j. soc. cos. CHEM. 15, 173-175 (1964) BOOK REVIEWS COLLOIDAL SURFACTANTS 1 SOME PHYSIOCOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES, by K. Shinoda, T. Nakagawa, B. Tamamushi and T. Isemura, Aca- demic Press, New York, N. Y. 1963. 310 pages, illustrated and indexed. Price $11.50. Much important research on sur- factants has been carried out in Japan since World War II. It is, therefore, fitting that there is now available a book written by four well-known Japanese researchers in this field. The book contains four chapters. The first, on micelle formation, is one of the most comprehensive treatments on this topic to appear. In it are combined a scholarly ap- proach to fundamentals and a care- ful regard for assemblage of useful information. The considerable bibliography and tabulated data on micelles will be of very great benefit to all researchers concerned with surfactants. The chapter on non- ionic detergents, ever-growing in importance,. is very timely, and the treatment lS extensive. Much of the work of the Japanese school is embraced, and regard is paid to descriptio. n of the materials cited. A rewew of adsorption from aqueous solution at various inter- faces is presented in the third chapter. Treatment is again com- prehensive, and it serves to con- firm the impression that much re- search remains to be done in this field, especially on the mercury/and solid/water interfaces. The final chapter on monomolecular layers is the shortest. Emphasis, for simple long chain surfactants, is placed in the main on ionized monolayers. The rest of the chapter is concerned with polymers. A real need exists for a full treatment of the subject of polymer monolayers, and one wonders if Dr. Isemura, who is well qualified to do this, has been un- necessarily curtailed. Obvious gaps are evident in the literature cited. Although of multiple authorship, the book is not lacking in coherence and contains but few overlapping or contradictory statements. Layout is pleasing, but there do appear to be more than the usual number of errors which have escaped the proof- readers. The book has a great deal to offer both the pure and applied research worker, and it is confidently recom- mended to both.--E. D. GODDA•tD, Lever Bros. Co. PHYSICAL AND TECHNICAL PHAR- MACY, edited by H. M. Burlage, C. O. Lee and L. W. Rising. Mc- Graw-Hill, New York, N.Y. 740 pages, illustrated and indexed. Price $16. Thirteen contributors from in- dustry and the academic field have combined their talents to produce a text designed for use in the new 5-year pharmacy curriculum. Cre- ated as a result of a questionnaire circulated at a teachers' seminar held at Butler University in 1956, which indicated a need for such a text, this book is a vast improve- ment over its predecessor, Intro- duction to Pharmacy. Seventeen chapters discuss such imp9rtant subjects as thermody- namics, purification and separa- 173

174 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS tion, pharmaceutical dispersions, pharmaceutical adjuncts, solutions of electrolytes, nucleonics, and other topics equally valuable to the phar- macy student. The authors suggest that the book can be used in the first or second years of the 2 d- 3 program, or the first, second, and third years of the 1 d- 4 program. Because of the vast difference in complexity of subject matter presented, however, it is difficult to envision the publica- tion as a general text for a particu- lar class unless care is exercised in selecting appropriate chapters for study. There is a certain amount of obvious incongruity when thermo- dynamic principles are discussed in a book having illustrations of a cylindrical graduate, a common funnel, and a Waring Blendor. Furthermore, it is the reviewer's opinion that the brief coverage of metrology and mathematic con- cepts, physical properties and struc- ture of matter, and pharmaceutical dosage forms should not substitute for more extensive coverage of such subjects in other courses in the pharmacy curriculmn. Those chemists new to cosmetic research and development princi- ples will find this text extremely valuable and pertinent. For senior cosmetic chemists the book pres.ents an opportunity to review various pharmaceutical concepts and sub- jects which today are becoming more and more a part of cosmetic research. --R. E. FAUST, Johnson & Johnson Research Center. CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION AND BIO- LOGICAL Ac'rtvITY, by W. A. Sexton, D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Prince- ton, N. J. 1963. 517 pages, in- dexed. Price $19.75. This, the third edition of Dr. Sexton's book, i-s a very interesting discussion of various phases of pharmacology and biological ac- tivity from a chemical point of view. Although this book is suggested for use by students, the reviewer be- lieves that the book will be of equal value to academic and industrial workers. Dr. Sexton makes a deliberate effort to unify his treatment of the many diverse subjects covering biological activity of chemical com- pounds not only in warm blooded animals but also in plants, micro- organisms and insects. The unity of Sexton's presentation results from adherence to two postulates which are the cornerstones of all 25 chapters of this book. The first of these postulates states that "bio- logical activity is due to the com- bination of the substance in question with one or more cell constituents." The second postulate indicates that "the combination may be modified or that the access of the molecule to the site of action may be affected by the physicochemical properties of the molecule in question." Despite an effort to include a wide variety of biological activities in this book, it is limited because Sexton equates biological activity with pharmacological activity but excludes physiological reactions from consideration. The author makes only passing comment concerning the theory of fit which has been so carefully studied during recent years in connection with enzymic reactions and has been used by Arnoore to interpret the perception of odors. The problem of the "blood-brain barrier" is mentioned in several chapters throughout the book. Ap- parently the blood-brain barrier differs only in lipophilic character from other membranes however, no mention is made of the similar problem of the stratum lucidurn which reportedly is a barrier for the penetration of drugs, etc., through the skin.