ilpril 20, 1950 Boos REVIEWS 2029

tor>- tools for the study of high inagiletic fields or the study o f protective materials for the re-entry phase of rockets.

The report of this conference presents authoritative and , in many instances, quite detailed discussions of the equipment used for priiducing tlie high temperature plasmas or of the types o f i i ~ e ; i ~ ~ r e n ~ e n t that can be made. It is unfortunate tha t the rel.tsntion of security restrictions in this general field did tmt come early enough to allow a much broader discussion o f ivurk with plasmas and possible applications. This restrictiun has left a somewhat unbalanced presenta- tion \\-itli sotne topics discussed in great detail and other topics barel>- iiientioned. For those topics which have been :tdequ:itel!- covered the reader will find a quite up to date and comprehensive treatment. Although this work will be of great value to those active in the plasma field, it will not be very useful to the casual reader who wishes to gain an over-all view of the activities in this field. DEP,4RT'MEST OF CHEMISTRY USI\.ERSITT OF CALIFORSIA BERKELEY, CALIFORSIA

LEO BREWER

Progress in Semiconductors. Volume 3. ALAS F. GIBSOX, B.Sc., Ph.D., Gericral Editor, Professor R. E . BURGESS, \.ancouver, B.C., ;\merican Editor and Professor P . AIGRAIS, Paris, European Editor. John \Vile>- and Sons, Inc., 44@ Fourth Avenue, Sew I'ork 16, S. Y. 1958. vii + 210 pp. 16.5 X 23.5 cm. Price, $5.50. This is the third of an annual series of volumes reviewing

various topics in the field of semiconductors. This volume contains the following seven articles: The Magnetoresis- tivity of Germanium mid Silicon, hI. Glicksirian; The Chemi- cal Purification of Germaniurn and Silicon, J . bI. IVilson; Electronic Conductivity of Silver Halide Crystals. J . IV. ?rlitclicll; Silicon Junction Diodes, D. E . 3l:asiin and D. F. Taylor; Lifcstirne of Excess Carriers in Serniccinductors, A . M a n y ant i K . D r a y ; Scattering ;ind Drift Llobility o f Car- riers i n Germ:iniuiii, h l . S. Siidli'i; Electronic Processes iii C:idrniuni Sulphide, J . Lainbe :ind C. C. Klick.

The articles :ire about ivlitit \\-e lixvc come t i i expect frliiti the first t w o viilurrics, being alioiit :3r p:igcs iii Iengtli, iritli cunteiits well described b!. tlieir t i t l e > . 13:iving resid tlie bo[ik, I find little t o coiniiieiit 1111. I lie ;irticles ;ire gciier- :ill>. \vel1 ivritten, \ \ i t11 c,ircfiil wlcction ( i f ni,itcri:il. The type c~iiitiiiui~s to bcs too s11i:i11, :iiid tlie paper too yel l~i iv , for ciiinfiirt:iblc re,tdiiig, m t l , o f coiirsr, i v i t l i nilist ( i f tlie articles writtcii 11et\vecn t ine : t i id tivo y e u s ;igii, iii;iiiy recent devel~ipiiiciits ;are not includctl. Severtltelcss, tliesc, I);ipers serve RS wiirthwliile guides to the I)rescrit st:itiis of these interesting tupics and in iiioht cka,.cs itidic:itc tlic prohi- blc direction !if future progress.

_.

The \-oluiiic begins with a paper (15 pages) by Paqunt nn autoxidation of fatty substances, through which the rettdcr becomes acquainted with pertinent aspects of peroxide chemistry. Thereafter, follow analytical studies on the radin- tion formation of peroxides in various organic conipciunds of biological interest, including cumene (11. Durup, 9 pages), amino acids and peptides (S. Okada, 4 pages) and nucleic acids and related compounds ( J . .I. 1.. Butler , 3 pages and J . IVeiss, 3 pages). Then papers on the presumptive indica- tion of peroxide intermediates, in different biological r.idi.i- tion reactions including killing of mice ( J . S t . I,. Pltilpiit, et ai., 8 pages), inxtivCition i i f tr:iiisfurming principle i n pneumococci ( I < . Latarjct, et a l . , 9 pages), genetic effects i n drosophila ( F . H. Sobels, 10 pages) and inactivation uf bacteriophage ( D . 5Iaswell, 4 pcigesi. I-nrious aspects of the effect of oxygen ore dealt \ritli by L. H . Gray (The influence of oxygen 011 the radiosensitivity of cells anti tis- sues, 9 pages), 11. Ebert and A . Howard (?rlodific:ttiun of the oxygen effect by gases, 4 pages), T. Alper (.I niecli- anisin for the osygen effect suggested by some recent es- periments, 8 pages) and C . I'ermcil (Reactions en chaine en phase aqueous et "effect oxygene," 7 pages). Gray's xr- t ick includes reference to the practical usage of compressed oxygen in radio therapy.

Together these pqiers and discussions give a \vel1 rriuiidctl picture of the present status of an important subjcct in radia-

Paper and printing are good. There is an , but one misses a subject index.

CHEMISTRY DIVISIOS

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