BOOK REVIEWS DICTIONARY OF ORGANIC COM- POUNDS. Editors-in-Chief Sir Ian Heilbron and H. M. Banbury. Vol- ume I, Abadole-Cytosine, 654 pages Volume II, D. A. Hystazarin, 845 pages Volume III, Ibogaine-NW- Acid, 838 pages Volume IV, Obac- ulactone - Zymosterol, 694 pages. Size 71/2 X 101/2 inches, Oxford Uni- versity Press, New York 11, N.Y., 1953. Price $78 per set. It took four volumes in place of the earlier three, to list all the material through 1950 and some including early 1953, over 2500 new entries in all. This is a completely revised new edition. When it takes two editors, two assistant editors, and twenty-one contributors in addition to .the two editors-in-chief, one can visualize th.e.magnitude of this work, com- prlslng almost 3000 pages in all. One quickly recognizes the im- mensity of the authors efforts .similarly 9he admits how difficult it is to review so vast a literature, though admittedly it is far easier than to compose what is being read. To say that all of the pages were looked at or read would be untrue. Instead hundreds of pages were scanned and sporadically checked for proofreaders errors, but none were found. As for the individual entries, it is always easy to find fault, for the authors must have had tuite a problem in deciding what to eave out, not what to include. In the vein of constructive suggestion, this reviewer suggests the inclusion in future revisions of monographs on cetyl trimethylammonium bromide, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl nonyl acetaldehyde, polyethylene glycols and derivatives, thioglycerin, pantothenol, ethylene diaminetetra- acetic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinylpyrrolidone. In addition, •t would make the text more com- plete to include the ammonium, so- dium, and calcium salts of thiogly- colic acid (other similar salts are mentioned under some captions) and of alginic acid. Under ursolic acid, a main commercial source today is cranberry waste products. Among the new chemicals in- cluded are mannitol hexanitrate sorbitol and some of its esters many esters of lauric, myristic, palmitic, oleic and stearic acids, including their respective alcohols and dike- tones thiomalic, usnic, and evernic acids propylene glycol and many esters D.C.M.X. and D.C.M.C. heliotropin a-amylcinnamic aide- hyde nerol, santalol, and eugenol and derivatives. This will give an idea of the wide coverage. Compound listings include physi- cal and chemical properties, deriva- tives which often should be ex- panded, together with the best method of preparation of the listed compound. Here again, some of the methods could be brought still more up to date, although the listed references will give the results ex- pected. There are numerous references to the perfumery literature, although no cosmetic references were seen. The editors follow a well laid out 147

148 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS plan for the material presented. They have attempted to use com- mon names of chemicals, then refer the reader to the properly named compound. Unfortunately, there is still a bit of confusion here, although there is a great improvement in this edition as compared to the former one. Chemical/lbstracts is the guide for references and nomenclature. The usefulness of a set of refer- ences can be appreciated only by those who have had occasion to use them. Those who are acquainted with earlier editions, and all the others who do organic research-- laboratory or/and library--will need this greatly expanded work. You couldn't do better than to have a set in your library.--M. G. DEN^v^RRE. FORMULARY Or PERFUMERY AND Or COSMEXOLOCY, by R. M. Gatte- fosse, translated by A.R.I.C. Leo- nard Hill, Ltd., London, N.W. 1, England, 1952. 250 pages, $1/2 X 81/2 inches, indexed. Price 17s.6d. More than half of the pages are devoted to perfumery the balance covers the compounding of cosmet- ics. The book is replete with many for- mulas for perfumes and cosmetics. The perfume formulas appear to use only standard materials whereas the cosmetic formulas include numerous specialties produced mostly by the author's affiliated company. This is considered bad taste in the U.S. The author has considerable skill as a perfumer but this reviewer doesn't think he had the same skill in cosmetic formulation. Thus a formula for a "Very Fatty Milk" consists of "petroleum oil 35 parts, polyol octadecyl derivative 5 parts, and water 60 parts." What is the polyol octadecyl derivative? An es- ter ? An ether ? Which polyol? How does it emulsify? Is it self-emulsi- fying? Or is it an acid type emulsi, tier? Other ingredient descriptions are "Fatty acid monoester, .... Gly- col, .... Hydrophilic oil, .... Hexose," and "Methylcellulose gel" to name a few. What are these materials? How can the cosmetic chemist at- tempt to make these formulas on such sketchy material descriptions. Worse, procedures for manufacture are too often completely omitted. This reviewer deplores the publi- cation of such poor material, partic- ularly when it could be vastly im- proved by the author. It is ad- mitted that a book often suffers in translation. So, some of these er- rors could creep in that way, but not so many. If you want a mediocre formu- lary, this will fill the need.--M. G. DENAVARRE. APPLIED MYCOLOGYAND BACTERIOL- OC¾, by L. D. Galloway and R. Burgess. Leonard Hill, Ltd., Lon- don N.W. 1, England, 1953. 184 pages, $1/2 X 81/2 inches, illustrated and indexed. Price 12s. This is the third edition of a work first published before World War II. In the first edition foreword, the authors correctly state that the problem in writing this condensed manual was not what to include but what to leave out. Certainly, bacteriologists and my- cologists will consider thi• book as sketchy. But it is not intended for them but for the "works chemist" faced with bacteriological problems. Five industries, food, fermentation, textile, hygiene, and agriculture, are allotted a chapter each. One chap- ter "miscellaneous" covers another ten applications, but drugs and cos- metics are not included. The few pictures present are well done. The authors list many bacterio-