200

Phase Transfer Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, Concepts in Organic Chemistry,

Reactivity, and Structure, Vol. 4, this volume edited by W. P. Weber and G. W.
Gokel, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg and New York, 1977, pp. xv + 280,
price U.S. $29.80.

Phase transfer catalysis is one of these fields which, with hindsight, appears
so obviously fertile that it is difficult to understand why it has taken so long
to come to fruition. Even now one feels that only a fraction of its possibilities
has been explored_ This book gives an excellent survey of the types of reactions
for which it has been exploited, with extensive tables of examples. The
emphasis throughout is on organic synthesis, but there is an introductory sum-
may of the principles involved, and points of theory are commented on
throughout.
The publishers have achieved remarkably rapid publication; the main text
contains numerous 1976 references, and an addendum includes references as
recent as mid-1977. Moreover, the typography and layout of the book are
attractive, it includes adequate author and subject indexes, and the price is
not unreasonable.

B. J. W.

Methods of Molecular Quantum Mechanics, by R. McWeeny and B. T. Sutcliffe,

Academic Piess, London and New York, reprinted with SI units and revisions,
1976, pp xii + 307, price $16.65.

This book was first published in 1969 and was very well reviewed. The pre-
sent volume consists of a reprint of the earlier text, containing some correc-
tions, a few additions, and with all equations recast in SI units. To that extent
it is still of value to graduate students and research workers in the field of
theoretical chemistry. It is a pity, however, that the authors have not taken
this opportunity of updating their text. It is clearly wrong to label a chapter
“Some recent developments” when the references cited finish in 1969.

T. J.

Macromolecules: Vol. 1, Structure and Properties; Vol. 2, Synthesis and

Materials, by H.-G. Elias, translated from German by John W. Stafford, Wiley,
London, New York, Sydney and Toronto, 1977, Vol. 1, lxxx -i- 532; Vol. 2,
lxxx + 599, price $48.00 the set.

This must be the most comprehensive book by a single author on the sub-
ject of Macromolecules. It is hard to call this book a textbook, yet this is how
it is described by both the publishers, on the cover pages, and by the author,
in the preface. The amount of material actually contained in this book would
make any course based on it last through an inordinate number of lectures.