Books

WHAT DO YOU DO WΙTΗ THE SPECTRUM? Electron Spin Resonance: Theory and Applications. N. M. Atherton. χ + 438 pages. Halstead Press, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1973. $35

Reviewed by Robert G. Hayes, De­partment of Chemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. 46556

Dr. Atherton's goal in writing "Electron Spin Resonance," accord­ing to his preface, is to provide an understanding of the analysis and in­terpretation of electron spin reso­nance spectra for the research worker or prospective research worker. In at­tempting this goal, he has tried to provide a discussion of each topic which begins at a level accessible to a person with a British undergraduate chemistry education.

In my opinion, Dr. Atherton has succeeded remarkably in his goal. He has written a book which covers the various aspects of electron spin reso­nance of interest to chemists at a level sufficiently high to make the book useful to the research worker. He has also tried hard to explain the formal aspects of theories in detail so that a reader with no special knowl­edge could follow the argument. This

attempt, in my opinion, is only partly successful. Indeed, I believe that it is essentially impossible to do this in a book of reasonable length which is also to serve as a reference book. I should, thus, if I were to recommend this book to a chemistry graduate student, also recommend one of the introductions to magnetic resonance.

Since the book bears the subtitle "Theory and Applications," it is well to point out that the applications are examples of the use of the theory. There is essentially no discussion of experimental matters in the book, neither of the magnetic resonance ex­periment nor of the various devices used to observe species of chemical interest. The book is written with the view that one has a spectrum in hand and wants to know what it means. Thus, it will repay study by the per­son who proposes to involve himself seriously in electron spin resonance and who has elementary quantum mechanics well in hand. It will also repay the established worker who wants to have a discussion of any of the various ramifications of electron spin resonance in chemistry at a level which puts him in contact with cur­rent research. It will be of little use to

the person who wants a survey of chemical applications of electron spin resonance.

Recommended Translation of French Edition Gas Chromatography in Inorganics and Organometallics. G. Guiochon and C. Pommier, vii + 332 pages. Ann Arbor Science Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 1425, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106. 1973. $20 Reviewed by Kent J. Eisentraut, Chemistry Research Laboratory, Aerospace Research Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433

The application of gas chromatog­raphy to inorganic compounds, while initially lagging the developments for organic compounds, has within the last 10 years clearly established itself as a most important research area. This book represents a translation and revision of the 1971 French edi­tion entitled, "La Chromatographie en Phase Gazeuse en Chimie Inorgan­ique." The authors have gathered to­gether in one volume discussions of the application of gas chromatogra-

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 46, NO. 6, MAY 1974 · 533 A

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phy to several types of inorganic and organometallic compounds. Areas covered include inorganic gases, halo­gens and nonmetallic halides, metals and metal halides, hydrides, organo­metallic compounds, metal chelates, and isotopes. Also included are a re­view of theoretical concepts and a section on apparatus and experimen­tal techniques. The authors also in­clude a short chapter which provides several examples of specific quantita­tive applications of inorganic gas chromatography of practical impor­tance. The last chapter of the book is devoted to a useful discussion of non-analytical applications which demon­strates the capability of gas chroma­tography in the measurement of physicochemical parameters for ther­modynamic studies of gas-liquid and gas-solid interactions.

The material is generally clearly written and concise. The book is not intended to provide all the experi­mental details necessary to conduct the analyses described but is useful in demonstrating the great potential of gas chromatography directed toward the solution of many problems in in­organic chemistry. Literature refer­ences are included, and the reader can consult these for more detailed discussions. The reader should be aware, however, that the authors do not provide a complete bibliography of literature references for all the areas discussed. Consequently, it will be necessary for the serious reader or researcher to consult the scientific literature further in the specific areas of interest. Although a few typo­graphical and other errors were no­ticed, including several errors of omission, they are, in general, minor in scope and do not detract signifi­cantly from the usefulness of this text. Although an author index is not included as such, a useful tabulation by element and compound is provid­ed at the end of the book so that the reader may rapidly determine which references of those cited pertain to specific compounds of interest.

This reviewer welcomes the trans­lation of the French edition and rec­ommends it to those individuals who are interested in learning more about the usefulness of gas chromatography in inorganic chemistry.

Instrumental Methods of Food Analy­sis. A. J. MacLeod, vi + 802 pages. Halstead Press, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1973. $39 Reviewed by John L. Iverson, Divi­sion of Food Technology, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D. C. 20204

534 A · ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 46, NO. 6, MAY 1974

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249 pages (1973) Cloth bound, $13 .95 ; Paperback, $7.50. Postpaid in U.S. and Canada, plus 4 0 cents elsewhere.

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Books

The author has tried to provide im­petus for more extensive use of in­strumental methods of food analysis to replace traditional noninstrumen-tal methods. This book contains large individual sections on chromatogra­phy and electrophoresis, gas chroma­tography, ultraviolet and visible ab­sorption and fluorescence analysis, and atomic absorption spectroscopy and flame photometry.

Each section can stand alone, starting with a good discussion re­quiring minimal knowledge, and pro­ceeds rapidly to more complex mate­rial. There is at times a rare insight into practical information such as the inefficiency of trapping techniques in gas chromatography. Although very well done, this does not help the no­vice or the expert. A large portion of each section is composed of a table organized under 41 subject headings (fats and oils, esters, moisture, etc.) and 18 food classifications (nuts, veg­etables, fish, etc.). This is a complex organizational scheme. The book is easy to read with its tables, figures, and equations well done.

There are over 200 pages of tables with nearly 3,000 references. Most of the cited literature is from the 1960's with a cut-off date of 1968-69. The references would have been more us­able if they were in alphabetical order. The tables seem to be orga­nized from cards and give instrumen­tal conditions, techniques, detection limits, and other pertinent informa­tion. Although the organization is un­derstandable, it is difficult to find meaningful information in the tables. If one wants a method for a particular component, it is rather difficult to find. The reference must be obtained to use the instrumental procedure. There were errors in citing the re­viewers' references. This was unfortu­nate since a check of many additional references indicated they were cor­rect. It might have been better if the author had been more selective in his references since sheer numbers are not all important .

The author has tried to cover ev­erything and has not quite succeeded. Anyone who purchases this book to find a ready solution to a specific problem will be disappointed. The real value of a book is in being able to find what one wants. Although there are a general index and an index of food analysis references, it is still rather difficult to find specific infor­mation. This might be owing to the age-old problem of trying to figure out how a librarian would index spe­cific material.

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 46, NO. 6, MAY 1974 · 535 A