February io, 1910] 



NATURE 



423 



G. Rudorf and R. J. Meyer respectively, after which 

 comes, if we may so express it, another ^Vece de re- 

 sistance in the shape of a splendid article on tin from 

 the pen of Ernst Cohen. In this is to be found a very 

 scholarly and learned essay on the early history of this 

 metal, and an exhaustive and beautifully illustrated 

 account of that romantic and fascinating subject, the 

 allotropic forms of metallic tin. As is well known, the 

 chemistry of tin owes much to the researches of Cohen, 

 and we are not disappointed in expecting to find his 

 treatment of the subject exceptionally full and interest- 

 ing. 



Tin is followed by a long monograph on lead, by 

 .\hrens and Pick. Here again the reviewer feels it 

 his pleasant duty to bestow unstinted praise. The 

 article opens with a very full account of the metallurgy 

 of lead. The fundamental researches of Schenck and 

 Rassbach on the heterogeneous equilibria between 

 Pb.S, PbSO,, PbO, and .SO,, are dealt with, however, 

 under PbS. The electrochemical relations between 

 lead and its ioft are clearly and fully explained, in- 

 cluding the work of Gumming on the oxidation-poten- 

 tials of PbO,. The chemistry of lead and its com- 

 pounds offers many interesting points, all of which 

 afford the author good opportunities for demonstrating 

 the power and scope of physico-chemical methods of 

 attack, .\mongst these may be mentioned the work 

 of Pleissner and .Auerbach on the basic sulphates and 

 carbonates of lead, the work of Pleissner and 

 Auerbach and of Dolezalek on the solubility of 

 PbSO^ in water and sulphuric acid solutions, 

 the work of Lewis on the solubility of Pb(N03)2 

 in solutions of KNO, and NaNO,, the stabilities 

 and mutual relations of the oxides of lead, &c. 

 In connection with the latter subject, the author 

 has, however, missed the work of Brislee on Pb,0. 



In dealing with the demonstration by AUmand and 

 Denham of the existence of monovalent lead ions, the 

 author suggests by way of criticism that the experi- 

 ments alluded to could be explained in another wav, 

 i.e. by the assumption of the existence of complex 

 kations of the formula Pb-j. These might still be 

 monovalrnt ions, and the assumption by .\llmand and 

 Denham of the simpler formula Pb' remains the best 

 explanation until the existence of such complex 

 kations is experimentally demonstrated. 



After lead comes an article on the lead accumulator, 

 by Mugdan. Needless to say, the article is chiefly 

 concerned with the thermodynamic theory as worked 

 out so beautifully by Dolezalek, although due mention 

 is made of the early work of Faure, Plante, Glad- 

 stone and Tribe, and Streintz. This excellent article 

 i may be earnestly commended to the attention of elec- 

 1 trical engineers. The usual English treatises on the 

 , lead accumulator consist of constructive details plus a 

 little perfectly useless juggling with chemical symbols. 

 Thorium, the last member of the series, is dealt with 

 by R. J. Meyer. Here is to be found an excellent 

 account of the manufacture and optical (selective radia- 

 tion) theory of the incandescent gas mantle. 



Throughout the book colloidal states of matter are 

 treated by Lottermoser. Of especial interest are the 

 articles dealing viith those classical examples, silicic 

 and stannic acids. 



NO. 2102, VOL. 82] 



.Atomic weights are dealt with by Brauner in 

 masterly fashion. 



On laying down this wonderful volume, one 

 cannot help feeling, as in the case of its 

 predecessors, that Abegg's great undertaking marks 

 the beginning of an era, the era of scientific inorganic 

 chemistry. One realises with a spirit of rejoicing that 

 inorganic chemistry has become a rational science of 

 which every chemist may justly feel proud. The day 

 of the why and the wherefore has dawned. One may 

 beg leave to reason in inorganic chemistry as in other 

 exact sciences. What middle-aged chemist of the pre- 

 sent day can forget the inorganic chemistry of his 

 vouth, with its alchemistic recipes, its dry lists of 

 formula, and its grim determination to explain actions 

 by means of symbols invented to describe the static 

 facts of composition? It was in truth little more 

 than a sort of glorified black magic. Even at the 

 present day there are not wanting signs that this 

 sort of thing is not entirely dead. How many of our 

 young graduates could read and thoroughly under- 

 stand the pages of Abegg's " Handbuch " ? One w-ould 

 not like to hazard an answer to that question, and 

 yet on that answer depends very largely the hope of 

 future progress. The methods of physical chemistry 

 have converted the empiricism of the older inorganic 

 chemistry into the rational science of to-day. The 

 same tremendous transformation is fast approaching 

 in the sphere of organic chemistry. Other things 

 being equal, the victory lies with those who can best 

 command the keen-edged weapons of physics and 

 mathematics. F. G. D. 



TWO MAMMAL BOOKS. 

 (i) The Grizzly Bear: the Narrative of a Hunter 



Naturalist, Historical. Scientific, and Adventurotis. 



Bv W. H. Wright. Pp. x + 274; illustrated. 



(London : T. W. Laurie, 1909.) Price ys. 6d. net. 

 (2) The Animals and their Story. By W. P. Westell. 



Pp. 322; illustrated. (London: R. Culley, n.d.) 



Price 55. net. 

 (i) A VERY cordial welcome should be extended to 

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 which has an exceptional value as embodying the ex- 

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" In the beginning," he writes, " I studied the 

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 ... I came to hunt him in order to study him. I 

 laid aside mv rifle. It is twelve years since I have 

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