arated by silicate column chromatography and identified, by melting point and X-ray powder diffraction patterns, as the crystalline, fully acety- lated derivatives of isomaltitol,2 p-isomaltose, D-glucose and D-glUCitol. These data identify

(2) >I. L. Wolfrom, A . Thompson. A. N. O’Seill and T. T. Gal-

(3) 41. L. Wolfrom, I,. W. Georges and I I.. hliller, i b i d . , 69, 473 k o w k i , THIS JOURNAL, 74, 1062 (1952).

(194 i ) ; 71, 125 (1949).

the trisaccharide as isomaltotriose4 and indicate that a part of the L Y - D - ( ~ +. 6) glycosyl linkages exist in adjacent units in glycogen. DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY M. L. VV’OLFROM COLUMBUS 10, O H I O A. THOMPSON5

(4) Allene Jeanes. C. A. W l h a m , R . W . Jones, H. hI. Tsuchiya and C . E. Rist, i b i d . , 76, 6911 (1953).

( 5 ) Research Associate of the Corn Industries Research Foundation. RECEIVED JUSE 27, 1956

BOOK REVIEWS

Introduction to Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes. BY I . PRIGOGINE, D. Sc., Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium. Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, 301-327 Eas t Lawrence Avenue, Springfield, Illinois. 1936. i s + 155 pp. 14 X 22 c m Price, $475 This monograph belongs to a series entitled “i\niericaii

Lectures in Biochemistry and Biophysics” edited by Dr . \V. Bladergroen of Delft, the Netherlands, for Sandoz Ltd . of Bask , Switzerland. Having been published simultane- ously in the U. S. A. by Charles C. Thomas, in Great Britain by Blackwell Scientific Publications (Oxford), in Canada by the Ryerson Press (Toronto), and its author being on the staff of the University of Brussels, Belgium, this work has a strong international flavor. It is a welcome addition to the still limited “digested” sources of information on the recent developments in the thermodynamics of irreversible processes and it mill, in particular, be of definite help to the readers of the author’s previous “Etude Thermo- dynarnique des Phhomenes IrrCversibles” (Desoer, Liege, Belgium, 1947). Professor Prigogine has been one of the main contributors to this field. -1s a member of De Donder’s school of thermodynamics (see a review by F. 0. Koenig, THIS JOURNAL, 77, 6718 (1985)) he brought into complete liarmony De Donder’s afiiiity theory and the developments based upon Onsager’s linear phenomenological laws and reciprocity relations. Froin there Professor Prigogine nivved on toward a series of brilliant contributions of his

The first three chapters constitute a clear condensation of the fundamentals of thermodynamics in the De Donder form, the second principle being presented as tha t of ”entropy production.” The section of Chapter 111 on critropy production due t o heat flow, to chemical and electrochemical reactions in closed, open and continuous systems, and the considerations on internal degrees o f freedom furnish the transition toward the presentation, in the remaining three chapters, of a detailed study of the general properties of, and relations between rates and affinities, of the linear phenomenological laws, of Onsager’s reciprocity relations, etc. Chapter V contains treatinents of several important particular cases: chemical reactions near equilibrium, electrokinetic effects and Sasen’s relation ( the proof of which constitutes one of the main achievements of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes), therrno- molecular pressure difference and thermoniechanical effect, etc. Chapter \-I gives a thorough treatment of stationar5- lion-equilibrium states, of states of minimum entropl- production, of stationarl- state coupling, and finishes with two pages of remarks on applications in biology, a section (Jilf would wish to see greatly expanded by someone in the near future. .In appendix on non-linear problems, a list of sixt)--three references to the literature of the subject (ciune of them including several titles), a three-page list of notations ant1 a two-page subject indes conclude this In~lIllJgrapll.

Professors Prigogine arid Defay have announced, some- time ago alrendy, a more detailed treatment of irreversible

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Gmelins Handbuch der Anorganischen Chemie.

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the n!iwfmiiliar stJ-lc and pl;m o f ~ r g a n i ~ a t i o t i , as follows: lo^, Teil -1. Systcii~-Suiiiiner 10. svii + 184 pi). )G.W. So. 3 r i f Part -4 of the ~ ~ o l u n i e on Seleniuni.

Comp1ett.s Part -1. Givers the literature through 195% on selenium rectifiers (107 pages) a n t i pliritrdectric cells (75 pages).

’2. Boron, S~-stein-Surnnier 1:3. v i i + 253 pp. Price 834.80 in cloth. 533.60 in wrappers. This is the complete volume on Borun. Fifty-eight pages deal with occurrences, 38 with preparation and properties of the element and ana- lytical methods, 117 wit11 compounds o f borriii wit11 elements of “s?-stern-numbers” 1-12. The literature is covcretl through 1949.

3 . Gold , Part 2 . System-Summer 62. v + 3OU p i ) . Price $10.32. So . 2 of the volume on Gold. Covers tile literature through 1949 on occurrences (178 pp . ) , ore reduc- tion and extraction (57 pp.) , preparation and purification o f the metal (11 pp) , special forms including colloidal gold (48 pp.) ,and surface treatmentsof the metal and itsalloys (6 pp . ) . 4, Gold , Part 3. System-Nummer 62. xxi + 558 pp.

Price 874.88. S o . 3 of the volume on Gold. Completes the volume. Covers the literature through 1949 on physical properties (156 pp.) , electrochemical behavior (58 pp .), chemical behavior (23 pp . ) , analytical methods (25 pp . ) , compounds (113 pp . ) and alloys (193 pp.) . XATIOSAI, BUREAU OF STASDARDS \v ’ASHISGTOS, L). c. EDWARD ~VICHERS

17.5 X 25.5 cni.

CancBrisation par les Substances Chimiques et Structure MolBculaire. By ALBERTE PULLMAN, Maitre de Re- cherches au Centre Sational de la Recherche Scientifique, arid BERSARD PULLMAN, Maitre de ConfCrences Ala Facult6 des Sciences de Paris. Masson et Cie, Editeurs, 120 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris VI, France. 1955. 306 pp. 16.5 X 25 cm. Price, 2.800 Fr . One of the important developments in recent years in tlic.

study of carcinogenesis by polycyclic aromatic compounds has been the attempt to relate carcinogenic activity to elec- tron distribution as calculated by quantum mechanic\ This work, which has been carried out mainly by the Pull- mans, the Daudels and Coulson, and their collaborators, has heeu summarized in several places, notably in the v;iriou\ volumes of the “;\dvances in Caticer Research” series, :tiit! i t i i o w rereives :L t1et:iiletl 1)resentation i n the prcscwt vo11linv.