﻿Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  419 
  

  

  critical 
  temperature 
  for 
  bismuth 
  and 
  zinc 
  is 
  between 
  800° 
  and 
  

   850° 
  and 
  that 
  for 
  lead 
  and 
  zinc 
  between 
  900° 
  and 
  950°.— 
  Zeitschr. 
  

   anorg. 
  Chem., 
  xiii, 
  29-36, 
  1896. 
  g. 
  f. 
  b. 
  

  

  5. 
  Traite 
  Jilementaire 
  de 
  Mechanique 
  Chemique 
  fondee 
  sur 
  

   la 
  Therm 
  odynamique. 
  P. 
  Duhem, 
  Tome 
  I, 
  299 
  pp, 
  Paris, 
  1897. 
  

   (Hermann.) 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  volume 
  of 
  a 
  work 
  which 
  promises 
  

   to 
  be 
  extensive, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  intimation 
  here 
  of 
  what 
  

   the 
  author's 
  complete 
  plan 
  may 
  be. 
  A 
  short 
  introduction, 
  review- 
  

   ing 
  certain 
  mathematical 
  conceptions 
  and 
  forms 
  of 
  notation, 
  

   which 
  are 
  used 
  later, 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  division 
  constituting 
  some- 
  

   what 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  whole 
  volume 
  treating 
  of 
  the 
  funda- 
  

   mental 
  principles 
  of 
  thermodynamics, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  second 
  on 
  "false 
  

   equilibriums 
  " 
  and 
  explosions. 
  The 
  novel 
  term 
  false 
  equilibrium 
  

   is 
  defined 
  as 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  equilibrium 
  which 
  is 
  experimentally 
  realiz- 
  

   able 
  although 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  thermodynamics 
  hitherto 
  developed 
  

   declares 
  it 
  impossible. 
  

  

  An 
  abstract 
  from 
  the 
  author's 
  preface 
  will 
  serve 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  bet- 
  

   ter 
  idea 
  of 
  his 
  aims 
  than 
  any 
  criticism 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  fragment 
  before 
  us. 
  

  

  After 
  attributing 
  to 
  Berthollet 
  the 
  enunciation 
  of 
  the 
  truth 
  

   that 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  which 
  govern 
  chemical 
  combinations 
  

   and 
  decompositions 
  is 
  inseparable 
  from 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  

   govern 
  changes 
  of 
  physical 
  state, 
  which 
  more 
  comprehensive 
  

   study 
  constitutes 
  the 
  science 
  of 
  chemical 
  mechanics, 
  he 
  writes 
  : 
  

   " 
  Berthollet, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  ideas 
  prevalent 
  at 
  his 
  time, 
  

   demanded 
  the 
  principles 
  of 
  this 
  science 
  from 
  Statics 
  and 
  Dynam- 
  

   ics 
  Sainte-Claire-Deville 
  recognized 
  that 
  the 
  princi- 
  

   ples 
  of 
  chemical 
  mechanics 
  must 
  be 
  sought 
  in 
  Thermodynamics 
  ; 
  

   developed 
  and 
  defined 
  by 
  Horstmann, 
  by 
  Montier, 
  by 
  Gibbs, 
  by 
  

   Helmholtz, 
  by 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  other 
  physicists, 
  his 
  idea 
  has 
  given 
  birth 
  

   to 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  doctrines 
  ample 
  and 
  fruitful, 
  the 
  chemical 
  mechanics 
  

   founded 
  upon 
  thermodynamics. 
  It 
  is 
  this 
  body 
  of 
  doctrines 
  

   which 
  we 
  propose 
  to 
  develop." 
  

  

  6. 
  Elements 
  of 
  Theoretical 
  Physics 
  ; 
  by 
  Dr. 
  C. 
  Christiansen, 
  

   translated 
  by 
  W. 
  F. 
  Magie, 
  Ph.D., 
  339 
  pp. 
  New 
  York, 
  1897. 
  (The 
  

   Macmillan 
  Company.) 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  book 
  covering 
  a 
  wide 
  field 
  in 
  

   mathematical 
  physics 
  and 
  is 
  certain 
  to 
  prove 
  useful. 
  The 
  style 
  

   is 
  condensed 
  but 
  clear 
  and 
  direct. 
  The 
  translator's 
  work 
  is 
  so 
  

   well 
  done 
  — 
  from 
  the 
  German 
  of 
  Miiller 
  — 
  that 
  a 
  reader 
  would 
  

   possess 
  unusual 
  critical 
  faculties 
  who 
  could 
  recognize 
  its 
  source 
  

   as 
  other 
  than 
  in 
  a 
  writer 
  of 
  English. 
  

  

  A 
  book 
  of 
  such 
  moderate 
  size 
  and 
  covering 
  so 
  wide 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  

   subjects 
  must 
  of 
  necessity 
  be 
  very 
  concise, 
  far 
  too 
  much 
  so 
  to 
  be 
  

   of 
  easy 
  digestion 
  by 
  even 
  the 
  cleverest 
  students. 
  As 
  an 
  illustra- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  this 
  condensation 
  we 
  may 
  cite 
  Chapter 
  xii, 
  Refraction 
  of 
  

   light 
  in 
  isotropic 
  and 
  transparent 
  bodies. 
  This 
  contains 
  an 
  intro- 
  

   duction 
  followed 
  by 
  sections 
  on 
  Fresnel's 
  formulas 
  ; 
  the 
  electro- 
  

   magnetic 
  theory 
  of 
  light; 
  equations 
  of 
  the 
  electromagnetic 
  theory 
  

   of 
  light; 
  refraction 
  in 
  a 
  plate 
  ; 
  double 
  refraction; 
  discussion 
  of 
  

   the 
  velocities 
  of 
  propagation 
  ; 
  the 
  wave 
  surface 
  (two 
  sections) 
  ; 
  

  

  