Polyketide Biosynthesis, by J. D. Bu’ Lock; Terpenoid Biosynthesis, by J. R. Hanson; Corotenoid Biosynthesis and Vitamin A. by G. Britton. Part 30 Biosynthesis-A General Survey: Alkaloid Biosynthesis, by R. B. Herbert; Porphyrin. Chlorophyll, and Corrin Biosynthesis, by M. Akhtar and P. h4. Jordan: Shikimic Acid Metabolites. by E. Haslam. Reviewed with R. J. Parry. Aside from a slight organizational problem, i.e. all of Part 29 seemingly belongs under the heading of Part 30, these chapters are extremely well-written. The material is quite up-to-date through 1975, and the important aspects of the field have been covered in a scholarly manner. In seeking perfection one can find only minor areas for improvement, i.e. Chart 2 on page 919 and Chart 4 on page 925, particularly the former, are difficult to interpret; in Scheme 7, p. 1053, it is incorrectly implied that the mechanism of reduction of the pyridine ring of nicotinic acid has been established; the representation of the adduct of thiamine pyro-phosphate and a- ketoglutaric acid (in Schemes 16, 33 and 34, pp. 1184, I200 and 1201) as a naked carbonion (having acidic hydrogens) is not very satisfactory.

In conclusion, Haslam and his collaborating coauthors are to be congratulated for producing such a magnificent segment of the Barton-ollis magnum opus which indeed represents a major contribution to scholars of organic chemistry.

W. S. Johnson

Guide for the Pwplaxed Oganic Experimmtaliat by H. J. E. Loewenthal. Pp. ix+1 74. Heyden. London. 1978. Soft cover f4.80 ($9.60, DM 22.00).

This entertainingly written book lives up to its title. It is packed full with the kinds of information most often needed by the beginning research student and which normally take years to acquire. Even those with much experience will find many useful hints and techniques which they may not have met before or met them so long ago that they have forgotten them! The headings indicate the scope of the book: on searching the literature; on carrying out small-scale reactions (l-20 mmol. scale); on isolating and purifying the product; some basic safety rules; on catalytic hydrogenation; on keeping it clean; some detailed reaction examples; various hints and gadgets; on ordering, bottling, and storing chemicals; references; supply firms cited; index. The book is illustrated with 62 clearly drawn diagrams of apparatus.

The techniques of instrumental spectroscopy and analysis receive little attention and the chapter on safety is limited to three pages since there are already many books on these subjects. The reviewer enthusiastically recommends this book to all organic experimentalists, and if the price seems a little high remember that you are paying for the years of experience which the book embodies.

J. F. McOmie

Organic Spectroscopy. An Introduction, 2nd edition by S. F. Dvke, A. J. Floyd, M. Sainsbury and R. S. Theobald. Pp. vii+290. Longman, London. 19 78. Paperback f4.25.

No undergraduate chemistry course is now complete without the inclusion of a substantial element of spectroscopy. This book, which arises from the development of a second-year course at Bath University, gives a concise introduction to the four main methods currently used to help in the elucidation of the structures of organic compounds, namely infrared, ultra-violet/visible, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Following a brief introduction four main chapters deal with each of the techniques individually. Worked examples, problems and very useful bibliographies are also included in each chapter. All four techniques are then brought together in a series of worked examples, and the book finishes with a series of problems for the student to work out himself, (answers being provided).

A new section on “C-n.m.r. spectroscopy and Fourier transform techniques is one of the main changes from the first edition, thus reflecting their increasing importance especially in structural and biosynthetic work. The use of double resonance techniques, Nuclear Overhauser effects, and shift reagents

the n.m.r. chapter. Attention is also drawn to the developments of ‘soft’ ionisation techniques (chemical ionisation, field ionisation and field desorption) which are now increasingly being used to help in obtaining mass spectra of relatively involatile, or unstable, compounds.

Antony H. Jackson

Principles of Organic Synthesis, 2nd edllon by R. 0. C. Norman. Pp. xxi+BOO. Chapman &Hall, London. 19 78. Paperback f9.95.

The ten years that have passed since the publication of the first edition of this book have witnessed the synthesis of an ever increasing number of more and more complex organic molecules. In order to appreciate and design such syntheses a thorough understanding of reaction mechanisms and a knowledge of the principles of synthesis are essential. Professor Norman’s book largely succeeds in providing this. It is divided into two parts. Part I, comprising chapters on chemical thermodynamics, molecular structure, chemical kinetics, mechanism, and stereochemistry, is almost unchanged. In Part II the underlying principles are applied to synthesis by considering the ways in which various types of bonds can be formed. Chapters 6 to 9 discuss the formation of C--C bonds by the use, respectively, of organometallic reagents, base- and acid- catalysed condensations, and by pericyclic reactions (completely redrafted). The subsequent chapters (10-20) are concerned with the formation of aliphatic C-N bonds, electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitution, aromatic diazonium salts,

molecular rearrangements, reagents containing P, S or B (new), photochemistry (now a separate chapter), free-radical reactions, oxidation, reduction, and the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. The final chapter discusses brielly the strategy of multi-stage syntheses and illustrates this with annotated syntheses of ten important natural products. Bach chapter ends with references to reviews (mainly Organic Reactions) and problems (but no answers). The book is strongly recommended.

J. F. McOmie

Introduction to Induotrial Drying Procmoea by R. 8. Keey. Pp viii + 376. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 19 78. Hard cover f2.00; Flexicoverf7.50,

The author’s objective to provide a student text and an engineer’s guide ‘to the better design and operation of drying plant’ has been most effectively achieved. He covers the basic physics and thermodynamics in the first chapters including humidity, heat and mass balances, and the process of drying, based on model systems, and characteristic drying curves. He presents a full description of performances of the most common dryers, and ends with two chapters on continuous drying and batch drying. The useful appendices cover important parameters such as transport properties and sorption coefficients.

Another commendable feature, with this unfamiliar technology, is the large number of worked examples of typical industrial problems, the solutions to which make use of the data provided in the many graphs and tables. These are almost essential in this complex subject, which requires seven pages of notation, i.e. about 200 symbols.

Though the coverage is wide there are bound to be important omissions-for example, the drying of ink layers in colour printing, or coatings on plastic sheet. Impinging hot-air jets are extensively used in these processes, but they, and heat recovery, only receive the briefest mention.

This readable and informative guide can be commended to all those engaged in this increasingly important industrial activity.

J. Black

Beyond the Moon by Paolo Maffei, translatedby D. J. K. OConnell. Pp. x + 377. MIT Press, London. 1978. f8.75.

This book for the layman and amateur‘ astronomer has been very successful in Italy and is beginning to make an impression on the English-speaking market. It takes the form of an imaginary journey through the universe, starting at the Moon. In his mind’s eye, the reader is taken through the solar system and then progresses into the realm of stars and galaxies. The journey ends ‘at the limits of time and space’.

Professor Maffei, who achieved prominence following his discovery of two nearby galaxies, has produced a very readable book which is both imaginative and authoritative. The text is ably translated by Fr. O’Connell, himself an astronomer of note. Our author has a freshness

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