NA TURE 



l Hl'KShW , SEP1 EMBER 12, 1918. 



INDl STR1 I/. CHEMISTRY. 



I. 

 1 1 7 /;. \lanufai lure of Intermediate P 

 Dyes. By Dr. Ji C. Cain. Pp. xi- 263. (Lon- 

 don: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1918.) Price 

 \os. net. 



The Alkali Industry. By J. R. Partington. 

 Pp. xvi + 304. (" Industrial Chemistry.") ( Lon- 

 don : Bailliere, Tindall, and Cor, [918.) Price 

 ys. <>,/. net. 



Oils and Fats By C. A. Mit< hell. 

 Pp. \ii ■ 159. ("Monographs on Industrial 

 Chemistry.") (London: Longmans, Green, and 

 Co., 1918. I Price 6s. 6d. net. 



CHEMICAL industry in this country is slowly, 

 but let us hope surely, coming into its own. 

 Public interest has been direi ted to it, and its 

 importance to the nation lias been recognised, 

 though there is still much leeway to make up in 

 this respect. The industry also is finding- itseli 

 from within; combination and association are 

 taking the place of antagonism and aloofness, 

 and before long the industry will speak with one 

 to the public and to the Government on 

 matters which concern it. One of the minor in- 

 dications of progress is the increase both in the 

 quantitj and quality of our chemical publications, 

 the enlarged Journal of the Society O.f Chemical 

 Industry being a particularly valuable asset to the 

 industry. The movement to produce text-books 



oi industrial chemistry in English is of prime 

 importance for the future of the industry; in the 

 past we have been far too prone to resort to 

 German works or their translations. Indeed; had 

 il not been for the fortunate completion of 

 Thorpe's " Dictionary of Chemistry " just before 

 the war, English chemical workers ignorant ol 

 German would have been considerably handi- 

 capped. 



An industrial text-book may be judged from 

 several standards, depending on whether it aims 

 .11 giving a complete account of modern practice 

 in the particular industry or limits its scope to 

 describing chemical theories and their applica- 

 tions to that industry. It may seek to be a work 

 of reference to all engaged in the industry, or 

 merely an introduction to beginners, or it may 

 aim at stimulating progress by outlining the ap- 

 plicability of the most modern discoveries. The 

 Brsl type of book can be produced only bv a 

 writer who has had intimate experience in the 

 industry and is free to put his information on 

 ■ I lor the use of oilins. Normally, the 

 majorit) of those possessing such knowledge are 

 either pledged not to disclose it, or profession- 

 ally engaged as consultants. The second type 

 ■ 'i book is more usual, and is naturally much more 

 complete on the theoretical than on the practical 

 side; it must be held to lie successful if it en- 

 tourages a greater knowledge of chemical science 



NO. 255O. VOL. I02l 



,md s, ientific method and !■ . .1 to progress in the 

 indusl 



(1) Dr. Cain is one ol il, few who are qualified 

 to speak with authority on both the technical and 

 chemical sides of the production of coal-tar 

 colours, and not only is bis book on the inter- 

 mediate products certain to become I he- standard 

 work on the subject, bat also, ivhai is more im- 

 portant, it should save- an immense amount of time 

 and money to those actualh engaged in the industry. 

 It has been pointed out at more than one share- 

 holders' meeting lately that the intermeci,, tes are 

 even more important that) the dyes lli ■.■:, 

 and that the provision of adequate plant for their 

 manufacture is the first step in the establishment 

 of a British dve industry. The intermediate pro- 

 ducts are so numerous, and so much depends on 

 their cheap production, that it is quite irrational 

 lor each competing' firm to manufacture its own 

 requirements, and it is for this reason more than 

 •any other that it is desirable to establish a com- 

 bine of the colour-making firms so as to manu- 

 facture intermediates in quantity, and therefore 

 cheaply, at one or more specially equipped large 

 works, and convert these to the finished dyestuffs 

 at the existing- smaller establishments. 



Dr. Cain aims at providing in a convenient form 

 detailed information as to the preparation of inter- 

 mediates, the most trustworthy method of manu- 

 facture of each substance being recorded. Both 

 the pure chemistry of the subject and chemical 

 engineering details have been omitted. The chief 

 chemical reactions employed — viz. nitration, 

 nitrosation, halogenation, sulphonation, reduction, 

 oxidation, fusion with alkali, hydrolysis, amida- 

 tion, alkvlation, acylation, condensation — are dealt 

 with in the order enumerated. 



This is not the place for any criticism in detail, 

 which in any case must be a matter of personal 

 opinion, and Dr. Cain's name is sufficient guar- 

 antee that no pains have been spared to render 

 the work complete in every detail. Progress in 

 this, as, indeed, in most branches of industry, has 

 been gradual; perhaps at the moment the most 

 marked trend is in the direction of the increased 

 use of catalytic agents; there is also a great future 

 for electrical energy, particularly in connection 

 with oxidation and reduction. Oxidation in par- 

 ticular is to-day brought about by cumbersome 

 and costly methods in comparison with what 

 may be expected when it is possible to make 

 use of atmospheric oxygen in conjunction with 

 a catalyst. 



(2) Mr. Partington's book, though entitled " The 

 Alkali Industry," really deals with acids, alkalis'. 

 chlorine, and potassium salts, and practically hall 

 ol it is devoted to nitric acid and ammonia, par- 

 ticular^ the modern methods of their manu- 

 facture, which are being so much discussed at 

 the present time. It forms one of a series of 



volumes, edited by Dr. Rideal, designed to show 



how chemical principles have been applied and 



affected manufacture. I hi inent is cer- 



lainly novel, and it appears to the present re- 



