Abstract
DR. SPEARMAN'S book is an unpretentious volume, in which he has been content to give his own impressions of modern valency theory, without necessarily indicating the sources of the views assimilated for this purpose. The resulting blend is, however, on the whole well-balanced and satisfactory, and is presented in a clear and attractive form. Special interest attaches to a chapter of twelve pages on “The Application of Wave Mechanics to Valency Problems”, since these conceptions are fundamental to all modern theories of valency. The chapter is written in simple language and contains much that is suggestive. It is a matter of regret to the reviewer that the scope of the book did not justify an extension of this chapter to include the explanation of quantum numbers and the interpretation of Pauli's exclusion principle on the basis of wave-mechanics; but such an exposition demands an advanced knowledge of quantum theory, which very few chemists possess, and it is therefore probable that it must be left to a chemically-minded physicist to interpret these conceptions to them.
An Introduction to the Modern Theory of Valency.
By Dr. J. C. Speakman. Pp. vi + 157. (London: Edward Arnold and Co., 1935.) 4s. 6d. net.
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L., T. [Short Notices]. Nature 135, 776 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135776c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135776c0