December 31, 1908] 



NA TURE 



24: 



iiilcndc-d for elementary students is really an offence. 

 \\'e recoinmend the remarks of Boulenger (" Tailless 

 Hatrachians of Europe," Ray Society, p. 301) to the 

 author. 



MODERN ORGAMC CHEMISTRY. 

 Rctciit Advances in Ori;anic Chemistry. By Dr. 

 .\. W. Stewart. With an introduction by Prof. 

 J. \. Collie. Pp. xv+2g6. (London : Longmans, 

 Green and Co., 190S.) Price 75. bd. net. 



UNLESS the chemist, and especially the organic 

 chemist, adopts some elaborate system of 

 grouping together new information as it appears, the 

 m.-iss of research which nowadays floods the journals 

 makes it difficult for him to keep .abreast of current 

 investigations. 



The reports of the Briti>h Association on organic 

 chemistry have served a most usi'fLil purpose in giving 

 summaries of recent work; but thc\ are too few in 

 number. It appears to us that if the Association's 

 .funds could be utilised in e.xtending this part of its 

 activities, they would be well spent. Three or four 

 reports a year on different branches of chemistry would 

 be inv.-iluable. But until we have something of this 

 kind we must rely on individual effort to supply the 

 u.int. This, we take it, is the main object which 

 Dr. Stewart had in view in writing his book, and 

 we congratulate him on the result, which has taken 

 the form of a compact, neatly bound and well-printed 

 volume at a very moderate price. The compilation 

 h.i> been carried out with great discrimination. It is 

 not an ea.sy matter to discuss details of modern 

 structural formula; and at the same time to sustain 

 the interest of the reader. But Dr. Stewart has an 

 easy and pleasant style, and, if his criticisms are 

 occasionally rather forcible, they only add piquancy 

 to the subject under discussion. 



W e think the author takes too despondent a view 

 of the present trend of organic chemistry. We are, 

 it is true, deluged with new compounds, which seem 

 destined to bear no fruit, but the worst that can be 

 said of them is that they add to the bulk of our already 

 ponderous journals. 



Nor are we of the author's opinion in thinking that 

 " we iiave accumulated an immense mass of data 

 concerning the results of reactions, but very little 

 indeed with regard to their causes." The very volume 

 before us .serves to negative the statement, for the 

 liook bristles with facts upon which theories are based. 



We do, however, most heartily agree with him in 

 emphasising the need for studying exceptions to 

 gener.d theories, and there is no doubt that therein 

 lies a fruitful field of study. Our knowledge of the 

 nicch.-ini-.ni of most, even of the simplest, reactions is 

 inconiplele. We know the end result, but not the 

 ii.lermediate steps. Moreover, there is scarcely any 

 general reaction which is not modified to some extent 

 in its individual applications, whereby we are forced 

 more .ind more to recognise reactivity as a function 

 ol environment. But surely this is no cause for dis- 

 tour.igemcnt. There are still new worlds to conquer, 

 .•ind perhaps Dr. Stewart's book may induce chemists 

 lo give their attention to these neglected problems. 

 NO. 20-14, ^'U'-- 79] 



That the author appears a little impatient of those 

 whose attitude towards new theories is hesitating, 

 and perhaps conservative, is perhaps natural. But 

 it must be remembered that our mechanical concepts 

 of atomic relations are not easy of proof, and 

 dynamical concepts much less than statical ones. 

 \'an 'i Hol'f's theory has afforded overwhelming 

 evidence of the value of the statical idea, for it is the 

 very essence of stereochemistry, and fits in admirably 

 with the theory of atomic linking and the existence 

 of dynamic isomers. The foundations of organic 

 chemistry are laid on a statical basis. It is only 

 natural, therefore, that the explanation of the physical 

 properties of compounds should bear a direct relation 

 to this fundamental idea. No one doubts that the 

 statical concept is an incomplete one. It is equally 

 certain that the whole story of molecular forces will 

 only be known when physical and chemical properties 

 are grouped under one comprehensive idea. But 

 there is no reason why new theories should not be 

 grafted on the old, deep-rooted stock, until it may be 

 safely transplanted. We must only be sure that any 

 theoretical development is capable of experimental 

 studv, and in this connection it is doubtful if electrons 

 and Faraday tubes, whatever theoretical value the 

 physicist may attach to them, w'ill prove more service- 

 able to the organic chemist than vortex atoms. 



The book is divided into chapters or essays 

 dealing with those topics which have attracted 

 special attention during the last decade. It opens 

 with a good general account of Grignard's 

 reaction and asymmetric synthesis. Then follows a 

 chapter on polyketides, that is, bodies containing the 

 CH„.CO or ketene group or its multiple, which is 

 illustrated froin the work of ColHe, Staudinger, and 

 Wilsmore. This is followed by a chapter on recent 

 synthetic preparations of cycZoparaffins, which the 

 author terms " polymeth)'lenes. " There are essays 

 on recent work on the terpenes, alkaloids, and poly- 

 peptides. An interesting, though a very brief, account 

 is given on the action of light on organic compounds 

 which embodies much of the work of Ciamician and 

 Silber, and there are chapters on addition reactions 

 and unsaturation, in which the author has something 

 to say about his own investigations. The voluine 

 closes with a chapter touching on modern views and 

 the inadequate nature of structural formulae, and 

 there is, finally, an excellent bibliography of organic 

 chemical literature, which affords convincing testi- 

 mony of the utility, if not necessity, to all organic 

 chemists of an adequate knowledge of the German 

 language. J. B. C. 



THE Ci'RHTLRE METHOD OF TEACHING 



GEOMETRICAL OPTICS. 

 Gcomctriiid Optics. By V. H. Mackinney and H. L. 

 Taylor. Pp. iii+i2.S. (Birmingham: J. and H. 

 Taylor.) 



THE preface to this little book is somewhat mis- 

 leading. We there read : — " The growing de- 

 mand for a book on Geometrical Optics based upon 

 the Curvature system has led to the production of this 

 small volume. ..." If the use of the curvature 



