The chemistry and technology of waxes, by Albin H. Warth. Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 330 W. 42nd St., New York 18, N. Y. viii + 519 pp. 15 × 23 cm. Price $10

The chemistry and technology of waxes, by Albin H. Warth. Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 330 W. 42nd St., New York 18, N. Y. viii + 519 pp. 15 × 23 cm. Price $10

130 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION Encyclofiedia of C h i c a b Technology. Edited by RAYMOND E. KIRK and OTHMER. In 10 volumes...

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130

JOURNAL OF THE

AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION

Encyclofiedia of C h i c a b Technology. Edited by RAYMOND E. KIRK and OTHMER. In 10 volumes. The Encyclopedia, Inc., New York, 1947. pp. 18 x 26.5 cm. Price $20.

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Volume I. DONALDF. Interscience xxiv 981

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Good technical encyclopedic works should be the foundation of a technical library. While such references have limitations they constitute a starting point for gleaning information on a particular subject. Encyclopedias in current use often leave the reader with a sense of inadequacy, however, the revisions usually have not been sufficiently modern nor thorough. Frequently references t o the primary source are ancient or even missing. That is why libraries will welcome the new Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. The contributors to this first volume are wellrecognized authorities in their fields. Such men as H. H. Anderson and M. S. Dunn of the University of California; P. H. Emmett of the Mellon Institute; W. H. Hartung and John C. Krantz, Jr., of the University of Maryland; E. B. Sandell of the University of Minnesota; and Louis Schwartz of the National Institute of Health, have made valuable contributions. In addition, many research and development workers in such industrial establishments as E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Dow Chemical Company, The American Cyanamid Company, General Aniline and Film Company, Aluminum Company of America, Sterling Drug Company, Rohm and Haas, Schenley Distillers Corporation, Monsanto Chemical Company, and Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company are represented. In most instances the reader finds himself saying, “He is the very person t o write that section.” Volume I constitutes the A’s up t o Anthrimides and embraces such subjects as acetanilid, acid-base systems, absorption, agar, air conditioning, alcohol, algin, alkaloids, allergens, amebacides, alkylation, amines, and antacids. Typical of an individual compound or product is the section on algin. After a brief introductory account of origin, trade names, and commercial forms, there appears a brief account of the chemical nature of algin and its properties and reactions. A section on sources and production follows. The early processes of manufacture are briefly described and then the Green cold process and the LeGloahecHerter process are described in considerable detail, amplified by flow sheet diagrams. The uses of algin are given in about one and a half pages. However, under each significant use is a cross-reference t o another volume, i.e., the reader can expect greater detail on dental uses, pharmaceutical uses, cosmetic uses, and uses in textile finishing elsewhere. A bibliography of 12 references follows. The section was prepared by Dr. C. K. Tseng of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This section is typical of those describing individual compounds or products excepting that in some cases more detail concerning toxicology and economics is given. The section on amines, written by Dr. E. F.

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Landau, is representative of articles written about chemical classes. After a brief discussion of classes of amines, he discusses nomenclature and then general properties. A section on aliphatic amines with a tabulation of the properties of 39 monamines, 9 di- and polyamines and 2 alicyclic amines follows. The subsection on aromatic amines includes a tabulation of 50 aromatic amines. En all cases the preparation, occurrence, and physical and chemical properties are given. A number of general drug divisions classified by pharmacological activity are included. The section on amebacides written by H. H. Anderson and Eder L. Hansen is representative. The authors outline the requirements of a good amebacide and describe Leake’s method for testing for amebacidal activity. The value of in vitro vs. in vivo screening is discussed. This is followed by a tabulation of 72 drugs which have been shown t o have some degree of amebacidal activity and a table of the cysticidal activity of 20. cationic detergents. Similar sections on allergens, analgesics, anesthetics, and antacids occur in this volume. It is planned that two t o three volumes wiU be issued per year until the entire encyclopedia of ten volumes is completed. The binding is in black buckram with gold letters on a medium blue trim. The paper is of excellent quality and the typography is good. When the series is complete, it will be a n exceptionally useful addition to any technical library.

The Chemistry and Technology of Waxes. by ALEIN H. WARTH. Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 330 W. 42nd St., New York 18, N. Y. viii -t- 519 pp. 15 x 23 em. Price $10. Here i s a book well worth having as a ready reference for anyone who is interested in the technology of waxes. The author has brought together and correlated a mass of widely scattered information about waxes and has molded i t into a logical arrangement of facts according to source, chemical and physical properties, and uses of the waxes. A particularly good and lengthy discussion of the “Natural Waxes” is included. This is followed by more brief discussions of Fossil and Earth Waxes, and Lignite Paraffins; Petroleum Waxes; Synthetic Waxes and Wax Compounds; Emulsifiable Waxes, Waxy Acids and Metallic Soaps; Methods for Determining the Constants of Waxes; and Uses of Waxes in Industry. The chapter on Methods for Determining the Constants of Waxes should be of special interest to the analytical chemist. Also of special interest are many tables on the physical ‘constants of waxes which are included in the appendix together with an author index. Many references have been included at the end of each chapter, by the author, t o provide further information on the subjects discussed.