NA TURE 



419 



THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 1913. 



ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IN 

 MANUFACTURES. 



Industrial and Manufacturing Chemistry, Organic. 

 A Practical Treatise. By Dr. Geoffrey Martin. 

 Assisted by Wm. Barbour, T. Beacall, and 

 others. Pp. xx + 726 + plates. (London: 



Crosby Lockwood and Son, 1913.) Price 2 is. 

 net. 



THE editor of this volume has set himself a 

 rather formidable task. His aim has been 

 "to cover the whole range of subjects," based on 

 organic chemistry, with which the industrial 

 chemist and the manufacturer are usually con- 

 cerned. In pursuance of this aim the book is 

 arranged with the intention of meeting "the re- 

 quirements of all business and practical men inter- 

 ested in chemical processes " ; and the list of 

 these given includes " manufacturers, consulting 

 chemists, chemical engineers, patent workers, 

 inventors, technical lawyers, students in technical 

 institutions, lecturers on technology, fire insurance 

 inspectors, and others." This is a somewhat 

 motley crew to cater for ; but a good attempt has 

 been made to do it, and on the whole a successful 

 one. 



The text is divided into twenty-three sections, 

 each dealing with one branch of chemical industry 

 — e.g. the sugar industry, the cellulose industry, 

 and so on. With so large a number, even in a 

 work of 700 pages, there could be no such detailed 

 and comprehensive treatment of the subjects as 

 is found in works devoted to only one or two — 

 as, for instance, Lunge's treatise on coal-tar and 

 ammonia. Nevertheless, the volume is not a mere 

 dictionary. Space for detailed discussion and for 

 chemical formula?, even complicated structural 

 formula?, is not begrudged (see, for example, the 

 chapter on synthetic dyes) ; and there are plenty 

 of diagrams and photographs. 



A number of experts have collaborated with the 

 editor in the production of the book, and contri- 

 bute authoritative articles on their special subjects. 

 A very good list of references to the literature of 

 each branch is supplied ; this will often be a 

 valuable help to users of the book. Statistics of 

 production, value, imports and exports are given, 

 and frequent references to patents. Further- 

 more, it is claimed that much of the informa- 

 tion respecting the processes is now pub- 

 lished for the first time, many descriptions of 

 methods and modern plant having been privately 

 supplied. 



NO. 2278, VOL. 91] 



As a typical section dealing with well-established 

 manufactures may be instanced that devoted to 

 the fermentation industries. In about 100 pages 

 this gives a good condensed account of enzymes 

 and ferments, and of their applications to the pro- 

 duction of wine, beer, alcohol, vinegar, lactic acid, 

 and butyric acid. It includes an article on modern 

 distilling plant, in which the principles of the 

 "continuous" stills are lucidly explained, and 

 illustrated with photographs and lettered diagrams. 

 A subsection of different type is that on the new 

 industry of synthetic rubber. Here the descrip- 

 tions are largely given by means of chemical 

 formula? ; apparatus is represented by a small 

 form of chlorinating still only. The various 

 methods of obtaining butadiene and its homologues 

 (for example, from butyl alcohol, petroleum, 

 aldehyde, phenol, acetylene, turpentine, starch, or 

 acetone) are explained at some length, together 

 with the processes of polymerising the products 

 to form synthetic rubber. 



In addition to the larger industries dealt with — 

 sugar, oils and fats, dyes, explosives, coal-tar 

 products, and so on — there are articles devoted 

 to smaller branches such as inks, glue and albu- 

 men, synthetic drugs, and photographic chemicals. 

 The author directs attention to minor industries 

 on account of their potential importance in some 

 cases as the germs of future large undertakings, 

 remarking that they often afford through absence 

 of competition larger profits than those of fully- 

 developed manufactures. 



The impression gained on reading through a 

 number of the sections is that a very good outline 

 of the subject is presented, but one that would 

 often want filling up. Looking at the work for a 

 moment from the point of view of a young chemist 

 who contemplates taking up some branch of 

 chemical technology, one may say that the descrip- 

 tions would serve as an excellent introduction, and 

 the list of books indicated would show him where 

 to supplement his knowledge to any extent he 

 might require. 



Very few slips of importance have been noted. 

 There is an error on p. 281, where the composition 

 of "industrial methylated spirit" is given quite 

 wrongly. Such phrases as "the majority of the 

 vinegar" (p. 315), "the great majority of the 

 formaldehyde" (p. 375), "potato manufacturers" 

 (p. 176) are rather slipshod; and it should surely 

 be unnecessary (p. 638) to explain o'02 3 as"^^).'' 

 Nor was it really necessary to tell readers four 

 times on the same page (314) that the fusel oils 

 obtainable by Fernbach's fermentation process can 

 be produced at 35Z. to 43/. per ton. 



C. S. 



