DANSK KOSMETIK-KEMISK SELSKAB (SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS OF DENMARK) THE DANISH SOCIETY was founded in Copenhagen during December, 1955. The group has been exceedingly active since that time. A number of papers pertinent to cosmetics have been presented at the well-attended meetings. Some of these papers are expected to appear in this JOURNAL during the year. One of the founding members of the Dansk Kosmetik-Kemisk Selskab, Steffen Arctander, has moved to the United States and joined the per- fumery and essential oils division of the Colgate-Palmolive Company, Jersey City, N.J. Mr. Arctander, internationally-known perruiner and chemist, traveler and explorer, is the author of many scientific articles on his botanical explorations in Africa. He was the chief chemist and perruiner for the Co-Ro Manufacturing Company in Copenhagen 182

BOOK REVIEWS CHEMISTRY OF PETROCHEMICALS," by Marvin J. Astle. Reinhold Pub- lishing Corp., New York 22, N.Y. 1956. 8 X 51/2inches, indexed. Price $6.50. The fact that approximately 2000 patents relating to the petrochem- ical industry were published in the United Kingdom and nearly 1000 in Germany during the last quarter of 1956 can be taken as an indica- tion of the intensive research and development work being carried out by the various industrial groups operating in this very important field of modern chemical technology. On the other hand, the same figures, to which one must add the 3000 -odd petrochemical patents published in the United States dur- ing the same period, lead one to question the advisability or even the usefulness of presenting to the industry as a whole, a volume such as the one under review which in the author's own words is intended "to discuss the chemistry involved in the conversion of petroleum hy- drocarbon into commercially useful chemicals." The volume of technical literature currently calling for the attention of the specialist in any chemical field, over and above the immediate problems of development and re- search with which he may be con- cerned, has grown to such an ex- tent over the last 10 years that one must now perforce submit any new publication to the criterion of use- fulness as the amount of time available to the specialist to follow current trends is strictly limited. The "Chemistry of Petrochemi- cals" attempts to deal with the en- tire field in 207 pages including the index and this, in the opinion of the reviewers, •s an extremely difficult task. The result of this approach is a very interesting volume pre- senting the characteristics of a con- cise bibliography, predominantly of American origin, spotlighting the main events which have occurred in the highly diversified industry over the last fbrty years and the principal processes at present in operation, together with an indica- tion of the research work which has led up to their adoption within the industry, and of that which stems from the experience gained in their operation. The author has, in fact, ac- complished all that is humanly pos- sible within the terms of reference and the .space allotted, and the outcome is a very readable vol- ume likely to be of interest chiefly to university undergraduates read- ing in industrial chemistry, college lecturers and graduates, and per- haps to a very restricted class of the well-informed general public. One doubts, however, whether it will ever present a heavily thumbed appearance on the library shelves of research and development labora- tories actively concerned with the day to day problems arising in their particular sector of the petrochem- ical field. This book is well produced, is very readable and reasonably priced. --D. A. A. FAGANDINI AND A. T^¾I•OR, Marchon Products, Ltd. 183