﻿702 
  .Notices 
  respecting 
  New 
  Boohs. 
  

  

  W. 
  Wien 
  * 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  positive 
  rays 
  emanate 
  from 
  the 
  

   anode 
  and 
  that 
  these 
  rays 
  can 
  be 
  diverted 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  

   opposite 
  to 
  that 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  negative 
  are 
  affected 
  by 
  an 
  

   ordinary 
  horseshoe 
  magnet. 
  The 
  rays 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  subject 
  

   of 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  nature 
  as 
  

   those 
  studied 
  by 
  Wien. 
  Their 
  connexion, 
  however, 
  with 
  the 
  

   pilot 
  discharge 
  of 
  a 
  condenser 
  is 
  an 
  added 
  point 
  of 
  interest. 
  

  

  Jefferson 
  Physical 
  Laboratory, 
  

   Harvard 
  University. 
  

  

  LYII. 
  Notices 
  respecting 
  New 
  Books. 
  

  

  Thermodynamics 
  of 
  Technical 
  Gas 
  Reactions. 
  By 
  Dr. 
  P. 
  Habeb,. 
  

   Translated 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Akthuh 
  B. 
  La.mb. 
  Pp. 
  xix 
  + 
  356; 
  illus- 
  

   trations. 
  Longmans, 
  Green 
  & 
  Co., 
  1908. 
  Price 
  10s. 
  6d. 
  net. 
  

  

  1VTO 
  one 
  familiar 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Haber's 
  Thermodynamih 
  Teclinischer 
  

   ■^ 
  Gasreactionen 
  will 
  be 
  surprised 
  that 
  a 
  translation 
  has 
  so 
  speedily 
  

   appeared. 
  Dr. 
  Haber 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  task 
  a 
  mind 
  adequately 
  

   trained 
  on 
  the 
  mathematical 
  side 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  thermodynamic 
  

   problems, 
  and 
  w 
  T 
  as 
  thus 
  able 
  to 
  reduce 
  to 
  order 
  much 
  that 
  is 
  

   customarily 
  left 
  vague 
  and 
  unsatisfactory 
  in 
  treatises 
  on 
  physical 
  

   chemistry. 
  Physicists 
  have 
  been 
  slow 
  to 
  recognize 
  the 
  great 
  

   merits 
  of 
  the 
  advances 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  tardiness 
  

   is 
  largely 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  mode 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  subject 
  has 
  been 
  presented. 
  

   We 
  feel 
  sure 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Haber's 
  book, 
  besides 
  its 
  immediate 
  object 
  

   of 
  throwing 
  light 
  on 
  technical 
  processes, 
  will 
  do 
  much 
  to 
  increase 
  

   contact 
  between 
  physicists 
  and 
  chemists. 
  

  

  Attention 
  should 
  be 
  called 
  to 
  one 
  characteristic. 
  No 
  use 
  is 
  

   made 
  of 
  the 
  atomic 
  hypothesis. 
  As 
  explained 
  in 
  the 
  author's 
  

   preface, 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  any 
  antagonism, 
  but 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  a 
  con- 
  

   viction 
  that 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  mechanical 
  theory 
  of 
  heat 
  to 
  

   chemistry 
  becomes 
  easier 
  and 
  more 
  comprehensible 
  the 
  closer 
  we 
  

   restrict 
  ourselves 
  to 
  the 
  heat 
  and 
  work 
  effects 
  of 
  masses 
  directly 
  

   perceptible 
  to 
  our 
  senses. 
  Although 
  suckled 
  on 
  the 
  atomic 
  theory, 
  

   we 
  are 
  convinced 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Haber 
  is 
  right 
  in 
  excluding 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  

   present 
  course. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  this 
  exclusion 
  does 
  

   not 
  involve 
  the 
  exclusion 
  of 
  the 
  chemical 
  molecule 
  or 
  atom 
  as 
  in- 
  

   dicated 
  by 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  combining 
  weights. 
  This 
  is 
  recognized 
  

   throughout. 
  But 
  all 
  attempts 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  derive 
  the 
  

   properties 
  of 
  systems 
  by 
  direct 
  applications 
  of 
  mechanics 
  to 
  vast 
  

   congeries 
  of 
  unitary 
  bodies, 
  are 
  studiously 
  put 
  aside 
  in 
  preference 
  

   for 
  the 
  much 
  more 
  powerful 
  and 
  fruitful 
  methods 
  of 
  thermodynamics. 
  

   The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  German 
  text 
  has 
  been 
  specially 
  revised 
  by 
  the 
  

   •author 
  purposely 
  for 
  this 
  translation. 
  Several 
  new 
  appendices 
  

   have 
  been 
  added, 
  these 
  being 
  necessitated 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  develop- 
  

   ments 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  years 
  1905 
  and 
  1906. 
  One 
  of 
  

  

  Wied. 
  Ann. 
  lxv. 
  pp. 
  449-450 
  (1898). 
  

  

  