The first of the above booklets contains four methods. Determination of alkalinity in the range 20-1 000 mg 1-1 as CaCO, by titration with standard acid to p H 8 . 3 and 4.5 using visual or instrumental end-point detection. Phenolphthalein is retained for the first end-point but a bromocresol greenmethyl red mixed indicator is recommended, after statistical evaluation of alternatives, for the pH 4.5 end-point. A continuous-flow automated method is also given that uses methyl orange as indicator. For alkalinities between 0.47 and 20 mg 1-1 as CaCO,, an instrumental method is given that involves titration with standard acid successively to p H 4.5 and 4.2 and determination of the true equivalence point using a Gran plot type procedure. A method for the determination of acidity in polluted waters and certain trade effluents is given in a fourth procedure, which involves titration with standard sodium hydroxide solution to p H 4.5 using instrumental end-point detection. A spectrophotometric method for hydrazine is described in the second booklet. The reagent used is p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde and the method is intended for the determination of 1.0-100 pg 1-1 of hydrazine in clean waters such as boiler water. As usual, both of these publications are extremely informative and well prepared and will be essential for routine water laboratories involved in the relevant determinations. J. M. OTTAWAY EDUCATION AND TEACHING IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. By G. E . BAIULESCU, C. PATROESCU and R. A. CHALMERS. Ellis Hvvwood Sevies in Analytical Chemistry. Pp. 190. Ellis Horwood (distributed by J . Wiley). 1982. Price L15. ISUX 0 85312 384 5 (Ellis Horwood); ISBN 0 470 27283 X (Halsted Press).
ISBN 0 08 024010 1 (hardback); 0 08 024009 7 (softback).It would have been nice to have said that this book answers all the needs of those lecturers seeking a good laboratory guide for environmental chemistry. Unfortunately, despite the fact that many people will find it useful, it suffers from many shortcomings.The authors have built the book around their own laboratory programme for environmental chemistry a t Griffith University in Australia. I t is divided into five parts covering aquatic systems, toxic substances, food additives, chemical ecology and a field survey. Within these five parts is a total of 14 laboratory or field experiments ranging from the measurement of biochemical oxygen demand and water pollutants through to LD,, values for shrimps and thin-layer chromatography on synthetic food colorants.The book is useful in that it contains ideas that can serve as the basis for other modified laboratory procedures. I do, however, question the wisdom of including a laboratory procedure for the assay of aflatoxins in groundnuts for undergraduates. Despite the necessary precautions that the authors have clearly indicated, this is an area of study which even highly experienced chemists treat with considerable caution and should not be in a book at this level.
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