POLYMER LETTERS VOL. 9, (1971)

result, prior to the publication of Dr. Alexander’s monograph, the polymer crystallographer has often had to wade through literally hundreds of articles, in widely scattered sources, to obtain information concerning the theory, tech- niques, or results of x-ray studies of polymers.

Dr. Alexander has done a magnificent job in organizing the enormous amount of published materials and in presenting these in a coherent, intelligible, and interesting fashion. A wide range of subject matter is covered with remark- able completeness. Fundamental theory and instrumentation are dealt with first, followed by chapters devoted to crystallinity, preferred orientation, small angle scattering, crystal structure, and lattice distortions. In several chapters separate sections deal with theory and with relevant experimental procedures. A useful set of Appendices is included. Particularly valuable is Appendix 3, in which more than fifty pages are devoted to tabulations of crystallographic data for polymers.

With characteristic modesty Dr. Alexander implies, in the Preface, that his treatment of experimental details is relatively sketchy. This view is not shared by this reviewer. Major portions of the monograph are devoted not only to de- scriptions of apparatus and conventional procedures, but also to detailed discus- sions of the many tricks of the polymer crystallographer’s trade which rarely find their way into published texts. Numerical examples, illustrating the mean- ings of analytical expressions and the practical applications of the results, are used throughout in great abundance.

true. Nevertheless, this reviewer feels that this volume, like the author’s earlier collaborative work with Dr. Hug (X-Ray Diffraction Procedures), will remain a standard text and a model for other authors for many years. I recommend it highly to all who are interested in either polymers or diffraction.

Dr. Alexander stresses the fact that the field is changing rapidly. That is

Benjamin Post

Received May 29, 1971

An Introduction to Ultracentrifugation, T. J. Bowen, Wiley-Intersci- ence, New York, 1971. 171 pp. $6.95

This book derives from a course of lectures given to students of biochemis- try and biophysics and is, to the reviewer’s knowledge, by far the best introduc- tion to the subject of ultracentrifugation. It contains a remarkable amount of valuable information, dealing with both experimental details and theory. A particularly useful feature is the discussion (in ch. 10) of some studies pub- lished in the literature , and the discussion (in ch. 11) of some selected prob- lems.

In a small book which gives so much information, it is impossible to avoid that the text in many places is very condensed. Many statements are made

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which can only be fully appreciated by a study of the original literature. Typ- ical examples are: the use of Strohmaier’s sector-shaped insert in a swing-out preparative rotor on p. 38, the corrections for self-sharpening effects on p. 47, LaBar’s method on p. 71, the equations to be used for random coils on p. 94. The author has obviously taken it for granted that the student will consult the literature that is quoted, because the text concerning such matters would be unintelligible by itself.

In connection with references to the literature, it is noted that some of these references are to original, very early, papers by Fick, Boltzman, Stefan or Rayleigh. Although one may readily agree that this practice is to be encour- aged, it is clear that an additional reference to a later textbook or review would be helpful.

Inevitably, in an introduction of this kind the reader will not always agree with the author’s preferences, but the author has the great advantage over most others that he has developed this course over 20 years and relies on much ex- perience. The publication of this text is without doubt a very great service to students.

J. J. Hermans

Dept. of Chemistry University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514

Received June 7, 1971

Polymer Colloids, Proceedings of an ACS Symposium on Polymer Colloids (Chicago, Ill., Sept. 13-18, 1970), R. M. Fitch, Ed., Plenum Press, New York, 1971. 187 pp. $9.95

Colloid science, the science of particles of the size below one micron, but above that of “ordinary” molecules, seemed to relinquish a portion of its do- main when polymer science arrived on the scene. In due course, as in return, colloid science received a precious gift: an inexhaustible source of new, truly colloidal systems, namely those of polymer “emulsions” produced by emulsion polymerization. Typically, these contain spherical particles in the submicron range with definite and reproducible properties. The book reviewed here deals with such systems.

views. Nevertheless, their publication in book form rather than in periodicals has justification in that many of them give, for those familiar with the basic principles of colloid science, a good insight into the present status of know- ledge on some of its fundamental problems. Outstanding in this respect is the first of the volume on “Clean, monodisperse latexes as model colloids” by Van

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The papers have more the character of original contributions than of re-