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Molekülstruktur. physikalische methoden zur bestimmung der struktur von molekülen und ihren wichtigsten ergebnisse
BOOK REVIEWS
Molekiilstruktur. Physikalische Methoden zur Bestimmung der Struktur von Molekiilen und ihren wichtigsten Ergebnisse H. A. STUART. 3rd revised edition, in collaboration with E. FUNCI~ and W. MOLLImW^RMUTH. Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg, New Y o r k : 1967. x v i + 5 6 2 pp. 154 figs. D M 68.00 or U.S. $17.00 THE first edition of this well known book was published in 1934 with the same title Molekiilstruktur, but the second edition (1952) was almost entirely rewritten to serve as the first volume of a four volume work, Die Physik der Hochpolymeren, edited by the author, and its title was changed to Die Struktur des ]mien Molekiils. The present third edition is once again published as an independent volume without the three polymer volumes and the original title Molekiilstruktur is restored. This sequence explains some peculiarities of the new edition that may puzzle readers unfamiliar w i t h / h e second edition. The author explains that in spite of the enormous literature which has accumulated since 1952 it was decided not to increase the size of the volume so that it might keep its character of a comparatively short general introduction to the subject, but even with this restriction h e found it necessary ~o have the collaboration of colleagues to deal with the mass of new material. There are still only nine chapters, most of which retain the original laeadings, but the short final chapter of the second edition, on light absorption and constitution, has been dropped, while an entirely new chapter 'The determination of structure parameters by high frequency spectroscopy' by W. Miiller-Warmuth, covering nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance, laas been introduced. The chapter 'Eigenschwingungen des Kerngertistes', dealing with infra-red and R a m a n spectroscopy, has been rewritten by E. Funck. This attractively produced new edition with its numerous new references will be welcomed by many, but it must be admitted that the amputation of this work from the polymer volumes of the second edition has left some ugly scars which could have been avoided by more extensive re-writing and more careful checking of the text. Some examples are given below. Since the subtitle claims that the book contains the most important results obtained by physical methods, the reader will be surprised to find n o reference to recent works on proteins, nucleic acids, vitamin BI2 and (almost none) on modern inorganic chemistry. This is in part explained by the introduction to the second edition (not reprinted in this edition) which states that the volume dealt primarily with small molecules. Similarly the brevity of the section covering X-ray crystal analysis was exp.lained in a sentence saying that the subject was fully treated in Volume III. In the new edition, unaccompanied by Volume III, this sentence is cut out, but the five pages are reproduced unaltered (except for additional references) and no reason is given for the short treatment. In Chapter 5, 'Dielectric constants, electric moments and molecular structure', there is a final section headed 'Proteins' Which contains no referencec to proteins. Reference to the second edition shows that this came about by cutting out the lower half of a table which contained electric moments of several proteins and so leaving only the values for amino acids and peptides, while the accompanying text is reprinted unchanged. On page 103 the word 'ultrarot' appears in an unaltered paragraph, while elsewhere the more m o d e m 'infrarot' is used. We slaould be grateful to the author for the large amount of wo~'k which the preparation of this new edition has involved, even though compressing so much new material into the old framework has inevitably produced cracks in the structure. CONMAR ROBINSON
Proceedings of the Second Tihany Conference on Radiation Chemistry J. D o a o and P. HEt)VIG (Eds.). Akademiai Kiado: Budapest, 1967. xvi+813 pp. 6 in. x 8½ in. 200s T h i s book is the proceedings of a conference held at Tihany in Hungary from 15 to 19 M a y 1966 and attended by scientists from twenty countries. The general outline is 667
Molekiilstruktur. Physikalische Methoden zur Bestimmung der Struktur von Molekiilen und ihren wichtigsten Ergebnisse H. A. STUART. 3rd revised edition, in collaboration with E. FUNCI~ and W. MOLLImW^RMUTH. Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg, New Y o r k : 1967. x v i + 5 6 2 pp. 154 figs. D M 68.00 or U.S. $17.00 THE first edition of this well known book was published in 1934 with the same title Molekiilstruktur, but the second edition (1952) was almost entirely rewritten to serve as the first volume of a four volume work, Die Physik der Hochpolymeren, edited by the author, and its title was changed to Die Struktur des ]mien Molekiils. The present third edition is once again published as an independent volume without the three polymer volumes and the original title Molekiilstruktur is restored. This sequence explains some peculiarities of the new edition that may puzzle readers unfamiliar w i t h / h e second edition. The author explains that in spite of the enormous literature which has accumulated since 1952 it was decided not to increase the size of the volume so that it might keep its character of a comparatively short general introduction to the subject, but even with this restriction h e found it necessary ~o have the collaboration of colleagues to deal with the mass of new material. There are still only nine chapters, most of which retain the original laeadings, but the short final chapter of the second edition, on light absorption and constitution, has been dropped, while an entirely new chapter 'The determination of structure parameters by high frequency spectroscopy' by W. Miiller-Warmuth, covering nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance, laas been introduced. The chapter 'Eigenschwingungen des Kerngertistes', dealing with infra-red and R a m a n spectroscopy, has been rewritten by E. Funck. This attractively produced new edition with its numerous new references will be welcomed by many, but it must be admitted that the amputation of this work from the polymer volumes of the second edition has left some ugly scars which could have been avoided by more extensive re-writing and more careful checking of the text. Some examples are given below. Since the subtitle claims that the book contains the most important results obtained by physical methods, the reader will be surprised to find n o reference to recent works on proteins, nucleic acids, vitamin BI2 and (almost none) on modern inorganic chemistry. This is in part explained by the introduction to the second edition (not reprinted in this edition) which states that the volume dealt primarily with small molecules. Similarly the brevity of the section covering X-ray crystal analysis was exp.lained in a sentence saying that the subject was fully treated in Volume III. In the new edition, unaccompanied by Volume III, this sentence is cut out, but the five pages are reproduced unaltered (except for additional references) and no reason is given for the short treatment. In Chapter 5, 'Dielectric constants, electric moments and molecular structure', there is a final section headed 'Proteins' Which contains no referencec to proteins. Reference to the second edition shows that this came about by cutting out the lower half of a table which contained electric moments of several proteins and so leaving only the values for amino acids and peptides, while the accompanying text is reprinted unchanged. On page 103 the word 'ultrarot' appears in an unaltered paragraph, while elsewhere the more m o d e m 'infrarot' is used. We slaould be grateful to the author for the large amount of wo~'k which the preparation of this new edition has involved, even though compressing so much new material into the old framework has inevitably produced cracks in the structure. CONMAR ROBINSON
Proceedings of the Second Tihany Conference on Radiation Chemistry J. D o a o and P. HEt)VIG (Eds.). Akademiai Kiado: Budapest, 1967. xvi+813 pp. 6 in. x 8½ in. 200s T h i s book is the proceedings of a conference held at Tihany in Hungary from 15 to 19 M a y 1966 and attended by scientists from twenty countries. The general outline is 667