Prof. Curtmnn's intcrcst in qunlitntivc annlysis is of long standing : tlie rcvicwcr rciucmbcrs with plcnsurc the clcnr esposition of I' Bnskcrvillc and Ciirtninn " which lic read nboiit twciity ycnrs ago. Tlic prcscnt worlc lias tlic snmc c1iaractcrist.ic clarity and is rntlicr niorc tliari twicc thc Icngtli of tlic forrncr book. It is intcrcsting to note wltcrc tlic espnnsion Itits talteii plncc : in thc miin, it lics in t.Iic tIicorct.icnl port.ion, in the section tlcnling iritlt acids, and in t,lic piirts describing tlic tcchiiiquc of complctc rinnlysis. The scpanitions nnd tcsts arc bnsrd nlniost cntircly on inorgniiic rcnct.ions, vcry sparing iisc lieing i n n & of organic rcugcnts. This is n sccond ctlitiou, thc first, wns publislicd in 1931, and thc tltcorcticnl section ltns bccn thoroiighly rcviscd ; niorC spiicc liiis Iiccn givcn to co-ortlin:ition, n.hich tins been introduccd iiiiiiicdiiitcly nftcr iitoinie structure, n cliniigc wlticli, i l l tlic nuttior's opinion, innlics for a clcnr iindcrstanding of their close rclntionsliip. Brijiistccl's tlicory of coiijugntc acids nnd bnscs is nlnong thc iicw topics discusscd, and his tlicory is npplicd systcinciticnlly to rcactioits tliroiiglioiit the text. Indcccl, no piiins Itavc bccii sparcd to iliakc all tlic pllysico-clcmical forindntions of nnnlyticitl proccdurc nbsoliitcly clear to tlic rcridcr. Spccinl incntion must :itso bc mirda of tlic clcnr way in wbicli rcnctions nrc trcutcd so that tlic stutlcnt will acquirc n useful body of iiiorgnuic oliciiiistry in tlic coursc of his work.
Acids biivc nl\mys bccn ii tlilliculty in qunlitntivc iinnlysis atid frcquently rcccivc it~i~dcqi~ittc trcntnicnt in tcxtbooks. Here tlic indiviclunl rciictions lire veil sct out nntl very spccid iittcntioii Ilns bccn pnid to the annlysis of coniplcs mistiircs of niiioiis in n scction wliicli will be welcotiicd by iiiniiy tcnchcrs.
A fcw pnges lirirc bccn Jcvotcd to nn introductiou to scini-micro inctliods aliich, iiltliougli good in itsclf, sccule so out of step with the rlctnilctl treiitmcnt cmploycd in tlic rcst of tlic tcst thnt it woiilcl hn-c b e ~n bcttcr omitted, prirticdnrly iis tlicrc nlrcndy arc so iiiniiy csccllcnt books on this form of niinlyeis.