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Environmental mercury contamination
Analytica
Chitnieu Acts, 65 ( 1973) 249-252 Pub~ishinS Company,
@ Elsevier Scientific
BOOK
249 Amsterdam
- Printed in The Netherfands
REVIEWS
Anmal Reports OH Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy, 1971, Vol. 1, Edited ,by D. P. Hubbard, Society for Analytical Chemistry, London, xi+204 pp., price f 5.00. Atomic spectroscopy is the basis of one of the most interesting and rapidly expanding areas of analytical chemistry. It embraces atomic emission, absorption and fluorescence spectrophotometry in all their various guises. In step with the rapid development, the number of papers has increased greatly, until, in 1971, 1092 items were published. This first Annual Report lists all of these publications, and gives a comprehensive but readable account of their contents. The book is essentially in three parts. The first (43 pp.) is a description of the advances in instrumentation, such as light sources, atomizing and/or excitation systems (flames, arcs and sparks, plasmas, furnaces, etc.), optics, detector systems, data processing, complete instruments, and ancillary equipment. The second (86 pp.) deals with methodology, beginning with sample preparations and method evaluation, and continuing with applications to various types of sample (metals, petroleum products, refractories, medical and environmental samples, minerals, agricultural samples and chemicals). Each of these last sections includes an extensive tabulation, listed by element, of essential details of the published methods. The third part (74 pp.) contains a useful list of new books (9) and review articles (27) relevant to analytical atomic spectroscopy and a complete list of 1971 papers as well as an author index. This volume is a model example for an annual report of this type. It has been produced quickly, but the text shows no evidence of haste. It is well written, accurately produced, and, as is often unusual in a book of this type, eminently readable. Anyone concerned with analytical atomic spectroscopy and related topics will find it an essential reference work to have close at hand. A. Townshend
(Birmingham)
Ettvirontnental Merctrry Cotttntnination, Edited by R. Hartung and B. D. Dinman, Ann Arbor Science Publishers Inc., Ann Arbor, 1972, Distributed by J. Wiley and Sons, ix + 349 pp., price ;E9.40. This book consists of papers presented to an international conference on environmental mercury contamination held at Ann Arbor, Michigan in October 1970. The volume is divided into four sections: the occurrence of mercury in the methods of analysis; environmental dynamics of mercury; and environment; biological effects of mercury compounds. Apart from a short paper on the levels of mercury in fish in Minimata Bay and a review paper on the sources and uses of mercury, the major portion of
‘BOOK
250
REVIEWS
Section I is devoted to the results of the analysis of fish, sediments, wild life, plankton etc. in the rivers and waters of the Great Lakes area. The greater part of Section II is taken up by a review paper dealing with the analysis of mercury and its compounds (7 pages of text and 32 pages of references). The remaining seven short papers report some analyses made of lish, birds and biological tissue by gas chromatography, neutron activation analysis and flameless atomic absorption techniques. Section III has a good paper on the assessment of factors regulating the movement of mercury through aquatic food chains, and reports some laboratory and field studies made on the distribution of mercury in soils. Section IV, by far the biggest, covers such topics as dose-response relationship, biotransformation of organomercurials, subclinical effects of mercury intoxication and biological reactions and pathological changes in humans exposed to organomercurials (an account of the Minimata incident). Considering the quality of the paper, printing and layout the book is an expensive purchase at f 9 per copy. The book may be useful to the chemist who wishes to get a broad background to the subject of mercury and the environment, but will be of little use to the active workers in the fields covered by the above sections. G. Topping
(Aberdeen)
O~gano~?letailicC~rnFo~~~~~~s. Methods of Sy~~t~le.sis, P~~ys~calConstartts and C~lerni~at Reactions, Vol. 3, First Supplement, Edited by M. Dub, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2nd Ed., 1972, xxi +613 pp., price Clothbound DM78,20; US $24.80. This volume covers methods of synthesis, physical constants and chemical reactions of the compounds of arsenic, antimony and bismuth, which have been published during the period 1965-1968. It bears ample testimony to the increasing importance of organometallic chemistry. The output of chemical literature has increased to such an extent that this four-year supplement includes almost threequarters as many references as the main volume contained for the period 1937-1964. The coverage is thorough and includes numerous patents and articles from Soviet journals obtained from the U.S.S.R. National Public Library for Science and Technology. This supplement is arranged in the same manner as the main volume, with identical classilication numbers. In addition to method of synthesis, etc., as mentioned above, biological properties and uses have been included. Pharmacological activities and medicinal uses have not, however, been covered. The format of the book is good and the production is of the usual high standard. Whilst it will be useful to have this book (and other supplements) available for reference, it has to be remembered that the latest reference is 4 years old. With an ever-increasing volume of literature in this field, steps will have to be taken to see that the next supplement is not even further behind. E. .I. Forbes
(Birmingham)
Chitnieu Acts, 65 ( 1973) 249-252 Pub~ishinS Company,
@ Elsevier Scientific
BOOK
249 Amsterdam
- Printed in The Netherfands
REVIEWS
Anmal Reports OH Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy, 1971, Vol. 1, Edited ,by D. P. Hubbard, Society for Analytical Chemistry, London, xi+204 pp., price f 5.00. Atomic spectroscopy is the basis of one of the most interesting and rapidly expanding areas of analytical chemistry. It embraces atomic emission, absorption and fluorescence spectrophotometry in all their various guises. In step with the rapid development, the number of papers has increased greatly, until, in 1971, 1092 items were published. This first Annual Report lists all of these publications, and gives a comprehensive but readable account of their contents. The book is essentially in three parts. The first (43 pp.) is a description of the advances in instrumentation, such as light sources, atomizing and/or excitation systems (flames, arcs and sparks, plasmas, furnaces, etc.), optics, detector systems, data processing, complete instruments, and ancillary equipment. The second (86 pp.) deals with methodology, beginning with sample preparations and method evaluation, and continuing with applications to various types of sample (metals, petroleum products, refractories, medical and environmental samples, minerals, agricultural samples and chemicals). Each of these last sections includes an extensive tabulation, listed by element, of essential details of the published methods. The third part (74 pp.) contains a useful list of new books (9) and review articles (27) relevant to analytical atomic spectroscopy and a complete list of 1971 papers as well as an author index. This volume is a model example for an annual report of this type. It has been produced quickly, but the text shows no evidence of haste. It is well written, accurately produced, and, as is often unusual in a book of this type, eminently readable. Anyone concerned with analytical atomic spectroscopy and related topics will find it an essential reference work to have close at hand. A. Townshend
(Birmingham)
Ettvirontnental Merctrry Cotttntnination, Edited by R. Hartung and B. D. Dinman, Ann Arbor Science Publishers Inc., Ann Arbor, 1972, Distributed by J. Wiley and Sons, ix + 349 pp., price ;E9.40. This book consists of papers presented to an international conference on environmental mercury contamination held at Ann Arbor, Michigan in October 1970. The volume is divided into four sections: the occurrence of mercury in the methods of analysis; environmental dynamics of mercury; and environment; biological effects of mercury compounds. Apart from a short paper on the levels of mercury in fish in Minimata Bay and a review paper on the sources and uses of mercury, the major portion of
‘BOOK
250
REVIEWS
Section I is devoted to the results of the analysis of fish, sediments, wild life, plankton etc. in the rivers and waters of the Great Lakes area. The greater part of Section II is taken up by a review paper dealing with the analysis of mercury and its compounds (7 pages of text and 32 pages of references). The remaining seven short papers report some analyses made of lish, birds and biological tissue by gas chromatography, neutron activation analysis and flameless atomic absorption techniques. Section III has a good paper on the assessment of factors regulating the movement of mercury through aquatic food chains, and reports some laboratory and field studies made on the distribution of mercury in soils. Section IV, by far the biggest, covers such topics as dose-response relationship, biotransformation of organomercurials, subclinical effects of mercury intoxication and biological reactions and pathological changes in humans exposed to organomercurials (an account of the Minimata incident). Considering the quality of the paper, printing and layout the book is an expensive purchase at f 9 per copy. The book may be useful to the chemist who wishes to get a broad background to the subject of mercury and the environment, but will be of little use to the active workers in the fields covered by the above sections. G. Topping
(Aberdeen)
O~gano~?letailicC~rnFo~~~~~~s. Methods of Sy~~t~le.sis, P~~ys~calConstartts and C~lerni~at Reactions, Vol. 3, First Supplement, Edited by M. Dub, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2nd Ed., 1972, xxi +613 pp., price Clothbound DM78,20; US $24.80. This volume covers methods of synthesis, physical constants and chemical reactions of the compounds of arsenic, antimony and bismuth, which have been published during the period 1965-1968. It bears ample testimony to the increasing importance of organometallic chemistry. The output of chemical literature has increased to such an extent that this four-year supplement includes almost threequarters as many references as the main volume contained for the period 1937-1964. The coverage is thorough and includes numerous patents and articles from Soviet journals obtained from the U.S.S.R. National Public Library for Science and Technology. This supplement is arranged in the same manner as the main volume, with identical classilication numbers. In addition to method of synthesis, etc., as mentioned above, biological properties and uses have been included. Pharmacological activities and medicinal uses have not, however, been covered. The format of the book is good and the production is of the usual high standard. Whilst it will be useful to have this book (and other supplements) available for reference, it has to be remembered that the latest reference is 4 years old. With an ever-increasing volume of literature in this field, steps will have to be taken to see that the next supplement is not even further behind. E. .I. Forbes
(Birmingham)