NATURn 



6, 



THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1912. 



CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY. 



(i) Bleaching and Dyeing of Vegetable Fibrous 

 Materials. By Julius Hiibner. With an Intro- 

 duction by Prof. R. Mcldoln, F.R.S. Pp. 

 xxiii-t-434. (London: Constable and Co., Ltd., 

 1912.) Price 145. net. 



(2) German I'arnish-making. By Prof. Max 

 Bottler. Authorised Translation with Notes on 

 American Varnish and Paint Manufacture. By 

 .\. H. Sabin. Pp. vii + 363. (New York: John 

 Wiley and Sons ; London : Chapman and Hall, 

 Ltd., 1912.) Price 155. net. 



(3) .illen's Commercial Organic .Analysis. Editei 

 by W. A. Davis and S. S. Sadtler. Fourth 

 edition. Entirely re-written. Vol. vi. Pp. 

 ix + 726. (London: J. and .'\. Churchill, 1912.) 

 Price 2is. net. 



(i) ' I ''HIS is a practical manual intended for the 

 J. use of students and junior employees. 

 The purely scientific aspect of bleaching and 

 dyeing is not within the scope of the work. As 

 Prof. Meldola remarks in an interesting introduc- 

 tion, Mr. Hiibner knows the theoretical side of 

 the industry as well as anybody does . . . but his 

 present treatment of his subject is not intended to 

 supersede but to superadd to the scientific treat- 

 ment. About one-third of the book is devoted to 

 the description of bleaching operations, including 

 some preliminary sections dealing with the 

 materials employed, namely, the textile fibres, 

 water, chemicals, and mordants. After a few 

 pages on mercerising, the rest of the space is 

 allotted to the discussion of dyestuffs and dyeing 

 procedure. Practical directions for carrying out 

 the operations are given, and frequently different 

 methods of applying the same dyestuffs are 

 adduced for purposes of comparison. There are 

 numerous illustrations, chiefly of sections of 

 machinery ; and a feature of these is that in many 

 cases they are made much more intelligible than 

 usual by the use of a two-colour device to show 

 the course of the fabric through the machine. 

 The book can be cordially recommended as a 

 concise and up-to-date compilation of practical 

 information. 



(2) Mr. Sabin is an enthusiast on the subject of 

 paints and varnishes, and his translation of Prof. 

 Bottler's book is far from being dry reading. The 

 original is too concise and brief, in the translator's 

 opinion; he has therefore added a number of notes 

 (■» passant. These are printed distinct from the 

 main text, and include useful bibliographical 

 references, explanatory comments, and extensions 

 NO. 2238, VOL. 90] 



of matters mentioned in the original or suggested 

 by it. For example, when resenes are first 

 referred to (as constituents of copal and other 

 resins), Mr. Sabin interpolates a brief account of 

 their properties, with a reference and a criticism. 

 Hence the work may be looked upon as giving 

 the German practice in varnish-making, annotated 

 from the American point of view. But in addition 

 to the running notes, Mr. Sabin contributes whole 

 chapters also; one upon miscellaneous points in 

 the manufacture of varnish, and one on the nature 

 and constitution of paint; there is, further, a useful 

 appendix of notes and references on analytical 

 methods employed in the examination of varnishes. 

 It is worthy of remark that, according to the 

 translator, "our (i.e., the American) methods are 

 based upon English practice, and the English 

 alone among foreign nations are still able to sell 

 varnish here against our best makers." 



(3) The general characteristics of,the new edition 

 of Allen's "Commercial Organic Analysis" are 

 now tolerably familiar to users of the work, and 

 in this connection it need only be noted that the 

 sixth volume follows much the same lines as its 

 predecessors. It is concerned with the chief 

 organic bases and the alkaloids. All the latter, 

 however, are not dealt with, some being relegated 

 to the succeeding volume. The amines, anilines, 

 naphthylamines, and their allies are discussed by 

 Messrs. Davis, Sadtler, and Glover respectively. 

 In dealing with the alkaloids, the plan has been 

 to have first a general description of the vegetable 

 alkaloids (this is contributed by Dr. Henry), and 

 then to have the various groups of these products 

 dealt with by special contributors. 



It is perhaps invidious to single out any sections 

 where all appear to be well done, but mention may 

 be made of the articles on the volatile alkaloids 

 and the opium group by Mr. F. O. Taylor ; those 

 on the aconite alkaloids and on atropine and its 

 allies by Mr. F. H. Carr ; and that on the cinchona 

 group by Mr. Oliver Chick. The section on 

 caffeine, tea, and coffee, by Messrs. Fox and Sage- 

 man, is a very useful contribution, as is also that 

 on coco.a and chocolate by Mr. ^^'hymper ; the 

 former is illustrated with photographs of leaves 

 said to have been used as adulterants of tea, 

 and by some diagrammatic sketches showing 

 the microscopic structure of tea, coffee, and 

 chicory. 



The descriptions of the theoretical chemistry of 

 the various products dealt with in the book appear 

 to be trustworthy, and it is a convenience to 

 have them in conjunction with the analytical 

 working details. A little more careful proof- 

 reading would have detected a niunber ol 

 misprints. 



D 



