Mass Spectrometry, Volume 2, senior reporter

497

important species, trimethylene. There are also articles on the “cage” effect, decomposition of peroxides and azolakanes, polar effects in hydrogen transfer, radical rearrangements, electron transfer in organic anions, substitution at metal centres,

oxidation-reduction

reactions,

rate constants

for free radical

processes

and rate processes in the gas phase. The Iatter article was a little disappointing, and could have been more imaginative in approach instead of an updated version of an older review. The book is well produced with a minimum of printers errors but at a price of fI19 is obviously meant for libraries not individuals. Publishers, in general, should be warned that if prices of this type of book continues to escalate than even libraries may have to reconsider purchase! P. c.

Fl~~~da~n~~~t~[s of ~o~e~l~[ur Spectroscop_v, by C. N. Banwell, London, 2nd edition, 1972, pp. xii-t-348, price fT2.90.

McGraw-Hill,

The first edition of this book was published in 1966. It provides an introduction to spectroscopy at a level suited to second and third year undergraduates or the non-specialist wishing to acquire a basic knowledge of spectroscopy. Its emphasis lies in the physical principles of spectroscopy, and detailed mathematical derivations are deliberately avoided. This new edition is unchanged in broad outline, but has been brought up to date with modem spectroscopic techniques. Thus a description of Fourier transform spectroscopy has been added to both the infrared and NMR sections, laser Raman spectroscopy is described in greater detail than in the first edition, and brief discussions of photoelectron and MSssbauer spectroscopy are included. The layout of the book is well-planned and the treatment of the subject matter is adequate for the level intended, although there is some unevenness in the discussion of applications; for example, in the microwave spectroscopy chapter determination of structural data and dipoie moments is discussed, but there is no mention of the determination of potential barriers to rotation or inversion. A. B.

Mass Spectrornetry, Volume 2, senior reporter D. H. WILLIAMS,Specialist Periodical Reports, Chemical Society, London, 1973, pp_ xi-t- 356, price ,68.00 (CS members 65.25). This volume reviews the literature published between July I970 and June 1972. The areas covered are as foliows: “Alternative methods of ionisation and

498

analysis” (J. M. Wilson); “Kinetic and energetic studies of organic ions” (I. Howe); “Reactions of specific functional groups” (J. H. Bowie); “Natural products” (T_ J. Mead, H. R. Morris, J. H. Bowie and I. Howe); “Organometallic and codata acquisition and ordination compounds” (M, I. Bruce); “Computerised handling” (S. D. Ward); “Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry” (C. J. W. Brooks and B. S. Middleditch). There is also an author index. This comprehensive book is well written and presented. It contains much which will interest and stimulate the reader. The technical chapters, e.g. computer handling, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, are particularly useful summaries of the present and potential future developments in mass spectrometry. This series of Specialist Reports should be readily available to all mass spectrometer users. D. P.

Electronic Strrtmrre and Magnetism reporter P. Day, Specialist Periodical 1973, pp. ix+372, price JS.

of inorganic Compomds, Vol. 2, senior Report, The Chemical Society, London,

This book forms part of the very welcome series of Specialist Periodical Reports published by the Chemical Society. My only slight reservation is that the distinction between this and the Annual Reports series is not very clear. The jacket mentions, in respect OF the S.P.R. series, both “systematic and comprehensive review coverage” and “critical in-depth accounts” whereas, in respect of the A.R. series, it mentions “critical coverage of significant advances”. The implication is that, while both series offer critical reviews, those of the S.P.R. series are comprehensive in their coverage of the literature but those of the A.R. series need not be. If this is so it seems to me that the titles of the two series are rather misleading and shouId really have been interchanged. The present volume contains the following chapters: I. Photoelectron Spectroscopy by S. Evans and A. F. Orchard; 2. Electronic Spectra by P. Day and N. Sanders; 3. Optical Activity by R. G. Denning; 4. Magnetic SusceptibiIity Measurements by A. K. Gregson; 5. Molecular Calculations by A. Hamnett. if it might be thought from the list of authors, who are all in the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, that this might result in too close a similarity of views and styles this is not at all the case. Indeed in one respect, the attention which has been paid to units, the lack of u~formi~ is somewhat regretable. The worst instances of this are in Chapter 3 in which regions where electronic transitions occur are variously described in units of A, eV, cm-l and even kK. Whatever units are used by the original authors they should be rationalised in a