﻿REVIEWS. 



An Elementary Study of Chemistry. By William McPherson, Ph. D. and 

 William Edwards Henderson, Ph. D. Revised edition. Cloth. Pp. viii+434. 

 P*ee. $1.25. Boston: Ginn & Company, 1906. 



This little text-book for beginning students in chemistry is the revision 

 of a manual which has been used by several teachers during the past 

 three years. The present work is this manual rewritten in the light of 

 the criticisms offered by successful chemistry teachers, based upon their 

 practical experience in its use. A very clear, accurate and practical 

 text-book has been the result. 



The book is throughly up to date. The theory of electrolytic disso- 

 ciation is used throughout the book, being introduced in the ninth chapter, 

 Solutions. The presentation of this theory, as of that of other theories 

 used by chemists, is remarkably clear, the explanation being based on 

 experimental facts with simple compounds with which the student is 

 already familiar. 



The same may be stated of the introduction to the law of mass action 

 in Chapter XIII. 



In discussing the methods employed commercially in the manufacture 

 of chemical compounds, in all cases the most modern systems are cited. 

 Thus we find described the methods of manufacture of phosphorus, 

 carbon bisulphide, aluminium, sodium hydroxide, calcium carbide, graph- 

 ite, bleaching solutions, the alkali metals, the artificial abrasives, etc., 

 by the application of electricity. 



The definition of steel as "the products of the Bessemer or open-hearth 

 processes" appeals to a chemist as much more accurate than the defini- 

 tions based on carbon content often found in small books. It might 

 be remarked that such a definition would hardly include the tool steels 

 manufactured directly from the ore in electric furnaces. But we can not 

 expect a book of this size to be comprehensive. Another minor error 

 noticed was the statement on page 399 that all the hydrocarbons of the 

 methane series up to C 24 H 50 are known. Probably the word normal has 

 been omitted. 



The reviewer considers this book as by far the best elementary text- 

 book on chemistry which he has seen. 



B. D. B. 



58011 4 - 255 



