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Organosilicon and bioorganosilicon chemistry
Organosilicon and Bioorganosilicon Chemistry. Edited by H. Sakurai. Pp. 298. Ellis Horwood, Chichester. 7985. f35.00.
This volume contains the Plenary and Invited Lectures at the Symposium on Organosilicon Chemistry, Kyoto 1984, with the exception of the extensive contributions of Professor Wiberg’s group, which are given only in brief outline. The title is misleading. There are 27 talks altogether and only one of these is devoted to bioorganosilicon chemistry. The text is taken directly from the manuscripts and therefore the presentation varies widely, that of Professors Bock and Solouki being particularly imaginative. The book summarises many current trends in its field. It succeeds well in showing how almost commonplace have become compounds and intermediates containing previously elusive silicon double and even triple bonded species, which appear in many chapters, not only in Part 1. Of particular interest is the clear exposition by C. Eaborn of his novel and exciting work on sterically hindered organosilicon compounds, and the thoughtful exposition by I. Fleming of the careful work being done on stereochemical control in electrophilic addition to allylsilanes and particularly to l3-silylenolates. The important oxidative cleavage of the C-5 bond also appears in Fleming’s chapter and more fully in the talk by K. Tamao. This book should certainly be in chemical libraries, though I would hesitate to recommend it for private purchase. A. Petter Advances in Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy. Vol. 12. Edited by R. J. H. Clark and R. E. Hester. Pp. 360. Wiley, Chichester, 7985. f72.00.
Volume 12 in this very useful and wellproduced series contains a number of timely articles, which serve to emphasize the continuing development and usefulness of infra-red and Raman spectroscopy. In Chapter 1, Bewick and Pons review the methods by which infra-red spectra of species adsorbed on electrode surfaces can be obtained with monolayer sensitivity. In the second chapter, Tallandier, Liquier, and Taboury discuss infra-red spectroscopic studies of DNA conformations and show how subtle conformation features can be characterized. Mathias and co-workers review in Chapter 3 recent work on the vibrational analysis of the retinal isomers. In particular, the sensitivity of observed bands to geometric and electronic perturbations are considered. In the fourth chapter Lee and Albracht present a unified theoretical account of Raman, resonance Raman, and resonance fluorescence spectroscopy based on the density matrix method. This is a valuable contribution to our understanding of these processes. Barron and Vrbancich treat in detail in Chapter 5 the theory, experimental methods, and experimental results for magnetic Raman optical activity.
104
In Chapter 6 Hamaguchi presents a useful and comprehensive account of the phenomena of depolarization in vibrational Raman scattering, including the resonance case. The volume concludes with a review by James of low-frequency depolarized light scattering from liquids and solutions. Studies of the so-called ‘Rayleigh wing’ for many systems, including electrolyte solutions and aqueous solutions of nucleosides and nucleotides, are presented and discussed. Each chapter is of necessity specialised and few laboratories or individuals are likely to be deeply involved in all the subjects treated here. Nevertheless, the volume should be regarded as an essential for scientific libraries and one of the tools of the trade for practising molecular spectroscopists. D. A. Long
Olefin Metathesis and Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cycle-olefins. By Valerian Drag&an, Alexandru T. Balaban and Mihai Dimonie. Pp. 544. Editura Academiei, Bucarest and Wifey, Chichester. 1985. f34.50.
The story of olefin metathesis and ringolefin polymerisation of cycle-olefins, catalysed by transition metals, is a fascinating and remarkable aspect of chemistry. Organic chemists will be interested by the synthetic potential of metathesis reactions. metal chemists have Organo-transition shown remarkable ingenuity in unravelling the intimate details of mechanisms and the role of the catalyst. Industrial applications of metathesis are discussed in depth. This book covers the subject in a thorough and lively manner. The literature is covered up to 1982 and with occasional more recent references. The book is written in an authoritative manner and it is clearly presented. The more academic aspects such as mechanism are considered in detail, yet the practical aspects are also described. The last chapter presents a very extensive and comprehensive tabular survey of catalytic systems for metathesis. A survey of this table, which covers 68 pages, reveals the remarkably large number of systems, mainly heterogeneous, which have been investigated for their activity towards methathesis of olefins. This book will certainly be useful, and serve both as an introduction to the subject and as a reference work for investigators in the field. M. L. H. Green
Polymers. The Origins and Growth of a Science. By Herbert Morawetz. Pp. 306. Wiley, Chichester. 1985. f54.95.
Although polymer science has only been in existence for little over sixty years, it has become one of the commercially and intellectually most important disciplines of
chemistry. Yet for all its contemporary significance, little systematic work has been done on its history. Compared with, for example, the history of the development of other presently important disciplines such as nuclear physics or molecular biology, this is a striking lacuna. Herbert Morawetz, a professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York (formerly Brooklyn Polytechnic), a centre famed for its role in the development of polymer science, has made a good attempt to fill this gap in the historical literature. Morawetz has been assiduous in his examination of the scientific literature; he gives references to over one thousand original papers and monographs, and he has been aided by many of his fellow polymer scientists, especially his close colleague, Herman Mark. The product comprehensively covers the development of polymer science from the original definition of the term ‘polymer’ by Berzelius in 1832 to the early 1960s. Although there are several typographical errors and I would disagree with one or two assertions in the text, it is in many ways an excellent account. Morawetz gives some attention to industrial developments, in particular the synthetic rubber industry, and there is a brief but interesting chapter on the impact of the rise of National Socialism on several polymer scientists. As a scientific account of the development of polymer science, Morawetz’s book will appeal chiefly to other chemists who want a detailed overview of the evolution of the subject, and it will also be an indispensible reference book for historians working in this field. However, the wealth of technical detail, which is one of the book’s strengths, may prove daunting to the general reader. P. Morris Wings in the Sea. The Humpback Whale. By Lois K. Winn and Howard E. Winn. Pp. 151. University Press of New England, New Hampshire. Distributed by Tfevof Brown Associates, London. 7985, Cloth f25.00, Paperback f 15.95.
The humpback whale was given protection from whaling in the N. Atlantic in the 1956 and in the N. Pacific ten years later. Since then, as these stocks have slowly recovered, they have become the best studied and most completely known whale populations in the world. That so much could be learned without the death of a single whale is a testament to the many researchers who pioneered this new approach and should be a lesson to those ‘scientific whalers’ whose blinkered opinion is still that a prerequisite for really studying a whale is its death. Howard and Lois King Winn have been involved in humpback whale research for the last sixteen years and in this book they present an up to date picture of the natural history of this species centering around their own findings and research. Whilst this makes for a readable account it is worth stressing that this is not a disinterested overview of humpback whale research in
This volume contains the Plenary and Invited Lectures at the Symposium on Organosilicon Chemistry, Kyoto 1984, with the exception of the extensive contributions of Professor Wiberg’s group, which are given only in brief outline. The title is misleading. There are 27 talks altogether and only one of these is devoted to bioorganosilicon chemistry. The text is taken directly from the manuscripts and therefore the presentation varies widely, that of Professors Bock and Solouki being particularly imaginative. The book summarises many current trends in its field. It succeeds well in showing how almost commonplace have become compounds and intermediates containing previously elusive silicon double and even triple bonded species, which appear in many chapters, not only in Part 1. Of particular interest is the clear exposition by C. Eaborn of his novel and exciting work on sterically hindered organosilicon compounds, and the thoughtful exposition by I. Fleming of the careful work being done on stereochemical control in electrophilic addition to allylsilanes and particularly to l3-silylenolates. The important oxidative cleavage of the C-5 bond also appears in Fleming’s chapter and more fully in the talk by K. Tamao. This book should certainly be in chemical libraries, though I would hesitate to recommend it for private purchase. A. Petter Advances in Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy. Vol. 12. Edited by R. J. H. Clark and R. E. Hester. Pp. 360. Wiley, Chichester, 7985. f72.00.
Volume 12 in this very useful and wellproduced series contains a number of timely articles, which serve to emphasize the continuing development and usefulness of infra-red and Raman spectroscopy. In Chapter 1, Bewick and Pons review the methods by which infra-red spectra of species adsorbed on electrode surfaces can be obtained with monolayer sensitivity. In the second chapter, Tallandier, Liquier, and Taboury discuss infra-red spectroscopic studies of DNA conformations and show how subtle conformation features can be characterized. Mathias and co-workers review in Chapter 3 recent work on the vibrational analysis of the retinal isomers. In particular, the sensitivity of observed bands to geometric and electronic perturbations are considered. In the fourth chapter Lee and Albracht present a unified theoretical account of Raman, resonance Raman, and resonance fluorescence spectroscopy based on the density matrix method. This is a valuable contribution to our understanding of these processes. Barron and Vrbancich treat in detail in Chapter 5 the theory, experimental methods, and experimental results for magnetic Raman optical activity.
104
In Chapter 6 Hamaguchi presents a useful and comprehensive account of the phenomena of depolarization in vibrational Raman scattering, including the resonance case. The volume concludes with a review by James of low-frequency depolarized light scattering from liquids and solutions. Studies of the so-called ‘Rayleigh wing’ for many systems, including electrolyte solutions and aqueous solutions of nucleosides and nucleotides, are presented and discussed. Each chapter is of necessity specialised and few laboratories or individuals are likely to be deeply involved in all the subjects treated here. Nevertheless, the volume should be regarded as an essential for scientific libraries and one of the tools of the trade for practising molecular spectroscopists. D. A. Long
Olefin Metathesis and Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cycle-olefins. By Valerian Drag&an, Alexandru T. Balaban and Mihai Dimonie. Pp. 544. Editura Academiei, Bucarest and Wifey, Chichester. 1985. f34.50.
The story of olefin metathesis and ringolefin polymerisation of cycle-olefins, catalysed by transition metals, is a fascinating and remarkable aspect of chemistry. Organic chemists will be interested by the synthetic potential of metathesis reactions. metal chemists have Organo-transition shown remarkable ingenuity in unravelling the intimate details of mechanisms and the role of the catalyst. Industrial applications of metathesis are discussed in depth. This book covers the subject in a thorough and lively manner. The literature is covered up to 1982 and with occasional more recent references. The book is written in an authoritative manner and it is clearly presented. The more academic aspects such as mechanism are considered in detail, yet the practical aspects are also described. The last chapter presents a very extensive and comprehensive tabular survey of catalytic systems for metathesis. A survey of this table, which covers 68 pages, reveals the remarkably large number of systems, mainly heterogeneous, which have been investigated for their activity towards methathesis of olefins. This book will certainly be useful, and serve both as an introduction to the subject and as a reference work for investigators in the field. M. L. H. Green
Polymers. The Origins and Growth of a Science. By Herbert Morawetz. Pp. 306. Wiley, Chichester. 1985. f54.95.
Although polymer science has only been in existence for little over sixty years, it has become one of the commercially and intellectually most important disciplines of
chemistry. Yet for all its contemporary significance, little systematic work has been done on its history. Compared with, for example, the history of the development of other presently important disciplines such as nuclear physics or molecular biology, this is a striking lacuna. Herbert Morawetz, a professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York (formerly Brooklyn Polytechnic), a centre famed for its role in the development of polymer science, has made a good attempt to fill this gap in the historical literature. Morawetz has been assiduous in his examination of the scientific literature; he gives references to over one thousand original papers and monographs, and he has been aided by many of his fellow polymer scientists, especially his close colleague, Herman Mark. The product comprehensively covers the development of polymer science from the original definition of the term ‘polymer’ by Berzelius in 1832 to the early 1960s. Although there are several typographical errors and I would disagree with one or two assertions in the text, it is in many ways an excellent account. Morawetz gives some attention to industrial developments, in particular the synthetic rubber industry, and there is a brief but interesting chapter on the impact of the rise of National Socialism on several polymer scientists. As a scientific account of the development of polymer science, Morawetz’s book will appeal chiefly to other chemists who want a detailed overview of the evolution of the subject, and it will also be an indispensible reference book for historians working in this field. However, the wealth of technical detail, which is one of the book’s strengths, may prove daunting to the general reader. P. Morris Wings in the Sea. The Humpback Whale. By Lois K. Winn and Howard E. Winn. Pp. 151. University Press of New England, New Hampshire. Distributed by Tfevof Brown Associates, London. 7985, Cloth f25.00, Paperback f 15.95.
The humpback whale was given protection from whaling in the N. Atlantic in the 1956 and in the N. Pacific ten years later. Since then, as these stocks have slowly recovered, they have become the best studied and most completely known whale populations in the world. That so much could be learned without the death of a single whale is a testament to the many researchers who pioneered this new approach and should be a lesson to those ‘scientific whalers’ whose blinkered opinion is still that a prerequisite for really studying a whale is its death. Howard and Lois King Winn have been involved in humpback whale research for the last sixteen years and in this book they present an up to date picture of the natural history of this species centering around their own findings and research. Whilst this makes for a readable account it is worth stressing that this is not a disinterested overview of humpback whale research in