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nuclear spin leads to the hyperfine structure of ESR spectra.The chemical production of radicals and their measurementin the E SR spectrometer are described only briefly, and themain emphasis is laid on understanding the theoretical inter-pretation of spectra with hyperfine structure and of theirrelation to c oncepts of the electronic structure of organicradicals th at can be derived from H MO theory and its refine-ments.For this purpose the author confines his attention almostwholly to radicals anions and cations of aromatic hydro-carbons an d their a za derivatives, ions that have beenparticularly thoroughly studied. The book thus gains muchin clarity and immediacy, especially as the au tho r himself is arecognized master of the field. Several of the inherentproblems are given a first, very clear interpretation withoutmaking too great mathematical demands; examples are theformation, by r cr spin polarization, of a finite spin densityat the H atoms of benzene situated at the nodal plane of theunpaired r-electron; the formation of negative spin densitiesby z li spin polarization; and the occurrence of relativelylarge coupling constants on -hydrogen atoms owing tohyperconjugation.A relatively short Appendix 1 follows, describing methodsof quantitative calculation used in estimating li c and x i:spin polarization; here, however, considerable knowledge ofthe techniques of quantum-mechanical calculation is assumed,and this the ordinary chemist may often not possess.In that section devoted to nitrogen-free and nitrogen-con-taining aromatic radical ions, it is shown how far predictionsfrom ESR spectroscopy can be extended, and to what extentthe results of quantum-mechanical calculations agree withexperimental results. The examples are excellently chosen todemonstrate, by concrete cases, the extraordinary power ofprediction inherent in ESR spectroscopy.The writing is concise and the re is no unecessary repetit ionThe book requires concentrated reading, but it makes nodemand beyond the capacity of a student who is reasonablyfamiliar with HMO theory. This is an excellent book and itis also an aesthetic pleasure owing to the splendid illustrationsof typical ESR spectra (most of them from the authorsZurich school), very clear schematic drawings, and the cleanand pleasant photomechanical reproduction of typescript.References covering the literature up t o the end of 1965 arean aid to deeper study.I t is to be hoped that the book h as a wide circulation andtha t the later volumes in the series will be equally successful.

K . D im roth [NB 809 IE]

Theorie der Molekiilspektren (Theory of Molecular Spectra).By W. A . Bingel. From the series Chemische Taschen-biicher, Vol. 2, edited by W.Forst and H . Grunewald. Ver-lag Chemie Gmb H, Weinheim/Bergstr. 1967. 1st Edit.,206 pp.. 62 figures, 21 tables, bound D M 16. .

This volume of the series Chemische Taschenbucher fillsa gap among German-language monographs on molecularspectroscopy, since apart from a few specialized works withvery narrowly limited subject matter,recent German literaturehas nothing to offer as an introduction to the theory ofspectra. Th e author of the present book has therefore con-centrated on the fundamental theoretical relations. A shortintroduction is followed by a discussion of rotation androtation-vibration spectra; the vibrational and rotationalstructure of electronic transitions is then also discussed.Special attention is given to intensities and selection rules,which are hardly mentioned in other, more experimentallyoriented books. The relation between the theory of thechemical bond and UV spectroscopy is presented in a clearmanner. T he authors own special interests are reflected in avery comprehensive discussion of the classification of theelectronic states of d iatomic and triatomic molecules.Since the book is intended primarily a s an introduction forbeginners, the treatment of infrared an d R aman spectra has

had to be kept relatively brief. The author has tried toexplain the essential relations with the minimum use of for malmathematics. The success of the treatment will depend onthe readers background knowledge. The book is well worththe price, and it is to be hoped that it will be widely read,particularly by the younger chemistry students.

Th. Ackermann WB 792 IE]

Gruppentheorie fur Chemiker, Physiko-Chemiker, Minera-logen ab 5 Semester (Gr oup Theory for Chemists, Physi-cal Chemists, and Mineralogists in their 5th Semester andBeyond). By K . M a th ia k and P . Stingl. From the Series:Hochschul-Studienbuch. Friedr. Vieweg und Sohn, Braun-schweig, Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt/M.1968, paperback DM 9.80.

The modern chemist is making ever-increasing use of numer-ical methods (particularly quantum mechanical approxima-tion methods) and sooner or later he s bound to have tocome to terms with the mathematical fundamentals of thesetechniques. T he present book by Mathiak and Stingl providesan opp ortunity for him to get acquainted with the importantsubject of group theory. Since the inclusion of numerousexamples and problems imparts the necessary substanceto the highly abstract subject matter, the reader can profitconsiderably from a study of the sections entitled AbstractGro up Theory, Symmetry G rou ps of Molecules, andRepresentation Theory. An additional section on VectorSpaces has been included to furnish the necessary back-ground. However, the section on th e application of gr ouptheory to Hiickel theory and molecular vibrat ions will do littleto stimulate the faith of the reader in this book, since it notonly contains many obscurities, inaccuracies, and mistakes,but unfortunately also makes no mention of the most impor-tan t applications of group theory: Selection rules and polari-zation of electronic transitions, band forms and polarizationfor IR bands, degree of depolarization of Raman bands, aswell as considerations of the symmetry types of overtonesand combination frequencies in vibration spectra.The apparently unavoidable mistakes in the character tablesare found in this book, e .g . , in the groups C4. C4h. C6v andD4h. K . W i lh e lm [NB 787 IE]

Grundziige der Radio- und Reaktorchemie (Fundamen tals ofRadiochemistry and Reactor Chemistry). By F. Hecht.Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt/M. 1958. 1stEdit., x,426 pp., 130 figures, 39 tables, paperback DM 25.-.

Though radiochemistry or nuclear chemistry forms part ofthe curriculum of a number of universities where German isspoken, there has until now been no satisfactory German-language textbook in this field, and the standard work forradiochemists is therefore the excellent Nuclear and R adio-chemistry (2nd Edit., 1966) by Friedlander, K ennedy, andMiller. Because of its strong physical orientation, however,this cannot really be recommended as an introduction. Thebook by Hecht is intended to fill this gap, and can be said tohave succeeded in this object.The bo ok is divided in to the following sections:1. Nuclear-physical data, 2. Nuclear reactions, 3. Radiationmeasurements, 4 Radiochemical procedures, 5. Artificialradioactivity, 6. Nuclear reactors, 7. The effects of radiationand radiation loading, 8. Use of radionuclides in industryand medicine, and 9. Chemistry of hot atoms. The chaptersize ranges from 6 pages (Chapter 9) to more than 100(Chapter 4 . This very lucidly written book is of particularvalue for students choosing radiochemistry as a subsidiarysubject as well as for practical chemists seeking an intro-duction to experimental radiochemical techniques. However,these are not the only readers to whom the extensive Chapters3 and 4 which are outstanding for the expert knowledgeshown by the author, will appeal. Special mention should be

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made of the numerous figures and graphs. T he various typesof reactors are discussed in Chapter 6, though the reviewerwould have expected a more detailed discussion of nuclear-physical principles e.g. four-factor formula); however, thisis a shortcoming of all (even English-language) books onradiochemistry and nuclear chemistry. Even physical prin-ciples are sometimes unfortunately not discussed at length;there was no need to avoid mathematical formulations almostcompletely. What the Friedlander-Kennedy-Miller booklacks in chemistry, the Hecht book l acks in physics. On ewould also have expected that in 1968 (the year of publi-cation), the new position regarding the No isotope (datingfrom 1963-1965) could have been presented; moreover, thesymbol Mv for element 101 (p. 241) was changed by theIUPA C into Md almost ten years ago. These and other minorpoints can, however, be corrected in a later edition.The presentation and print are well below average, even ifallowance is made for the relatively low price. At least twotypes of paper had been used in the reviewers copy, severalpages showed variation in print thickness or unsharp print,and th e paper binding delaminated after use for a short time,so that the life of the book will probably be limited.

C. Keller [NB 799 IE]

Synthesen mit Kohlenmonoxid (Syntheses with CarbonMonoxide). By J . Fulbe. Vol 1 in the Series OrganischeChemie in Einzeldarstellungen. Springer Verlag, Berlin,Heidelberg, New York, 1967. 1st Edit., vii 212 pp..20 tables, D M 48.-.

Except for a few omissions, the author has succeeded inwriting a comprehensive monograph o n syntheses involvingCO, and even experts in this field can find something new init. Hydroformylation, carbonylation. the Gattermann-Kochsynthesis, and carbonylation with Pd catalysts are describedin detail, irrespective of their technical importance. It isobviously impossible in such a comprehensive book toconsider singly the entire literature quoted and to specify ineach case the importance of the individual works.It is mentioned in the Preface that, prior to their detailedinvestigation, Reppe syntheses and Roelen reactions weredescribed after World War I in FIAT, BIOS, and CIOSReports. Despite this, workers engaged in the subsequentintensive research in this field outside Germany hardly tookinto acc ount the previous investigations, with the result tha tmany aspects have been discovered twice. This could havebeen brought to light still better by modifying the structureof the book.In connection with the reaction mechanisms, mention ismade again of the three-membered ring and ketene theory,which was rejected years ago. On the other hand, onlyfootnotes are devoted to the im portant hypotheses proposeda long time ago abo ut the intermediates of hydroformylationand carbonylation (FIAT, Houben-Weyl). At the same time,a detailed account is found o n the mechanisms which wereproposed much later, and which closely resemble thesehypotheses.This does not alter the fact that this is a very good book,which can be recommended to those who work in this field.

H . Kroper [NB 791 IE]

Comprehensive Biochemistry, Vol 20: Metabolism of CyclicCompounds. By M. Florkin and E . H . Stofz. ElsevierPublishing Co., Amsterdam, London , New York, 1968.1st Edit., xiii 533 pp., 135 figs., 34 table s; Dfl. 75.-.

This volume[l] deals with the biosynthesis and the degrada-tion o f complicated organic molecules arising in the metabo-lism of carbohydrates and amino acids. It bears witness to111 Cf. Angew. Chem. 80, 974 (1968); Angew. Chem. internat.Edit. 7, 901 (1968).Angew. Che m. internat. Edit. Vol. 1969) No .

the great progress made in the last I S years in the elucidationof structural relationships by new methods and improvedtechniques. Not only is the literature well documented up to1967, hut also a great number of quotations are included insome cases. As a result, this book o ften makes it unnecessaryto consult th e original articles for details. It also gives surveyswhich enable the reader to familiarize himself with therelevant material.Discussing the isoprene derivatives, H . J . Nicholas describesthe synthesis, degradation, occurrence, and function ofvitamin A, a-tocopherols, vitamin K ubiquinones, plasto-quinone, carotinoids, squalene, and other terpenes, as wellas rubber. He also discusses ecdysone and the giberellins,together with their function and the regulation of the bio-synthetic cycles between organelles. The metabolism ofsteroid hormones and bile acids is discussed by D . B . Gorer,whose account includes the formation and the conversion ofCI S, C19, and Cz1 sterols, the action of ACTH and otherhormones, the enzymatic hydroxylation and dehydrogenationof the steroid skeleton, and processes of conjugation andelimination. The author examines the reaction mechanismsin great detail and also discusses the secondary conversionof bile acids by intestinal microflora, though the productsof this conversion are only indirectly connected with bio-genetic cycles.The phenolic substances are divided into flavonoids F . UPEds), tannins D. R o u x ) , and lignin W. J . Schuberf),which is biogenetically connected with tannins in carbo-hydra te metabolism. The glycosides and t he aglycons offlavones and flavonones are of pharmacologic interest, andtheir toxicology and therapeutic use therefore receive criticaltreatment. One finds a similarly good acc ount of the in-fluence of intestinal bacteria, nutritional factors, and dosageon the products of metabolism and elimination. The hydro-lyzable and condensed polyphenols of the tannins areexamined in a relatively short but informative section. Hereand in the chapter o n lignin, one encounters isocyclic poly-hydroxy compounds, which occupy a central position in themetabolism of aromatic systems, and which are aromatizedand n the case of lignin condensed into large, complexpolymeric molecules. Their chemical structure is mainlyhypothetical, and it is therefore too soon to discuss thegeneral features of these molecules. By contrast, t he generaloutlines of the biogenesis based on C02 . carbohydrates, shi-kimic acid, and C3 fragments are known. The same applies tothe origin of methoxy groups and to the polymerization ofmonomeric phenylacrylic acid precursors by enzymaticoxidoreduct ase and peroxidase (laccase). Th e degradation byfungi that decompose wood is first hydrolytic (even etherbridges ar e cleaved here by etherases), and then oxidative,leading to vanillin derivatives.A monographic study of the biosynthesis of alkaloids andother secondary nitrogen metabolites by J . E . Spenser re-presents the main part of the book. This subject is treated inbiogenetic terms, and, despite the great variety of the sub-stances, the study shows the relations between the syntheticpathways, which had been earlier proposed speculatively byorganic chemists, mostly exhibiting an extraordinary insight.The syntheses involved are relatively simple (Mannich con-densations and oxidative coupling of phenols), but give riseto a remarkable group of compounds, which are difficult tosystematize.One of the most fascinating chapters of the chemistry ofnatural products is that of secondary fungal metabolism,although the underlying principles are not clear since we donot know whether we are dealing here with eliminationprocesses or with accumulation processes; nevertheless,about 1000 compounds have so far been isolated. R . Bentleyand J. M Campbell examine some routes for the aromaticsyntheses based o n glycolysis intermediates, acetate, mevalon-ate, and polyoxomethylene compounds, together with theformation of terpenes, sterols, and anthraquinones. Theenzymatic halogenation and the regulation of these processeshave also been described.

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