BOOK REVIEWS
Thermotropic Liquid Crystal Polymer Blends,
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Francesco Paolo La Mantia, Ed., Technomic, Lan-
caster, PA, 1993. 173 pp. Price: $65.00.
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This is a useful and timely book on a subject of great
current interest.
The chapter titles and authors are: “Molecular
Design of Thermotropic, Main-Chain Liquid Crys-
talline Polymers,” P. Magagnini (University of Na-
ples) ; Processing and Properties of Thermotropic
Liquid Crystalline Polymers,” D. Acierno and
M. R. Nobile ( University of Salerno ) ;“Rheology of
Thermotropic Liquid Crystal Polymer Blends,”
F. P. LaMantia (University of Palermo “Processing
and Properties of Thermotropic Liquid Crystal
Polymer Blends,” F. P. LaMantia, G. Titomanlio
(University of Salerno) , and A. Valenza (University
of Palermo ) ;“Applications of Thermotropic Liquid
Crystal Polymers and Thermotropic Liquid Crystal
Polymer Blends,” A. Roggero (Eniricerche) .
The chapter headings show the logical develop-
ment of the subject area, and they are generally well
written with a clear exposition of themes, and with
very useful references. This book is excellent for all
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interested in this area, and especially for those en-
tering the area or as a course textbook. It would
have been especially valuable at half the price
($65.00) since it is a paperback with under 200 pages.
Eli M. Pearce
Polymer Research Institute
Polytechnic University
6 Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, New York 11201
Catalytic Chemistry, by Bruce C. Gates, Wiley,
New York, 1991, 458 pp. Price: $49.95.
The field of catalysis in chemical reactions is beau-
tifully presented in its many facets in this veritable
treasure house. Deceptively slim at 458 pages, it
manages to cover all the major conceptual divisions
of catalysis in six chapters. Written ostensibly as a
graduate level textbook, it encompasses a wide range
of topics woven with common thread of catalysis.
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The introductory chapter nicely defines the na-
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ture of catalysis and presents a simple and lucid
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Journal of PolymerScience:Part A Polymer Chemistry,Vol. 31,2667-2668 (1993)
0 1993 John Wiley & Sons,Inc. CCC 0&37-624X/93/102667-02
description of the more basic kinetics involved in
catalyzed reactions. The second chapter entitled
“Catalysis in Solutions” encompasses a topic worthy
of a monograph on its own, and yet I found the cov-
erage excellent. I especially enjoyed the gradual in-
crease in complexity of catalytic species from pro-
tons to organometallic reagents. In the organome-
tallic section of this chapter is one of the minor
omissions that should be pointed out: there is no
mention of the very important titanium catalyzed
enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols dis-
covered by the Sharpless group. This reaction is im-
portant synthetically and mechanistically because
of its exceptionally high enantioselectivity. The dis-
cussion proceeds through catalysis by macromole-
cules and micelles. This chapter is very rich in fun-
damental concepts which are essential for a better
understanding of catalysis. The third chapter “Ca-
talysis by Enzymes” extends the ideas presented in
the previous chapter to the realm of the biological
catalysts: the enzymes. The examples presented are
well chosen, however, I noted two important omis-
sions: no mention is made of catalytic antibodies,
which have been extensively developed by Schultz,
Benkovic, and Lerner, nor nonprotein biological
catalysts (catalytic RNA’s as described by Cech) .
The fourth chapter “Catalysis by Polymers” con-
tains a fascinating discussion of the implications of
polymers on reaction dynamics as well as a presen-
tation of bi- and multi-functional catalysis. This is
the first treatment of heterogeneous catalysis which
is continued in chapter 5 (“Catalysis in Molecular
Scale Cavities”) which is primarily a discussion of
zeolite structure and function. The book then adopts
a practical viewpoint, describing various commercial
modifications and providing reactor design sche-
matics. At the end of the chapter there is a brief,
but interesting treatment of catalysis by non-zeolite
molecular sieves and clays. The final chapter (119
pages) presents the catalysis of reactions on sur-
faces.
Once again, the presentation of fundamental
concepts is lucid and well organized. There are ex-
ercises for students (or those trying to hone their
cognitive skills) at the end of each chapter that
should serve as good diagnostics of the reader’s level
of comprehension. In summary, this book is a mon-
umental achievement. At its economy price, anyone
in chemistry or chemical engineering who is inter-
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J. POLYM. SCI. P A R T A: POLYM. CHEM.: VOL. 31 (1993)
ested in catalysis should obtain a copy. I enthusiast-
Buy it!
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ically recommend this book to the student and the
well-trained expert. The breadth of the coverage and
the clarity of the presentation make it a rare find.
zyxwvuts Wayne Schnatter
Chemistry/Life Science Department
Polytechnic University
6 Metrotech Center
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Brooklyn, New York 11201
Physics of Plastics, by A. W. Birley, B. Haworth,
and J. Batchelor, Hanser Publishers, Munich, 1991.
528 pp.
Physics of Plastics by A. W. Birley, B. Haworth and
J. Batchelor is a fine book. The text, subtitled “Pro-
cessing, Properties and Materials Engineering,” is
divided into 10 chapters arranged in a logical se-
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quence. An introductory chapter is followed by the
discussion of thermal properties in relation to melt-
ing, crystallization, vitrification, and conductivity
of polymers. This is followed by chapter 3, where
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the reader is introduced to the fundamental aspects
of polymer rheology. Chapters 4 and 5 offer a thor-
ough description of processing methods. Mechanical
properties of polymers are the subject of chapters 6
and 7. The former deals with both small scale de-
formations (e.g., viscoelastic analysis ) and large-
scale deformations (e.g., yielding), while the latter
chapter describes failure of polymers. In chapters 8
and 9 we learn of electrical and optical properties,
respectively. The final chapter in the book treats
miscellaneous aspects of polymer behavior, including
diffusion, permeability, and the effect of the envi-
ronment.
The book is very well written; the figures are ex-
cellent and appropriately chosen. The book is
densely packed, it contains a considerable wealth of
information and, a t times, assumes the proportions
of an encyclopedia. The fundamental scientific
principles of every subject are given in a terse man-
ner, and are supported by numerous examples of
practical aspects of polymer processing and prop-
erties. The principal pedagocical value of the book
rests with individuals interested in educating them-
selves about various aspects of properties and pro-
cessing of polymeric materials, which, in fact, was
the authors main objective. The book is not struc-
tured as a course text for university classes.
This book is a most welcome addition to my li-
brary.
Jovan Mijovic
Chemical Engineering Department
Polytechnic University
6 Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, New York 11201
Polymers for Electronic and Photonic Appli-
cations, C. P. Wong, Ed., (AT&TBell Laborato-
ries). Academic, New York, 1992, xiii +
661 pp.
ISBN No.: 0127625402.
With 19 authors covering so many different concepts
in 15 chapters, this book is fairly successful in its
lofty attempt to cover both polymers for electronics
and polymers for photonics. While coverage of poly-
mers for electronics is generally quite thorough, the
same cannot be said of the photonics section where
coverage of the polymer materials is neither em-
phasized nor really up-to-date.
Not unexpectedly for an edited book, some chap-
ters are “parochial” in their contents, with a ten-
dency to reflect the author’s affiliation, and lack a
critical view of the field as a whole.
In several of the chapters, the technology is em-
phasized to the detriment of conceptual designs di-
rected to the polymers themselves. This may well
reflect the reality of an industry where material in-
novation is sometimes reduced to the development
of a new polymer that looks, feels, behaves, and is
processed in just the same way as the older gener-
ation it replaces.
While the book is already very large, several
chapters would have benefited from a more ample
treatment. Perhaps it would have been preferable
to restrict coverage to either polymers for electronics
or polymers for photonics.
Overall, this is a reasonably current review of the
state-of-the-art as of late 1990.
Jean M. J. Frhchet
Department of Chemistry
382 Baker Laboratory
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853-1301