320 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS SoAp MaNVr^c'rvRE, Vol. I, by J. Davidsohn, E. J. Better, and A. Davidsohn. Interscience Pub- lishers, Inc., New York 1, N.Y., 1953. 525 pages, 6 X 9 inches, illus- trated and indexed. Price $12.50. The authors names are not new to soap circles. The work is consistent with their previous writings. Some may consider portions of the book as too rudimentary. Other parts suggest an incomplete familiarity with the U.S. soap industry at which the book seems to be slanted. The writers' forte appears to be in their ability to translate into lay language, the complex phenomena that take place in soap production.. Sometimes scientific exactness is lost in putting a thesis into com- paratively easy reading--a certain liberty must be allowed in such cases. One questions the statement that ethyl (and amyl) salicylate is alkali resistant on page 407. Also the suggested use of ethyl alcohol in superfatting, must mean cetyl or stearyl alcohol. The superfat is not always added to the fat charge be- fore adding the lye. The formula on page 483 for golden shampoo, though quoted from another author has doubtful hair tinting value. While glycerin is spelled "glyc- erine" through the book, several places on pages 320-321 it is spelled as ".glycerol." This is a minor in- consistency. This reviewer feels that the last part (D) of the book dealing with special soap products is the weakest. However, the other parts of the book more than offset it. In general the discussion of raw materials is good. Many useful diagrams and tables supplement the text. The book seems a bit high priced until one realizes its limited market. Hence this reviewer looks forward to the completion of Volume II.--M. G. DENav^RRE. COMPREHENSIVE INORGANIC CHEM- ISTRY, Vol. I, edited by M. Cannon Sneed, J. Lewis Maynard, and Robert C. Brasted. D. Van Nos- trand Co., Inc., New York 3, N.Y., 1953. 232 pages, 6 X 9 inches, illus- trated and indexed. Price $5.00. First of eleven volumes on in- organic compounds. The editors are stressing extensiveness of cover- age in lieu of fullness of treatment. This volume is divided into three sections, one being written by each, W. N. Lipscomb, P. R. O'Connor, and G. T. Seabord, respectively. The entire volume covers various phases of atomic and nuclear chem- istry with 61 pages devoted to the Actinide series, an arbitrary classi- fication. One can question O'Connor's list- ing of the six fundamental particles in which the photon is not included. The editors' preface gives a some- what confused intent. This re- viewer finds the first volume to be well done and more coherent than expected. It is doubtful if the series are intended to, or can, be of the same stature as Gmelin's well- known treatise. But there is a need for a new approach to many old inorganic discussions, particularly in the light of the status of inorganic chemistry since the explosion of the first atomic bomb. The volumes appear to be fairly priced. This makes it more interest- ing to start the complete set.--M. G. DENAVARRE. COMPREHENSIVE INORGANIC CHEM- ISTRY, Vol. II, edited by M. Cannon Sneed, J. Lewis Maynard, and Robert C. Brasted. D. van Nos- trand Co., Inc., New York 3, N.Y., 1954. 248 pages, 6 X 9 inches, illus- trated and indexed. Price $5.00. This second of the l 1-volume series begins to follow the pace for the entire set. It was written by

BOOK REVIEWS 321 James W. Laist, covering copper, silver, and gold. The preface repeats the practical nature of these volumes, with wide rather than thorough coverage. An examination of the subject matter confirms this. No errors were noted in a casual checking of the test.-- M. G. DENAVARRE. CONDENSED PYRIDAZINE AND PYRAZI•E RI•cs, by J. c. E. Simpson. Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York 1, N.Y. 1953. 394 pages, 6 X 9 inches indexed. Price $12.50. This is the fifth volume of a series devoted to a comprehensive discussion of heterocyclics. The present volume deals systematically with the chemistry of the book's subject matter together with re- lated systems. Material on the cinnolines and phthalazines appears to be ex- ceptionally inclusive while that on the quinoxalines is more recent. The chapters are all arranged on the basis of methods of preparation, properties, and reactions. Tables are used to good advantage, though some seem to be complicated with too many footnotes. Some eight pages of appendices list ultraviolet absorption data, basicities and antibacterial prop- erties of the class of compounds being considered.--M. G. deN. SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL CHEMICAL DEVELOPME•% H. M. Corley, Editor-in-Chief. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York 16, N.Y. 1954. 374 pages, 6 X 9 inches, indexed. Price $7.75. The application of science to the commercial development of a chemi- cal is very comprehensively covered in a new book, "Successful Com- mercial Chemical Development." This book is the first and only documentation of the important principles that govern each essential step in the selection and develop- ment of promising new chemicals. As such, it is an important con- tribution to business literature and should be useful to everyone with a responsible position in the chemical industry. Every chapter represents the thoughts of many individuals who are committee members of the very young (seven-year-old) Commercial Chemical Development Association. A collaborative effort of this scope is an extremely difficult undertaking and it is to the credit of the editor that he has molded information from numerous sources into a well- organized manuscript. The list of contributors reads almost like a "Who's Who of Chemical Industry" and represents nearly every segment of the industry. The book is well designed and beautifully printed. It contains ex- cellent tabular presentation of material and numerous references to the literature. One caution about a book of this sort is that it presents the procedures and techniques used by the larger companies which are not always possible for smaller organizations. Smaller companies may find it help- ful to know how things are done by the industrial giants, but they fre- quently have to find their own short cuts. While the various chapters, from "The Origin and Handling of New Product Ideas" to "Product Label- ing, Packaging and Shipping Con- sideration," present a complete picture of the chemical development industry, perhaps the most useful chapter is the one on "Definitions." In this industry where growth has been so rapid, terms are used with-