Optimum seeking methods (Wilde, Douglass J.) - Journal of Chemical

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have been the subjects of much earlier review articles, and the five chapters on flavonoid compounds overlap Geissman'a hook, "The Chemistry of Flavouoid Compounds!' There is, however, no other hook covering the whole area, so that the hook will he valuable for reference even though it is not of general interest to oreanic chemists or teachers. The book

cessive turning of pages is required to correlate formulas with text. Two features, in addition to the chapter on biosynthesis, deserve specal comment. The chapter on anthocyanins provides a most interesting historical account of the development of the chemistry of this important elms of compounds. Second, the hook is of interest as a workbook in prohlems of elucidation of structure. For mast of the specific compounds discussed, sufficient data itre presented on products of degradation, reactions, and spectra to justify the assignment of structure. Hence the hook should he of use in courses on natural products not only as a reference hook on oxygen heterocycles hut also as a source of study problems in structural elucidation. W1~~1.04 R. RODERICK Abboft Lahoratorirs North Chicago, Illinois Optimum Seeking Methods Doughs J . Wilde, Stanford University, Stanford, California. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 202 pp. Figs. and tables. 1964. xiii 16 X 23.5 cm. $6.i5.

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When viewed within its stated limitations this hook is notably successful. It concentrates on the experimental procedures that will find levels of single or multiple factors to produce an optimum response. The methods are specific, although not necessarily limited, to functions which are unknown in advance. The author states that no mathematics heyond "standard" calculus are required for understandine: the boak is intended

understanding of criteria for measuring a system's effectiveness. The hook fulfills all of these promises. The author's approach of sacrificing rigor for plausibility is notably refreshing, especially to the pragmatist. This approach willalso be appreciated by students who should develop s. better understanding of the process rather then memorimtion of theorems and proofs. As a reference the text covers the generalities of the various procedures and then provides basic references to which the reader may go to pursue the procedure in more depth. The pmcedures covered include Fibonacci Search, Golden Section Search, Methods of Steepest Ascent, Contour Tangents, Parallel Tangents, Pattern Search, Ratating Coordinates, and Stochastic Approximation Schemes. The book is attractively printed, easy to read, and the illustrations are

informative and complement to the text. This boak purports to he a text for undergraduates and a reference for the p r a c titioner. This it is and an admirable one; however, this does not mean that the book instructs one on "how to proceed." Because the author is a ~hemieaien~ineer, the book is supposed to be "interdisciplinarv." This is not so. The orientation is stkctly mathematicd. The book is then a text for undergraduates with nothing more than calculus, hut undergraduates who intend to pursue the mathematical aspects of some one of several possible disciplines. It will serve only as a survey work far any scientist who is interested in performing experiments which are motivated primarily by his own discipline. Rare indeed is the practicing experimenter who will he willing to start with this text and pursue the mathematical development of an analytiesl method through the references sited just so that he can perform the mechanics of anslyzing his experimental trials. This is not a criticism of the author or his hook; he does not say that this is a "method" book for the experimenter. However, the suggestion that it is interdisciplinary and aimed a t many diverse areas may cause disappointment. C. R. WEAVER Ohio AgrieuUural E z p e r i m l Station Wooster World List of Scientific Periodicals Published in the Years 1900-1960. Volume 1,A-E

Edited by Peter Brown, British Museum, and George Bwder Sfratton, Zoological Society of London. 4th ed. Butterwortha, Washington, D. C., 1963. 531 pp. 21.5 X 27 em. $84 xxv per three volume set.

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The editors announce that this is the Iaat edition to he published. An slternative method of keeping this list up-todate has been adopted; namely, the puhlicetion of annual supplements of the "British Union Catalogue of Periodicals" by the National Central Library. The editorial work has been good. The reader is provided with lists of ahbreviations and also specific examples of typical entries. The explanation of these examples is clear and straightforward. From the point of view of usefulness to the non-British user, the limitation of library holdings to those in the United Kingdom is unfortunate. In the reviewer's opinion, this listing does not provide an advantage (to the chemist) over Chemical Abstracts' "List of Periodicals with Key to Library Files," 1961. The Chemical Abstracts' list includes 305 cooperating libraries, 50 of whieh are not in cantinental United States. On the other hand, a librarian hss pointed out that current lists of periodicals, such as "The Union List of Periodicals," do not have as large a numher of entries as does this World List. In other words, there is no comparable U.S. publication for the entire scientific field.

JOHN D. REINAEIMER College of Wooster Wooster, Ohio

Carl Wilhelrn Scheele: Apotheker, Chemike,, Entdecker Otto Zekert, Vienna. Wissensehaftliehe Verlagsgesellschaft m.h.H., Stuttgart, West Germany, 1963. 149 pp. Figs. 13 X 21 cm. 15.80 DM (approximately $4.)

Tho term "chemist" is still used in England to designate a druggist or apothecary as well as a. person who is engaged in or trsined in ehemistry. This usage is a living relic of the early period in the development of chemistry when most of its devotees earned their living in a pharmacy (chemist's shop). Quite a few of the eminent chemists of the late 18th and early 19th century were practicing apothecaries; they pursued chemistry (a minor profession) mostly as a sideline or even as an intellectual hobby. The most notable of the 18th century apothecary-chemists was C.W. Scheele. He was horn a t Stralsund (then a Swedish city) in 1742 and died in Koping, Sweden in 1786. Thus he spent his entire life in Sweden but his native language was German. He received no formal training in chemistry beyond what was needed for his professional needs, hut he early developed an irresistible and unquenchable urge to experiment in the chemical field. He had only the simplest equipment, his aveilahle supplies were limited mostly to what he could ohtsin with little or no outlay of money, and in addition he had to carry on his experiments during the evenings, holidays, and days off. Nonetheless, the number of his notable discoveries is truly astounding; during his lifetime they hrought him high honors; his name is included in every list of the foremost pioneers of ehemistry. "He brought to light more new substances of fundamental importance than any other chemist without exception." (Psrtington). The author of the short biography under review here has given a course on the history of pharmacy for many years at the University of Vienna. He began his intensive studies of Scheele's life and work many years ago; the fint of his many papers and hooks in this field was published in 1924. The resent hioeraohv nurnrly wwlwrq, 111&111s, p r u c ~ w m g clw~~,~sta : i d p l u i r w i h s . 'I%e WXI fiuws 1 11 ~ 1\1111d2 wc'r ottrul.,.tl. T h e s n _ ~ ~ u t 1l ~ ~ numerous illustrations augment the attractiveness of the well-printed volume. Useful appendixes provide explsnstions of the archaic terms, and present the scientific, political, and cultural setting in whieh Scheele accomplished his work. A three-page bibliography (mostly German, some English, and Swedish) is another good feature. A translation of this authoritative text into English would fill a gap in our too restricted supply of books dealing with our eminent chemical ancestors.

RALPAE. OESPER Uniuersily of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio