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The chemistry of lignin
648
BOOK REVIEWS
8. "Solid-Liquid Equilibria of Hydrocarbons" by M. R. Cines 9. "Chemical Thermodynamic Equilibria among Hydrocarbons" by Frederick D. Rossini A p~rticu]arly pleasing feature of the book, which does credit to its editor, is the uniformity of style and the lack of overlap of the contributions of the authors. The book, in fact, almost reads as though it were the work of a single writer. Though the book is not large, it contains more detail than is useful for a textbook. I t could, however, serve as auxiliary reading for a course in petroleum chemistry. Its real value, this reviewer believes, will be in petroleum laboratories as a general purpose reference book; as such, it will probably be a classic for a long time. Jori~w R. Bow~A~~, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Inorganic Chemistry. An Advanced Textbook. By T~ERAL1) MOELLEa. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1952. 966 pp. Price $10.00. Fashions in chemistry change periodically. At the beginning of modern chemistry, inorganic materials received the primary attention. Then classical physical chemistry dominated the scene, followed after World War I by the pre-eminence of organic chemistry. Today the pendulum is swinging back toward inorganic chemistry with emphasis upon its physicochemieal aspects rather than upon a purely descriptive treatment. The present work is offered as a textbook "to survey the field from this modern point of view and to acquaint students with existing problems and current investigations." Part I outlines the necessary principles with considerable factual material for purposes of illustration. Part II treates the dements and their compounds by families in a somewhat unconventional but nevertheless logical and teachable manner in the light of these principles. Part I opens with an extensive discussion of atomic nuclei, their instabilities and related problems; electronic configurations; periodic classifications, importance of radii, ionization potentials, and hydrogen and covalent bonds. Problems of geometry and stereoisomerism come next, followed by oxidation potentials and acid-base concepts. An elaborate author and subject, index contributes to the value o f both parts. The book is a welcome addition to our knowledge and will be of value to workers in Colloid Science as a convenient source book of reference. VICTOR K. LAMER, New York, New York The Chemistry of Lignin. By F. E. BRAUNS. Academic Press Inc., New York, 1952. xv + 808 pp. Price $14.50. This first book written in English devoted exclusively to lignin chemistry should be warmly welcomed by wood, lignin, and paper chemists. In the first chapter, the author calls attention to the little-recognized importance of lignin, the fact that the essential structure of the substance is still unknown, and the confusion which exists in lignin terminology. A system is suggested "to try to bring order into lignin nomenclature" and is used with effectiveness throughout the book. This introduction is followed by a review of over 2200 literature references on the distribution, isolation, determination, physical properties, and chemical properties of lignin, as well as theoretical concepts regarding this substance. The summaries are brief, but concise, and appear invariably to include the source and kind of lignin when such information is available in the original article. The author frequently compares the results with the findings of others and offers critical comment. In many cases, the data are assembled into tables to aid in comparison. The material as a whole is exceedingly well classified and adequately indexed. An outstanding feature of the book is the facility" with which various subiects may be located from a detailed table of contents covering nine pages.
BOOK REVIEWS
649
The book covers the period from 1811 through 1949. Inclusion of some of the older experimental work, particularly theories regarding lignin, may be questioned in the light of present-cay concepts. While this should be no disadvantage to the lignin chemist, the uninitiated may place undue reliance on some of the more fanciful ideas of the past. It is to be regretted that important developments since 1949 are not included, but this is understandable in a work of this magnitude. Tile author is to be congratulated on an excellent piece of work. JOHN C. PEw, Madison, Wisconsin
BOOK REVIEWS
8. "Solid-Liquid Equilibria of Hydrocarbons" by M. R. Cines 9. "Chemical Thermodynamic Equilibria among Hydrocarbons" by Frederick D. Rossini A p~rticu]arly pleasing feature of the book, which does credit to its editor, is the uniformity of style and the lack of overlap of the contributions of the authors. The book, in fact, almost reads as though it were the work of a single writer. Though the book is not large, it contains more detail than is useful for a textbook. I t could, however, serve as auxiliary reading for a course in petroleum chemistry. Its real value, this reviewer believes, will be in petroleum laboratories as a general purpose reference book; as such, it will probably be a classic for a long time. Jori~w R. Bow~A~~, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Inorganic Chemistry. An Advanced Textbook. By T~ERAL1) MOELLEa. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1952. 966 pp. Price $10.00. Fashions in chemistry change periodically. At the beginning of modern chemistry, inorganic materials received the primary attention. Then classical physical chemistry dominated the scene, followed after World War I by the pre-eminence of organic chemistry. Today the pendulum is swinging back toward inorganic chemistry with emphasis upon its physicochemieal aspects rather than upon a purely descriptive treatment. The present work is offered as a textbook "to survey the field from this modern point of view and to acquaint students with existing problems and current investigations." Part I outlines the necessary principles with considerable factual material for purposes of illustration. Part II treates the dements and their compounds by families in a somewhat unconventional but nevertheless logical and teachable manner in the light of these principles. Part I opens with an extensive discussion of atomic nuclei, their instabilities and related problems; electronic configurations; periodic classifications, importance of radii, ionization potentials, and hydrogen and covalent bonds. Problems of geometry and stereoisomerism come next, followed by oxidation potentials and acid-base concepts. An elaborate author and subject, index contributes to the value o f both parts. The book is a welcome addition to our knowledge and will be of value to workers in Colloid Science as a convenient source book of reference. VICTOR K. LAMER, New York, New York The Chemistry of Lignin. By F. E. BRAUNS. Academic Press Inc., New York, 1952. xv + 808 pp. Price $14.50. This first book written in English devoted exclusively to lignin chemistry should be warmly welcomed by wood, lignin, and paper chemists. In the first chapter, the author calls attention to the little-recognized importance of lignin, the fact that the essential structure of the substance is still unknown, and the confusion which exists in lignin terminology. A system is suggested "to try to bring order into lignin nomenclature" and is used with effectiveness throughout the book. This introduction is followed by a review of over 2200 literature references on the distribution, isolation, determination, physical properties, and chemical properties of lignin, as well as theoretical concepts regarding this substance. The summaries are brief, but concise, and appear invariably to include the source and kind of lignin when such information is available in the original article. The author frequently compares the results with the findings of others and offers critical comment. In many cases, the data are assembled into tables to aid in comparison. The material as a whole is exceedingly well classified and adequately indexed. An outstanding feature of the book is the facility" with which various subiects may be located from a detailed table of contents covering nine pages.
BOOK REVIEWS
649
The book covers the period from 1811 through 1949. Inclusion of some of the older experimental work, particularly theories regarding lignin, may be questioned in the light of present-cay concepts. While this should be no disadvantage to the lignin chemist, the uninitiated may place undue reliance on some of the more fanciful ideas of the past. It is to be regretted that important developments since 1949 are not included, but this is understandable in a work of this magnitude. Tile author is to be congratulated on an excellent piece of work. JOHN C. PEw, Madison, Wisconsin