pervaporatlon’ ’ by Nakagawa considers oxygen enrichment from air as well as separation of hydrogen and carbon dloxlde from other gases by polymeric membranes Facilitated transport 1s also considered for oxygen and carbon dioxide separations Data for a new polymer (poly [ I- ( tnmethylwlyl) -1-propyne) which has the highest gas permeablhty coefficient for polymeric membranes are also presented This chapter also reviews pervaporatlon and describes methods for separating water-alcohol mixtures Pressure-driven membrane separation processes of “mlcrofiltratlon and ultrafiltration”, reviewed by Toyomoto and Hlguchl, outlmes filtration and fouling theories, and preparation and characterlsatlon Apphcatlons m semiconductor production and medicine are presented A recent topic, low protein bmdmg membranes, is also hlghhghted Transport phenomena and process design of “reverse osmosis” are discussed by Nlshlmura and Koyama In this chapter, emphaSIS1s given to desalmatlon, whilst recovery of valuable products by reverse osmosis has been revlewed only briefly
Chaos and Order The Complex Structure of Lwmg Systems by F Cramer, VSH,Wemhelm, Germany, 1993, ISBN l-56081-812-3, DM 48 00
When I was a student, a venerated hoary old professor was renowned for ralsmg the question each year at the curriculum review, “How can we, m all conscience, grant the degree of doctor of philosophy, wlthout reqmrmg a course of study m philosophy”” As it was a department of Chemical Englneermg, he was always pohtely dismissed I couldn’t help but imagine as I read Chaos and Order that Frledrlch Cramer was the avatar of my hoary old professor, ralsmg fundamental phllosophlcal pomts m a scientific culture that would rather not deal with them The nuts and bolts issues of science and technology are extremely difficult, rendering it easy for today’s researchers to be consumed by the mlrtad of details Professor Cramer, well known for his accomphshments m molecular biology, takes this opportunity to hft hu head out of the mmutla to ponder how close science 1s to dlscovermg
175
Book Reviews / The Chemical Engmeermg Journal 60 (1995) 173-180
the answers to age-old human dilemmas “What 1s life?’ ’ and “What 1sthe meamng of hfe? ’ The latter 1s a metaphysical question more than Just semantically mtertwmed with the former He discerns that “the Big Picture” unfolding in the current sclentlfic era 1s ever more connected and harmomous m its world view Chaos and Order IS orgamsed mto nme chapters, each taking a “Big Question” As a thought-provoking device, each chapter begins with an lmagmed dialogue between two thmkers selected from fictlonal characters, hlstoncal phllosophers, and physlclsts from the early part of this century (Emstem, Pauh, Helsenberg) The author splices together quotes from their works to attam the appearance of a dialogue, at times applying literary license These dialogues are entertaming m their own right, but also serve the purpose of mtroducmg the theme of the chapter The scientific scope of this work 1s breathtaking Flipping through the pages we find Mandelbrot’s fractals, restriction maps, the bakers’ transformation, the evolutionary tree of man, Raylelgh-Benard cells, and the rings of Saturn JUSt to name a few Although the author clearly intends this work for mass consumption, he does little sugar-coating of the sclentlfic Issues His statements are precise wlthm my areas of expertue, so I have little doubt that he has accurately represented other axeas of science Many figures are ofJournal pubhcatlon quahty and the presentation of each chapter IS at the level expected of a plenary lecture at the congress of a sclentlfic dlsclplme Nevertheless, to understand completely the references made and arguments drawn, one must be an expert m dynamic systems theory, non-equlhbnum statlstlcal physics, biology, blochemlstry, astrophysics, and poetry The last because each chapter 1s rounded off with a poem In short, every renaissance man will thoroughly enJoy these rune assays which connect philosophy, science, and poetry The rest of us need not despair, as the chapter on complexity theory implies that the layers of complexity m the author’s presentation form a harmonious whole, a part of which we can sample with mcomplete understandmg while still achlevmg meanmg For those with a literary bent, this took follows on the phllosophlcal heels of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville who wrote during the so-called “American Renalssance” A question they bandlded about was “Is beauty truth Transcendental questions follow natuand truth beauty?” rally - “Do beauty and truth transcend mto the splrltual world? Are they the meaning of life?” The emerging picture of self-orgamsed non-linear dlsslpatlve structures m physics and living systems far from equlhbrmm m blochemlstry 1s one of the fractal beauty of complexity - the knife’s edge separating order and chaos Cramer argues cogently that life exists on this same precipice - a truth that 1s nonetheless beautiful m detail Can the meanmg of hfe be there as well? In the foreword, Nobel Prize-wmner m Physics Ilya Prlgogme praises this work, expressmg hu wish that it receive internatlonal claim The only recent scientific books for mass consumption that have achieved bestseller status (Hawkmg,
Hofstadler, and Glelck) appealed to the meanmg and beauty of life If that 1s the formula that spells success, this book 1s aimed m the right direction W BJ
Zimmerman (IMIST, UK
Phase Transfer Catalysis Selected Problems and Appbcatlons by Yun Goldberg, Gordon Breech Saence 88124-870-5, pnce UO5, xv +456 pp
Pubhshers,
1992, ISBN 2-
This book was orlgmally published in Russian and has been translated and updated for the English edition The book 1s divided mto seven chapters which deal with various aspects of the SubJect Chapter 1 mtroduces the area and gives a detailed drscusslon of the different types of phase transfer catalysts, the range of reactions catalysed and general apphcablhty For anyone new to the area who wants to have a feeling for the scope of phase transfer catalysis this 1s a good mtroductlon Chapter 2 gives a comprehensive review of the utlhty of phase transfer catalysis m nitrogen heterocychc chemistry A comprehensive list of reagents and reactions are presented m a clear and concise manner Chapters 3 and 4 deal with use of metal-containing organometallic and coordmatlon compounds for transformations of the compounds themselves and their utlhty m catalytic transformations of organic molecules This is a diverse area and 1s covered systematically The emphasis m Chapter 5 1s slightly different It deals with trlphaslc catalysis, that IS where the catalysts are heterogeneous Their preparation IS discussed with details of the various methodologies for preparing heterogeneous phase transfer catalysts Chapter 6 deals with the various approaches to asymmetric phase transfer catalysis and hlghhghts some of the achievements m this area This 1s a growing area m pharmaceutical research The final chapter IS called “Nontypical Variants of Phase Transfer Catalyw” and essentially catches different aspects not covered m the earlier chapters It includes dlscusslon of electron transfer processes and photochemistry In summary this is a useful reference book for those mterested m catalysis and I feel that it 1s the sort of book which I ~111 “dip Into” regularly as an aid to deslgmng selective orgamc transformations The book contains over 1300 references which provide a useful overview of this field of research
stuartw cart Undeuer, Bebmgton, UK