This is a monumental work for which scientists of many persuasions will thank the authors. The book is divided into seven main sections of very diverse length.
I. Properties of Solvents: six are normally given: b.p.m.p, viscosity, dielectric constant, specific conductivity and density. Both pure and mixed solvents are covered.
II. Purification of Solvents: very brief notes with references. III. Electrical Conductance: this is the largest section almost equally divided into tetra-alkyl ammonium salts and the rest. There is so much data here that the authors have wisely indicated merely the range of measured values and the equivalent conductivity at infinite dilution. There are two sets of tables with classification by solute and by solvent for easy reference. Sections IV, V, VI and VII. Diffusion, Density, Viscosity and Transport Numbers are shorter and give fuller tables of data. The final section contains some additional data and references, largely on dimethyl sulphoxide.
It is claimed that the book is essentially a complete reference to work in these fields for the four decades up to 1972 with some earlier work as well. It is in no sense a critical compilation and when one realises the magnitude of the task one wonders whether a critical selection of conductivity data will ever be made. It was probably also wise not to attempt to modernise the units, although the "mho" might have been eliminated without much strain. Also the use of table headings like "Concentration, eq/1 x 10 ~'' do not provide the maximum clarity. A final minor criticism is that a table of definitions might have been included. No doubt, everyone who uses these tables knows what a "B-coefficient" is, but they are also expected to remember its units.