1915] CURRENT LITERATURE 59 
index would render the material of the book more accessible-—WILLIAM 
CROCKER.’ 
Biochemistry of plants 
In revision, the first volume of CzAPEK’s Biochemistry of plants? has grown 
from 584 pages to 828 pages. The historical introduction contains 18 pages 
as in the previous edition. The portion on “general biochemistry 
220 pages as compared with 77 pages in the old edition. Under “special 
biochemistry” the first part (‘The sugars in the metabolism of plants’’) 
has been increased from 397 pages to 469; and the second part (“The lipoids in 
the metabolism of plants”) has grown from 94 pages to 112. One of the most 
notable changes in the general organization of the book is the treatment of the 
lipoids after the sugars instead of before. This seems desirable because of the 
order of synthesis of the two groups of substances in the plant. 
he “general biochemistry” contains the two chapters of the old ‘guseecre 
“The substratum of the chemical processes in the living organism” an 
“Chemical reactions in the living plant organism,” with two additional chap- 
ters entitled “Chemical stimulation effects” and ‘The chemistry of adapta- 
tion and heredity.”’ In this part one is impressed with the excellent summary 
of the literature on general characters of colloids, gels and adsorption phe- 
nomena, ae de general chemistry of enzymes, and kinetics of enzyme 
acti 
The part on sugars in co metabolism of plants shows few changes in 
rganization. The additional space used is largely due to the growth of the 
literature of the subject. 
The part on lipoids is divided into two sections, “The nutrient lipoids of 
the plant” and “The cytolipoids of plants.”’ In the first section, the chapter 
headings are identical with those of the first edition: “The reserve fats of 
seeds,” “Resorption of fats in seed germination,” “Fat synthesis in ripening 
seeds and fruits,” “Reserve fats in stems and leaves,” ‘Reserve fats in thallo- 
phytes, mosses, ferns, and pollen grains.” The section on cytolipoids has 
undergone some changes in organization and more in content. The chapter 
headings are “ Plant cerobrosides,” ‘“Sterinolipoids of plants (ae bates and 
related bodies),” “Plant chromolipoids,” and “The production of wax.’ 
The table of contents has been greatly improved by the addition of heads 
and subheads, giving a much better grouping of the chapters. The treat- 
ment of such subjects as ai aig alcoholic fermentation, respiration, 
and other plant processes reminds one that the work is by no means a plant 
chemistry in the narrow sense of “a word. It is more nearly a physiology 
of metabolism in plants, with main emphasis on the fundamental chemistry 
and physics involved in the processes.—WILLIAM CROCKER. 
Lee 
as 
?CzaPek, Fr., Biochemie der Pflanzen. 2d ed. Vol. I. pp. xix+928. Jena: 
Gustav Fischer. 1913. 
