BOOK REVIEWS IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENTS BY IN- FRARED AND CHEMICAL METHODS, Text and Spectra vols. by Dieter Hummel. Translated by E. M. Wulkow. Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York, N. Y. 1964. Text--386 pages spectra--IS6 pages, illustrated and indexed. Price $12. The determination of the surfac- tant components present in such complex mixtures as cosmetic emul- sions, waxes and polishes, insecti- cide emulsions, petroleum products and detergents is a task of no mean proportion. The first and possibly most critical step is the quantitative separation of the sur- factants from the other components of the system. Here, the analyst must rely on his own resources. He must have sufficient knowledge of the system under consideration to be able to estimate the classes of compounds that are likely to be present, and he must know enough about the physico-chemical prop- erties of these components to be able to devise an effective separa- tion procedure. After he has isolated the surfac- rants, the analyst must decide which of the several hundred dif-- ferent surfactants that are com- mercially available are present in his sample. Some shrewd guesses can be made, depending upon his familiarity with the product, but it is still necessary to separate the surfactant mixture into its com- ponents and to identify them. The standard work dealing with the separation and chemical identi- fication of surfactants is M. J. Rosen and H. A. Goldsmith, Sys- tematic ,4nalysis of Surface ,4ctive ,4gents, Interscience, New York, 1960. If the analyst also wants to include infrared techniques, various collections of spectra, such as that of Sadtler, are available. This raises the question of need for this book, and the author properly replies that much confusion is avoided bymaking the infrared approach as systematic as possible. Further, a combination of infrared and chemical methods saves time and makes the results more reliable. The text volume begins with a brief discussion of surfactants and systems of classification, followed by methods for determining the electrochemical behavior of sur- factants. More than half of the volume is then devoted to the infrared spectroscopy of surfac- rants. This includes sample prep- aration, significance of spectra, and detailed discussions of the spectra of practically every commercially available class of surfactants. The remaining chapters are concerned with chemical methods of analysis, including ion exchange methods. Some 100 pages of tables follow the text, and these will be a consider- able aid to the analyst. They in- clude detailed systematic classifica- tions of surfactants, a list of com- mercial surfactants similar to Mc- Cutcheon but including index num- ber and spectrum reference, and numerous tables dealing with sep- aration processes, chemical tests and physical data. 769

77O JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY The spectra volume contains 466 spectra of surfactants, raw materials used in their manufacture, decom- position products, and inorganic compounds frequently present in detergent compositions. Dieter Hummel's two volumes can be recommended to all chemists concerned with the identification of surfactants, with the confident ex- pectation that they will be used frequently. However, they are not a final answer to surfactant analy- sis. Much original work is still needed in the use of thin layer chromatography, gas-liquid chro- matography, nuclear magnetic res- onance and other instrumental methods to cope with the increasing complexity of surfactant analysis and to meet the demand for more precise answers.--LLoYD I. OsIpow, Foster D. Snell, Inc. HANDBOOK OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, edited by H. W. Hibbott. A Perg- amon Press Book distributed by The MacMillan Co., New York. 1963. 563 pages, illustrated and indexed. Price $14. This book is the result of a course in Cosmetic Chemistry or- ganized by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Great Britain and offered for several years at Brunell College in London. The book is made up of 26 chapters contributed by 18 authors from academic and industrial fields. Each chapter is relatively short and probably rep- esents no more than one or two lectures as delivered during the ourse. Even a superficial review of this volume will clearly indicate that it offers nothing new and represents only a summary of the status of cosmetic scmnce today. Regard- less of the truth of this statement, there can be no doubt that a book which achieves these results de- serves a place on the book shelf of OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS all who are concerned with cos- metic chemistry and cosmetic for- mulation. To this reviewer, several chapters appear of special interest because they emphasize areas of particular importance to cosmetic chemists, whether they are students or pro- fessionals. These chapters are con- cerned with Chemistry of Surface Active Agents and Physical Chem- istry of Surface Active Agents, both by B. A. Scott, and Cosmetic Emulsions by R. Clark and Micro- biology by Doreen L. Wcdderburn. In addition, the volume covers the usual cosmetic subjects such as raw materials and the structure of hair and skin and includes a group of chapters concerned with actual formulations and techniques for formulations. This reviewer can find no fault with this book, and it can be highly recommended to all who are in- terested in learning more about cosmetic science. For the student, this book should be an excellent introduction for the established professional, it should prove to be a sound, although not comprehensive, reference.--M. M. RIEGER, Warner- Lambert Pharmaceutical Co. COSMETICS AND THE SKIN by F. V. Wells and Irwin I. Lubowe. Rein- hold Publishing Corp., New York, N.Y. 1964. 690 pages, indexed. Price $22. Two well-known authors, one the editor of a British Journal on soap, perfumery and cosmetics, the other a professor of dermatology, have combined their talents with those of six contributors to produce a book that covers a wide spectrum of subjects. This is a cooperative venture into the diverse fields of dermatology and cosmetic tech- nology, the latter a not too well-de- fined science that encompasses and blends the skills of specialists in the