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Chemistry, inorganic and organic, with experiments
Oct., I923.]
BOOK R E V I E W S .
565
an art that enables literature to defy the ravages of time and barbarism." Photography gees further, for it preserves to us the scenes and incidents of actual life. The Eastman Company is doing most excellent work in its research laboratories and publishing departments. HENRY LEFFMANN. CHEMISTRY, INORGANIC AND ORGANIC, WITH EXPERIMENTS. By Charles Loudon Bloxam. Eleventh edition, revised by A r t h u r G. Bloxam, F.I.C., and S. Judd Lewis, D.Sc., F.I.C. 832 pages, including index, 8vo. Philadelphia, P. Blakiston's Son and Company, I923. Price $9. Bloxam's Chemistry appeared first in I867. Though too large for a student's textbook--a field in which the works of Fownes and Silliman were prominent--Bloxam's book was very serviceable for teachers and was widely approved. The author was a teacher as well as research chemist and produced therefore a manual which was comprehensive. His connection with one of the British military schools gave him special interest in the chemistry of explosives, arid the book devoted rather more attention to such subjects than was usual in the manuals of that day. Of course, the subject was then much simpler. Although several of the high nitro-explosives were known, the applications of them were not as wide, and the problems of asphyxiating gases and gas masks have of late years brought chemistry into wide and weighty relations to the nations as well as to certain industries. Bloxam was always somewhat conservative in his attitude to theories in chemistry, and preferred to set before the student a considerable amount of what is commonly known as " practical " chemistry before taking up many of the principles. The present edition follows this plan. Nearly three hundred pages are given, largely to elaborate description of experiments, before the general principles of chemistry are set forth. The aliphatic and cyclic hydrocarbons are considered in the same section, a plau which the editors state has met with approval by some and disfavor with others. The matter i s probably of no great importance. The book contains a large amount of information and has been brought up to date on most points. An exasperating condition is the retention of a considerable amount of very old and quite antiquated matter, which simply serves to occupy valuable space. This criticism applies to the illustrations as well as to the text. Many cuts are used which are from the f r s t edition. One of the most astonishing instances of this lack of elision is on pages I6 and I7, iq the discussion of the decomposition of water. It is, indeed, not explained that the ordinary electrolytic experiment with water acidulated with sulphuric acid is really a decomposition of the acid and not of the water, but that perhaps is of minor importance, as the water is affected in the secondary reaction, but the suggestion that Grove's cell be used certainly seems strange. Grove's cell went out of use a half century ago, by the invention of cheaper and. better methods, and with platinum at about $3 a gram, it is wholly out of the question. The apparatus shown for obtaining hydrogen and oxygen by acting on dilute sulphuric acid with an electric current is a form that is quite out of date. Even some of the cuts, apparently drawn for the recent editions, are lacking
566
B o o k REVIEWS.
[J. F. I.
in contemporaneousness. Such is the sketch on page 30 of an apparatt's ft~r distJling water. Such apparatus is not now used either on the large scale or in the analytical laboratory. It seems also a waste of space to give s,mae of the methods of making oxygen that are no longer used. These antiquated procedures and apparatus detract somewhat from the merit of the book, and certainly, as noted above, occupy space that could be devoted to better uses. The price seems rather high for a volume of this size, but it is excellently printed and a large amount of information is presented in a clear and understandable form. It is certainly a convenient and useful work of reference for teachers and advanced students. HENRY LEFFMANN. THE OI.'FICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGIZXEERS OF THE ARMY. By W. Stnll Holt. xii-I66 pages, 8vo. The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1923. Price $I net. This is one of the series of publications of the Institute for Government Research, an association of citizens for co6perating with public officials in the scientific study of government with a view of promoting efficiency and economy therein. That there is need for such studies is evidenced everywhere and always. Even in private affairs there is much need of scientific study of methods. The popular idea that all private institutions are well-managed and all public institutions badly managed is not correct. The present work relates to the work of U. S. Army engineers, a corps which has a long history, for the Continental Congress on June I6, 1775, one day before the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, authorized the appointment of certain army engineers, and later authorized General Washington to organize a corps. Several French engineers were appointed under this authority. Army officers have had a great deal to do with public works of a non-military character. The question of internal improvements, especially in the vast districts that were acqu;red by the Louisiana purchase, and the later extension of the Mexican treaty and the Gadsden purchase, brought complicated problems of river and harbor improvements, and road construction into prominence. A considerable amount of political and economic antagonism arose in and out of Congress. The eastern, wellsettled and mostly industrial and commercial sections were opposed to spending money on the internal improvements of the West. The eastern sections wanted high prices for public lands in order to deter emigration of labor, and tariff on manufactures. The western sections wanted low prices for public lands and rather low tariffs. National support for such improvements developed but slowly until the close of the war between the .estates, when the federal power had greatly increased and the western populations had secured a great influence. The story of these struggles is told in an introductory chapter, and is well worth reading by those who are interested in the progress of the United States towards a " m o r e perfect union," and to a united economic effort. The historical portion occupies nearly half the book. Data on the activities of the corps then follow, after which statistical data are given. HENRY LEFFMANN.
BOOK R E V I E W S .
565
an art that enables literature to defy the ravages of time and barbarism." Photography gees further, for it preserves to us the scenes and incidents of actual life. The Eastman Company is doing most excellent work in its research laboratories and publishing departments. HENRY LEFFMANN. CHEMISTRY, INORGANIC AND ORGANIC, WITH EXPERIMENTS. By Charles Loudon Bloxam. Eleventh edition, revised by A r t h u r G. Bloxam, F.I.C., and S. Judd Lewis, D.Sc., F.I.C. 832 pages, including index, 8vo. Philadelphia, P. Blakiston's Son and Company, I923. Price $9. Bloxam's Chemistry appeared first in I867. Though too large for a student's textbook--a field in which the works of Fownes and Silliman were prominent--Bloxam's book was very serviceable for teachers and was widely approved. The author was a teacher as well as research chemist and produced therefore a manual which was comprehensive. His connection with one of the British military schools gave him special interest in the chemistry of explosives, arid the book devoted rather more attention to such subjects than was usual in the manuals of that day. Of course, the subject was then much simpler. Although several of the high nitro-explosives were known, the applications of them were not as wide, and the problems of asphyxiating gases and gas masks have of late years brought chemistry into wide and weighty relations to the nations as well as to certain industries. Bloxam was always somewhat conservative in his attitude to theories in chemistry, and preferred to set before the student a considerable amount of what is commonly known as " practical " chemistry before taking up many of the principles. The present edition follows this plan. Nearly three hundred pages are given, largely to elaborate description of experiments, before the general principles of chemistry are set forth. The aliphatic and cyclic hydrocarbons are considered in the same section, a plau which the editors state has met with approval by some and disfavor with others. The matter i s probably of no great importance. The book contains a large amount of information and has been brought up to date on most points. An exasperating condition is the retention of a considerable amount of very old and quite antiquated matter, which simply serves to occupy valuable space. This criticism applies to the illustrations as well as to the text. Many cuts are used which are from the f r s t edition. One of the most astonishing instances of this lack of elision is on pages I6 and I7, iq the discussion of the decomposition of water. It is, indeed, not explained that the ordinary electrolytic experiment with water acidulated with sulphuric acid is really a decomposition of the acid and not of the water, but that perhaps is of minor importance, as the water is affected in the secondary reaction, but the suggestion that Grove's cell be used certainly seems strange. Grove's cell went out of use a half century ago, by the invention of cheaper and. better methods, and with platinum at about $3 a gram, it is wholly out of the question. The apparatus shown for obtaining hydrogen and oxygen by acting on dilute sulphuric acid with an electric current is a form that is quite out of date. Even some of the cuts, apparently drawn for the recent editions, are lacking
566
B o o k REVIEWS.
[J. F. I.
in contemporaneousness. Such is the sketch on page 30 of an apparatt's ft~r distJling water. Such apparatus is not now used either on the large scale or in the analytical laboratory. It seems also a waste of space to give s,mae of the methods of making oxygen that are no longer used. These antiquated procedures and apparatus detract somewhat from the merit of the book, and certainly, as noted above, occupy space that could be devoted to better uses. The price seems rather high for a volume of this size, but it is excellently printed and a large amount of information is presented in a clear and understandable form. It is certainly a convenient and useful work of reference for teachers and advanced students. HENRY LEFFMANN. THE OI.'FICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGIZXEERS OF THE ARMY. By W. Stnll Holt. xii-I66 pages, 8vo. The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1923. Price $I net. This is one of the series of publications of the Institute for Government Research, an association of citizens for co6perating with public officials in the scientific study of government with a view of promoting efficiency and economy therein. That there is need for such studies is evidenced everywhere and always. Even in private affairs there is much need of scientific study of methods. The popular idea that all private institutions are well-managed and all public institutions badly managed is not correct. The present work relates to the work of U. S. Army engineers, a corps which has a long history, for the Continental Congress on June I6, 1775, one day before the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, authorized the appointment of certain army engineers, and later authorized General Washington to organize a corps. Several French engineers were appointed under this authority. Army officers have had a great deal to do with public works of a non-military character. The question of internal improvements, especially in the vast districts that were acqu;red by the Louisiana purchase, and the later extension of the Mexican treaty and the Gadsden purchase, brought complicated problems of river and harbor improvements, and road construction into prominence. A considerable amount of political and economic antagonism arose in and out of Congress. The eastern, wellsettled and mostly industrial and commercial sections were opposed to spending money on the internal improvements of the West. The eastern sections wanted high prices for public lands in order to deter emigration of labor, and tariff on manufactures. The western sections wanted low prices for public lands and rather low tariffs. National support for such improvements developed but slowly until the close of the war between the .estates, when the federal power had greatly increased and the western populations had secured a great influence. The story of these struggles is told in an introductory chapter, and is well worth reading by those who are interested in the progress of the United States towards a " m o r e perfect union," and to a united economic effort. The historical portion occupies nearly half the book. Data on the activities of the corps then follow, after which statistical data are given. HENRY LEFFMANN.