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Handbuch der papierchromatographie. (In two volumes)
260
BOOK
REVIEWS
the available data frequently did not permit conclusions to be drawn, but the author has collated the available evidence so that the reader may attempt to form his own judgment . The book is well printed and the formulas are nicely drawn; the text appears to be generally free from errors, although the reviewer noted the absence of an angular methyl group from Formulas XVIII and XX on page 10. Considerable use is made of tables t,o compare data. The book will certainly assist workers in one section of the field by making available in a concise and convenient form a conspectus of results obtained by workers in other related, but often relatively inaccessible parts of the field. C. W.
SHOPPEE,
Sydney,
Australia
Handbuch der Papierchromatographie. (In two volumes.) Edited by Ivo M. HAIS and KAREL MACEK, Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Translated from the second Czech edition by J. LIEBSTER. Vol. I: Principles and Technique. Gustav Fischer Publishers, Jena, Germany, 1958. xxiv + 866 pp. Price D.M. 58.40. The editors of this treatise on the theory and methodology of paper chromatography have presented in Vol. I an excellent review of the voluminous literature in this field through 1955, with some papers from 1956. Contributors of this book are experts drawn mostly from Czech institutions. This book is a translation from the Czech into German by J. Liebster, whose name might be given greater prominence than a mere citation in small print on an inside page. The book is divided into two parts: Part I, General Discussion; and Part II, Applications. Part I begins with the history of chromatography, with emphasis on paper chromatography, and is illustrated with a number of beaut,iful pictures of Runge’s radial chromatograms. This chapt,er also contains photographs of the “fathers” of paper chromatography (all British), Consden, Gorden, Martin, and Synge. The footnotes about the personal background of Runge, Schoenbein, and Tswett are very enlightening. The chapter on “Principle and Theory” is thorough and well documented by the mathematical treatment based on the papers by de Vault, Martin, and Synge. The definition of chromatography is rather narrow since it only refers to partition chromatography. The point that partition chromatography is the most prevalent factor in the separation of substances on paper may be an oversimplification of this process. The relationship between structure and chromatographic behavior, as well as the influence of functional groups on migration, is discussed. Subsequent chapters of Part I follow the laboratory procedure of paper chromatography, preparation and application of sample, solvent development, detection and quantitative analysis, chromatography of radioactive substances, and preparatory chromatography. A section on filter paper is particularly commendable since it includes a good electronmicrograph of cellulose and an evaluation of various filterpaper grades. (Whatman No. 1 or Schleicher & Schuell2043 bNG1 are the best overall grades; S & S 2071 is best for large-scale separations.) A section on the selection of developing solvents on the basis of water solubility, dielectric constants, and “group constants ” is very useful; so is a list of the most commonly used solvents. The chapter on development technique leaves out the ascending-descending technique as well as the horizontal sector analysis (Kawerau).
BOOK
REVIEWS
261
Figures 24 and 73 are repetitious since they both illustrate the dependence of Rf value on starting point. The book, as a whole, contains a rather lavish number of graphs and photographs (242 in all), and the information conveyed by some illustrations is not always useful. A good discussion on chromatographic anomalies does not always suggest corrective measures. For example, “tongue formation” due to heavy deposits of natural extracts may be simply overcome by streaking the sample from edge to ege. The section on detection and quantitative determination is not quite complete. For example, the authors do not mention some of the commercially available chromatographic equipment, like a chromatographic oven. The simple ultraviolet scanner, developed by Tennent, is not mentioned either. A photograph of an ultraviolet lamp is of little help to the reader (Fig. 86). The maximum-density method of Block is only given scant attention, although this technique has proved extremely useful in practice. A short chapter on the chromatography of radioactive substances gives an introduction to a field which is covered more thoroughly in specialized texts. The chapter on preparative chromatography includes a discussion on filter paper as well as columns packed with cellulose powder. Part II of the book is devoted to the application of paper chromatography and to the separation of many classes of organic as well as inorganic compounds. Each chapter essentially includes the following: preparation of sample or derivatives, onedimensional map, photograph of chromatogram, detection and analysis, choice of solvents, and literature citations. The chapters are arranged according to a modified Beilstein system and are as follows: alcohols (6 pp.); aldehydes-ketones (4 pp.) ; fatty acids (25 pp.) ; carbohydrates (40 pp.); phenols-aromatic acids (25 pp.) ; steroids (16 pp.) ; hydrocarbons (4 pp.) ; amines (4 pp.); nitro compounds (3 pp.); amino acids (61 pp.) ; peptides (7 pp.) ; proteins (7 pp.) ; purines-pyrimidines (18 pp.) ; alkaloids (26 pp.); heterocycles (21 pp.); organic sulfur compounds (11 pp.) ; vitamins (25 pp.) ; antibiotics (12 pp.) ; insecticides (6 pp.) ; synthetic dyes (5 pp.) ; inorganic substances (36 pp.). The chapters dealing with applications are written with authority, and a few comments which follow should not detract from the high quality of the work. A map of the intermediary products of photosynthesis, which appears in the chapter on carbohydrates, does not illustrate very well the separation of the phosphorylated sugars. Contrary to the author’s conclusion, this reviewer has found that an acetone solution of ninhydrin is stable for several months if kept under refrigeration. The spelling of Ritchard on p. 46, Table 80, is incorrect. The separation of proteins can be accomplished more efficiently by paper electrophoresis than by paper chromatography. Therefore, this reviewer does not feel that a whole chapter on this subject should be included in this book. In the chapter on “Insecticides,” Cook’s eloquent method of enzymic detection for organic phosphorus insecticides is left out. This book represents a welcome addition to some of the monographs and reviews previously written on the subject of paper chromatography. There are some rather novel features in this book which are refreshing innovations: for example, one-dimensional maps are substituted for RI tables; detailed discussions for detection and miscellaneous treatments are deferred to the Appendix of the book which makes for easier reading but more difficult practical usage. A Glossary (7% pp.) in the beginning of the book lists some interesting abbreviations, for example, IAA (?) (Indolyl-3essigsaure) ME 87 unidentified ergot alkaloid. This book is an excellent source of some of the important literature from the Czech and other East European Scientific literature. The format, print, quality, and
262
BOOK
REVIEWS
pictures are of the highest quality. This reviewer is anxiously awaiting the publication of Vol. II of the Hundbuch, which, according to the editors, will include 10,000 literature citations and should represent the ultimate work in this ever-expanding field of analysis. GUNTER ZWEIG, Davis, California
Gas Chromatography. A Symposium held under the Auspices of the Analysis Instrumentation Division of the Instrument Society of America, August 1957. Edited by V. J. COATES, H. J. NOEBELS and I. S. FAGERSON. Academic Press Inc., New York and London, 1958. xii + 323 pp. Price $10.00. The present volume contains the papers and discussions presented at the First Symposium on Gas Chromatography in Michigan. Of the 27 lectures, 24 originate in the United States and Canada, two in England, and one in Hungary. The work described was done predominantly in industrial laboratories of such concerns as the Perkin-Elmer Corp., Beckman, Instruments, Inc., du Pont de Nemours & Co., General Electric Co., Eastman Kodak Co., Douglas Aircraft Co., and Phillips Petroleum Company. J. E. Golay introduces the reader into “Theory and Practice” of his new method of “Coated Capillaries.” The permeability of a normally packed column lags far behind the theoretical value while the coated capillary reaches almost this value. J. F. Young demonstrates that the theoretical plate concept can be substituted by kinetic formulations which approach more closely the real conditions on the chromatographic column. New ideas are also developed by S. S. Ober in his paper on “The Interrelationship of Column Efficiency and Resolving Power in Gas Chromatography.” The following papers are concerned with improvements in the instrumentation. C. Phillips, for example, uses metal salts as column liquid, D. W. Carle describes an apparatus for precise liquid sampling, and H. R. Felton and G. W. Taylor have developed gas chromatography units for high temperatures. J. J. Kirkland describes an apparatus for “PreparativeScaleVapor Chromatography” which permits working with amounts up to 10 g. or even larger. The remaining papers are devoted to improvements of instrumentation and indication, to techniques of new analyses, and to the problem of fully automatic recording. A. I. P. Martin addressed the symposium with a paper on “Past, Present, and Future of Gas Chromatography” in which he foresees for Gas Chromatography a place of prime importance in the laboratory of the future. An extensive bibliography (up to the end of 1957) and an appendix on nomenclature make this volume particularly valuable. E. CREMER, Innsbruck, Austria
Symposium on Protein Structure. Edited by ALBERT NEUBERGER, Professor Chemical Pathology, St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, London. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, N. Y., 1958. 351 pp. Price $7.75. This book is a permanent record of a symposium sponsored by The Protein Commission of the Section of Biological Chemistry of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (Paris meeting, 1957). It consists of 36 articles on proteins by leading investigators from many countries, which give a good view of contemporary research on proteins with the exception of purely physical chemistry. The sub-
BOOK
REVIEWS
the available data frequently did not permit conclusions to be drawn, but the author has collated the available evidence so that the reader may attempt to form his own judgment . The book is well printed and the formulas are nicely drawn; the text appears to be generally free from errors, although the reviewer noted the absence of an angular methyl group from Formulas XVIII and XX on page 10. Considerable use is made of tables t,o compare data. The book will certainly assist workers in one section of the field by making available in a concise and convenient form a conspectus of results obtained by workers in other related, but often relatively inaccessible parts of the field. C. W.
SHOPPEE,
Sydney,
Australia
Handbuch der Papierchromatographie. (In two volumes.) Edited by Ivo M. HAIS and KAREL MACEK, Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Translated from the second Czech edition by J. LIEBSTER. Vol. I: Principles and Technique. Gustav Fischer Publishers, Jena, Germany, 1958. xxiv + 866 pp. Price D.M. 58.40. The editors of this treatise on the theory and methodology of paper chromatography have presented in Vol. I an excellent review of the voluminous literature in this field through 1955, with some papers from 1956. Contributors of this book are experts drawn mostly from Czech institutions. This book is a translation from the Czech into German by J. Liebster, whose name might be given greater prominence than a mere citation in small print on an inside page. The book is divided into two parts: Part I, General Discussion; and Part II, Applications. Part I begins with the history of chromatography, with emphasis on paper chromatography, and is illustrated with a number of beaut,iful pictures of Runge’s radial chromatograms. This chapt,er also contains photographs of the “fathers” of paper chromatography (all British), Consden, Gorden, Martin, and Synge. The footnotes about the personal background of Runge, Schoenbein, and Tswett are very enlightening. The chapter on “Principle and Theory” is thorough and well documented by the mathematical treatment based on the papers by de Vault, Martin, and Synge. The definition of chromatography is rather narrow since it only refers to partition chromatography. The point that partition chromatography is the most prevalent factor in the separation of substances on paper may be an oversimplification of this process. The relationship between structure and chromatographic behavior, as well as the influence of functional groups on migration, is discussed. Subsequent chapters of Part I follow the laboratory procedure of paper chromatography, preparation and application of sample, solvent development, detection and quantitative analysis, chromatography of radioactive substances, and preparatory chromatography. A section on filter paper is particularly commendable since it includes a good electronmicrograph of cellulose and an evaluation of various filterpaper grades. (Whatman No. 1 or Schleicher & Schuell2043 bNG1 are the best overall grades; S & S 2071 is best for large-scale separations.) A section on the selection of developing solvents on the basis of water solubility, dielectric constants, and “group constants ” is very useful; so is a list of the most commonly used solvents. The chapter on development technique leaves out the ascending-descending technique as well as the horizontal sector analysis (Kawerau).
BOOK
REVIEWS
261
Figures 24 and 73 are repetitious since they both illustrate the dependence of Rf value on starting point. The book, as a whole, contains a rather lavish number of graphs and photographs (242 in all), and the information conveyed by some illustrations is not always useful. A good discussion on chromatographic anomalies does not always suggest corrective measures. For example, “tongue formation” due to heavy deposits of natural extracts may be simply overcome by streaking the sample from edge to ege. The section on detection and quantitative determination is not quite complete. For example, the authors do not mention some of the commercially available chromatographic equipment, like a chromatographic oven. The simple ultraviolet scanner, developed by Tennent, is not mentioned either. A photograph of an ultraviolet lamp is of little help to the reader (Fig. 86). The maximum-density method of Block is only given scant attention, although this technique has proved extremely useful in practice. A short chapter on the chromatography of radioactive substances gives an introduction to a field which is covered more thoroughly in specialized texts. The chapter on preparative chromatography includes a discussion on filter paper as well as columns packed with cellulose powder. Part II of the book is devoted to the application of paper chromatography and to the separation of many classes of organic as well as inorganic compounds. Each chapter essentially includes the following: preparation of sample or derivatives, onedimensional map, photograph of chromatogram, detection and analysis, choice of solvents, and literature citations. The chapters are arranged according to a modified Beilstein system and are as follows: alcohols (6 pp.); aldehydes-ketones (4 pp.) ; fatty acids (25 pp.) ; carbohydrates (40 pp.); phenols-aromatic acids (25 pp.) ; steroids (16 pp.) ; hydrocarbons (4 pp.) ; amines (4 pp.); nitro compounds (3 pp.); amino acids (61 pp.) ; peptides (7 pp.) ; proteins (7 pp.) ; purines-pyrimidines (18 pp.) ; alkaloids (26 pp.); heterocycles (21 pp.); organic sulfur compounds (11 pp.) ; vitamins (25 pp.) ; antibiotics (12 pp.) ; insecticides (6 pp.) ; synthetic dyes (5 pp.) ; inorganic substances (36 pp.). The chapters dealing with applications are written with authority, and a few comments which follow should not detract from the high quality of the work. A map of the intermediary products of photosynthesis, which appears in the chapter on carbohydrates, does not illustrate very well the separation of the phosphorylated sugars. Contrary to the author’s conclusion, this reviewer has found that an acetone solution of ninhydrin is stable for several months if kept under refrigeration. The spelling of Ritchard on p. 46, Table 80, is incorrect. The separation of proteins can be accomplished more efficiently by paper electrophoresis than by paper chromatography. Therefore, this reviewer does not feel that a whole chapter on this subject should be included in this book. In the chapter on “Insecticides,” Cook’s eloquent method of enzymic detection for organic phosphorus insecticides is left out. This book represents a welcome addition to some of the monographs and reviews previously written on the subject of paper chromatography. There are some rather novel features in this book which are refreshing innovations: for example, one-dimensional maps are substituted for RI tables; detailed discussions for detection and miscellaneous treatments are deferred to the Appendix of the book which makes for easier reading but more difficult practical usage. A Glossary (7% pp.) in the beginning of the book lists some interesting abbreviations, for example, IAA (?) (Indolyl-3essigsaure) ME 87 unidentified ergot alkaloid. This book is an excellent source of some of the important literature from the Czech and other East European Scientific literature. The format, print, quality, and
262
BOOK
REVIEWS
pictures are of the highest quality. This reviewer is anxiously awaiting the publication of Vol. II of the Hundbuch, which, according to the editors, will include 10,000 literature citations and should represent the ultimate work in this ever-expanding field of analysis. GUNTER ZWEIG, Davis, California
Gas Chromatography. A Symposium held under the Auspices of the Analysis Instrumentation Division of the Instrument Society of America, August 1957. Edited by V. J. COATES, H. J. NOEBELS and I. S. FAGERSON. Academic Press Inc., New York and London, 1958. xii + 323 pp. Price $10.00. The present volume contains the papers and discussions presented at the First Symposium on Gas Chromatography in Michigan. Of the 27 lectures, 24 originate in the United States and Canada, two in England, and one in Hungary. The work described was done predominantly in industrial laboratories of such concerns as the Perkin-Elmer Corp., Beckman, Instruments, Inc., du Pont de Nemours & Co., General Electric Co., Eastman Kodak Co., Douglas Aircraft Co., and Phillips Petroleum Company. J. E. Golay introduces the reader into “Theory and Practice” of his new method of “Coated Capillaries.” The permeability of a normally packed column lags far behind the theoretical value while the coated capillary reaches almost this value. J. F. Young demonstrates that the theoretical plate concept can be substituted by kinetic formulations which approach more closely the real conditions on the chromatographic column. New ideas are also developed by S. S. Ober in his paper on “The Interrelationship of Column Efficiency and Resolving Power in Gas Chromatography.” The following papers are concerned with improvements in the instrumentation. C. Phillips, for example, uses metal salts as column liquid, D. W. Carle describes an apparatus for precise liquid sampling, and H. R. Felton and G. W. Taylor have developed gas chromatography units for high temperatures. J. J. Kirkland describes an apparatus for “PreparativeScaleVapor Chromatography” which permits working with amounts up to 10 g. or even larger. The remaining papers are devoted to improvements of instrumentation and indication, to techniques of new analyses, and to the problem of fully automatic recording. A. I. P. Martin addressed the symposium with a paper on “Past, Present, and Future of Gas Chromatography” in which he foresees for Gas Chromatography a place of prime importance in the laboratory of the future. An extensive bibliography (up to the end of 1957) and an appendix on nomenclature make this volume particularly valuable. E. CREMER, Innsbruck, Austria
Symposium on Protein Structure. Edited by ALBERT NEUBERGER, Professor Chemical Pathology, St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, London. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, N. Y., 1958. 351 pp. Price $7.75. This book is a permanent record of a symposium sponsored by The Protein Commission of the Section of Biological Chemistry of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (Paris meeting, 1957). It consists of 36 articles on proteins by leading investigators from many countries, which give a good view of contemporary research on proteins with the exception of purely physical chemistry. The sub-