Val. SSXIX., No. 1.1 REV .. - - -__ - - - - _ _

REVIEWS.

TUX ~’1tOI~ESSlOh’ OF CICEMISTRY. RIOIIAI~II B. Prtciisa. Pp. si . f 199.. (Loiidoib: Coiistablc and CO., Ltd., 1919.) rrm 63. Gd. n e t .

Although intcndod by tlic nuthor t o provido box- room chemists, thoir pnrciits and schoolmnstcrs with information regnrding tho profession i t is their ambition to enter, this book will l~ road with ;pry considornble intorost by chciiiists thenisolvcs. Jho lnttcr will probably l o :istonishcd to find tha t tlioro is so much to my, but tiicy will agrco that nobody is bcttcr qunlificd to say i t thnn AIr. l’ilchor, whoso long nnd loyal sorrico to tho Instituto. o l Chomistry commands tho grntitiido mid ndmirntion of tho wliolo profcssion.

Tho opoiiing chnptcr, on Preliminary Education, niitomnticnlly lands to thc inovitnblo comparison bctwccn clnssics nnd scionco ns instrumonts for ciiltivntiiig tho mind, and tho nuthor crystnlliscs our croed in tho following words: ‘ I Tho demand for moro scienco in general cducntion ivns not ncccs- snrily nssociatcd with tho idcir of ncglccting clnssi- cnl study und litcrnturc, b u t WIU mudo in ordor to eccurc t h a t ull clnsses o l tho coininunity should bc givon tho opportuiiity of knowing suliiciciit of tlio fundnnicntal principles of nieclinnics, physics, cliomiatry niid biology to cnnblu tlicin to npprcciatu tlicir raluo in tho nffiiirs of cvcrydny lifc.” It is this o portunity of n b:ilnnccd cducation which Ii:is bceii S e n i d us in tlio past by our clnssicistg wlio, in accusing us of ‘ I too cnrly spocinlisntion,” ignorc tho fnct thnt i t is thoy themselves who hnvo liithcrto spccinliscd most unblushingly. It is probnblo tlint, in conseqiicnce of this, not om per cont. of puronts trnvolling on tho Underground each day could give thoir sous n cohoront skotch of tho oncrgy tixiis- fornintions involved. Ihror still, nltliough TVO aro all ongagcd from brcnlrfnst to bcd- tho in or nnic chemical oporations of tho grcutosL subtloty,%nrc the sliglitcst coiioo )tion of tlie food-miitoriuls which they ussimi~ntc. ‘It is tilo ytrivning grips in our undcrstnnding of cvcrydng lifo typified by thcso osnniplcs, ncting on niinds ongcr for distraction, which stimirlnte thc domnnd for cphcmornl litcrn- kurc ; ho\v milch Iinppicr nnd bettor tho world rvoiild bc if only ficlioolmnstors ronliscd how littlo nnturo- study iiccd bo givoii to onablo boys and girls to pwfor, for instnnco, thoso dcliglitful cssiiys coin- priwd in “ Scicnco from an Ensy Chnir ” to ’‘ h i p p y Snips.”

Biising his Iiopcs II )on nn iiitcrcstiiig liistoricnl discussion of tho wads choniist, druggist, npotho- ciiry nnd phnriiiiicifit, tho nutlior looks for\vnrd with Iutticnco nnd iiiodtyttioii to tlw dny wlion cn- lightoiicd public opinion will roiiiovo tho prcsciit nbsurd nnon~nly From our coiiinicrcinl nomonclnturc, :t misfortuno which lins c s c r b d incillciilnblo inllii- enco in roturdin tlio npprcolntioii of &omistry in Urcnt Uritnin. ghnrrnncouticnl prnctico reprcsonts a coininunal factor niucli too nccwsnry md Iionour- nblo t o rcquiro tho eupposod nssistnnco of a mis- noiiicr, nut1 n phurnincist cannot bc a bottor plinr- mncist for cnlling liitnsclf a ‘ I cnsh choinist.” Thcro is nt lciist 0110 phnrmncist in L O I I ~ O J ~ wlio dcscribcs Iiinisclr ns II continontnl choniist ” j probably his alniiii to contincnt:ility is nioro cnsily imngincd tl inli stll t c d .

’ ~ I w Cll:lptW 011 I’rorwsioiinl Trriining is I I com- prolioiisiro guidc to tho vnrious institutions nt wliicli tlio study of chcrnietry niny be pursucd, nnd should prow oxtronicly vcilunblo to tho nforo- ~ ~ ~ c ~ i l i o ~ i o d pnrciitn iind sclioolruaetcrs, rvlio adl iilso sarutinim with sonio nnxioty tho l’rospccta rind Conditions 0: l’rncticu. BccI~cr’s ilcscriptioii of clioinists ns 11 strnngo clnss of mortnls impollcd by 1111 nliiiwt iii~iino iiiipiilso to wlco thuir ~ I U U S I I ~ O ~~iiioiifi snioko nnd mpoiir, soot nnd llun~o poisou illit1 poverty," is not oiitircly out or [into. hitliurto

TEW. 23 R - - -- ___ - -

1 thoro hns Ircon ono singulnr rcscmblnnrQ htween I Holy Orders and tho prnctico of chcmistq-the

prnctitionor is suppoficd to rccoivo pnrt pnynient from his tompernmontnl delight in tlie subject itself. Whilst tliero mny bo cthicnl objecLion to siibstnntinl fccv lor spiritunl guidnricq thcro is no eimilnr obstnclo to tho duo recognition of cliomicnl ndvioo, nnd i t is deplornblo thnt this is still incompletely npprccinted bccnuso tho responsibility of tho chom- ist is not rcnliscd. On this point tho nutlior mnkes tho following npproprinto obscrvntion : ‘ I Tho public niinlyst who ninkos n mistnko suffers in prestige. In t ho Inw, judges inny frcqucntly cxprcss thc opinion thnt thc litignnta hnvo bcon bntlly ndvised ; for inslnnco, thnt n C ~ S O should not hnvo conio into vourt. This is n mnttcr botmccii solicitor nnd clicnt. I n nicdicinc, cminont physicinns mny make n fniilty dingnosis, nnd scnrcoly nngono licnrs of it. In nrcliitcctiiro mistnkcs cnn oftcn ho rectificd bcforo tho building is complctcd. Tho public nnnlyst, hoeovor, whoso prnctico ns Such consists lnrgely of invcstigntions bringing iisiiiilly but asmnll rctiirn, is nnsncrnblc ns n public ofiicinl, and his rcputntion is a t stnko on nny lnpse from nccurncy, though i t niny bo tho rosult of nn nccidcnt-for instanco, through n confusion of snmplcs or Inck or uniformity of a snniplo unovonly mixed.))

Tho book includcs n long nnd ndmirnblo cliaptcr on Industrinl Chomistry, nnd n sliortcr one on the rclntion bctwccn Cheniistry nnd the Stnto. It is n tlioroughly coninicndnblo work, cnrcfully written, full of sound common-scnso prcscnted in nn nttrnctiro mnnncr.

31. 0. FORETER. - l’lL\OTICAL LUTIIF~ CIIE3IISTILY. A. HAIWW.

l ’ p . 207. (Lnndon: Crosby Lockiaood and Son. 1020.) Price 15s. net.

Tho nrithor dcscribcs his work as ‘ I a hnndbook of Inborntory notcs nnd methods for tho uso of stiidcnts and works chcmists,” and as such tho book Rill bo Usof i l l .

It consists of twcnty chapters, cnch chnptcr donl- ing with tho iiicthod of nnnlysis of each of tho im- portnnt suhstnnccs iiscd in conncxion with tnnning and lcnthor drcssing. Tho chnptcrs dcnl with tho nnnlysis of wnter, limo, nlknlino sulphidcs, tho cstimntion of nitrogcn, analysis of uscd limo liquors and limcd pclt, dcliming ngcnts, singlo and two bath chrorno liquors, c g g yolk, soap, oils, fnts nnd mnrcs. Tn this clinptor n list is gircn of tho most important constniits i n connosion with tho oils uscd for lcnthcr drcssing, togctlicr with sonlo informntion ns to thc intorprctntion of tho valuos. A chuptcr dcnling with tho qunlitntivo rcnctions of tho vnrious tnnnins gives somo usoful nnd simplo tests for tho

1 bettor known snbstniiccs. Tho qunntitntirc methods ’ of tnniiing niinlysiq, including both tho iodino nnd

I.ii\\.cnthnl proccsscs, ns \vcll as tho officinl mothod, iiro nlso dcscribcd; nnd n comprchonsivo list of tho irrorngo nniilpsis of most tnnning nintorinls is pro- riJcd in tnbulnr form. Tho nnnlgsis of uscd tan liquors, lcntlior nnnlysis, finishing mntorinls, tinturril dycstuffs nnd conl-tnr dyos nro considorcd i n siibscquciit chnptcrs, nnd somo iisoful tnblcs nro gircn in tho nppcndix.

Jlr. llrirvoy docs not nttcriipt to dcnl with cithor tho principlos undcrlying tho nictliods of nnnlysis, or tho intcrprctntion of rcsiilts, but confiiics liiinsolf to outlining tlio most conimon mctliods for t l p iiniilpsis of tho nintorinl undcr discussion, giving in riuiirly ovory instnnco oqnntione nnd tho dotnilod rnctliod of ciilciiliiting rcsulki with typicnl osnmplos. I n f:ict, n considcralilo niuoiint of spnco is tnkon u p by osnniplcs of cnlculstions which in n book , of tliis iintiirc, ininlit ~iiiro bccn omittc6. ’l’h ~ o h r n c CoiitiiinH jiist n littlo moro informn-

tion thnii tho ‘ I Loiitlicr ChcmiRtfi’ Pockot Dook,” I but l i t tlic siiiiiu timo is not siilliciontly comploto to