BOOK REVIEWS 113 ucts. He is convinced that "the creative function of organic chemis- try will continue to augment Na- ture." Skipping over to the chapter on "Nucleic Acids" by Sir Alexander Todd, reference is made to the recent work on the structure of desoxy-ribonucleic acid as a double molecule consisting of two poly- nucleotide chains in the form of right-handed helices coiled around the same axis and held together by hydrogen bonds to form a double helix. The desoxy-ribonucleic acids are constituents of chromosomes and probably represent the genic ma- terial. Mutations might be ex- plained speculatively by certain changes in the components of the nucleic acids. Circumstantial evi- dence suggests that they are con- cerned with protein synthesis, among other things. No abstract can begin to do justice to the highly specialized chapter by Ruzicka on the chemis- try of terpene compounds. The many involved structural diagrams supply but a faint idea of the com- plicated character of this chapter of organic chemistry. Shoppee's chapter on steroids begins historically with the ob- servation made by Chevreul in 1815 that cholesterol is unsaponifi- able. It takes the reader through the subsequent work of the many investigators into the areas of estrogens, androgens, andrenocorti- cal hormones and vitamin D3, all of which proved to be steroids. This dissertation is based upon a digest of 194 references. Schlittler's chapter on alkaloids reviews their chemistry beginning with the isolation of morphine by Seguin in 1804. Among other things, it gives a comprehensive di- gest of the Rauwolfia field in which the author has been active. Folkers' chapter contains a ju- dicious selection of illustrative ex- amples of biosynthesis by micro- orgamsms. Mention is made of the production from sorbitol by ztceto- bacter suboxydans of/-qorbose which is converted ultimately to/-ascorbic acid or vitamin C. Another exam- pie is the formation of/-ephederin. e from a phenylpropane-dione m which the first stage is carried out by yeast fermentation in the pres- ence of benzaldehyde. Under the heading of biosynthesis belongs the production of the several peni- cillins here reference is made to the numerous papers dealing with the identification of the biosynthetic penicillins, as well as to the at- tempts to verify their structure by laboratory synthesis, cuhninating with the total synthesis of methyl d,/-benzyl penicillinate sulfone. It is well known that extensive use of pure cultures of various micro•Srganisms has been made in the case of steroids to achieve specific chemical reactions such as oxygenation, hydroxylation and de- hydrogenation. Among the micro- organisms employed are some com- mon molds of the order of Mucora- /es, several .4ctinomycetes, different strains of Rhizopus, and others bacterial cultures, too, effect spe- cific reactions with, and conversion of cortisone and other steroids (e.g., Corynebacterium simplex, Bacillus sphaericus). Folkers ex- presses the hope that among the newer antibiotics some will be found that will provide effective chemotherapy in virus infections which are not susceptible to such treatment at the present time. Chemotherapy is, of course, di- rectly related to organic chemistry. From this wide field, Walker selects for discussion the drugs used in the treatment of trypanosomiasis and malaria, as well as of bacterial

114 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS and vital infections. The theory of antimetabolites is discussed briefly from the viewpoint of obtaining fundamental knowledge for the de- vising chemotherapeutic agents. Within the past decade there de- veloped a branch of organic chemis- try which Butenandt designates as "chemical genetics" it inquires into the nature and composition of the genes, their modus operandi and their effects upon specific bio- synthetic processes such as the formation of pigment in the eyes of insects which, in this chapter is dealt with as a model of gene activity. This admittedly incomplete and eclectic review of the "Perspec- tives" aims to suggest the study of a book which can furnish a wealth of specialized information in several important branches of "pure and applied" organic chemical science thereby helping to keep the non- specialist au courant with the de- velopments in these areas.--E•4•L G. KLAR•4ANN, Lehn & Fink Products Corp. THE MANUFACTURE OF GLYeEROL. Vol. III, "The Modern Soap and Detergent Industry," by G. Martin and H. J. Strausz. The Technical Press Ltd., London, England. 1956. 256 pages, 6 X 9a/4 inches, illustrated and indexed. Price 84 s. net. This book is the Second Edition of Volume III of "The Modern Soap and Detergent Industry," first published in 1926. As stated in the preface, it has been the concern of the new editor to "insure that the basic material of the earlier volume was brought fully up to date." The bulk of the contents of the first edition has been reprinted, some chapters with alteration and many chapters with no alteration at all. This reviewer feels that a great deal more could have been done by a more rigorous revision of most of the chapters, since while it is true that the basic principles are still valid, many changes have occurred during the past thirty years in equipment and technology which have not been covered ade- quately in the newer edition. As examples, no mention is made of modern continuous and automatic centrifuges now available for han- dling salt from the evaporators, equipment for continuous or semi- continuous distillation, nor the use of multistage steam ejectors for high vacuum distillation. In sev- eral places it is indicated that two distillations are required to pro- duce chemically pure glycerol. This is no longer correct, except poor grade crudes. The glycerol content of soap lyes (Sect. I, page 12)is shown as 4-8 per cent. Countercurrent ket- tle operation, as practiced in a number of plants today, enables a spent lye of 8-13 per cent glycerol. The continuous centrifugal system can produce lyes at 12-15 per cent glycerol. A number of chapters reprinted from the earlier volume speak of the processes or equipment to be described as "recent" or "current" methods, which adjective was quite correct thirty years ago but not today. Typographical errors in the origi- nal text are repeated {n the new edition. For example, in Section I, C!mpter VIII, page 66, the con- version from U. S. Gallons to British Imperial Gallons is the reverse of what it should be. In Section VI, Chapter V, page 34, the specific gravity of dynamite glycerol is given as 1.261 at 1.55øC. whereas on page 36 it is given as 1.262 at 15.5ø/15.5øC.