POLYMER LETTERS EDITION 119

difficulties involved. I was, therefore, surprised by Kabanov’s optimistic con- clusion, when I should have felt much less hopeful on the basis of the same arguments. Finally, the review by Rozvodovskii of the application of synthet- ic polymers in pharmacology deals with a field which has not, to my knowl- edge, been previously summarized outside the Soviet Union. Many western readers will, undoubtedly, be surprised by information such as the utility of poly(2-vinylpyridine-N-oxide) as a drug against silicosis-an action unlike that of any low molecular weight compound.

H. Morawetz

Polytechnic Institute of New York Brooklyn, New York 11201

Received December 17, 1974

Statistical Mechanics and Properties of Matter - Theory and Appli- cations, E. S. R. Gopal. Halsted Press (Wiley-Interscience), New York, 1974, 302 pp. $27.50

The publication of a new volume on statistical mechanics raises inevitably the question: why yet another textbook on this subject? It is a pleasure to state that there are excellent motivations for the publication of Professor Gopal’s book.

In a mere 300 pages, 27 of which deal with the answers to more than ninety well-chosen problems, the author develops the statistical mechanics of a wealth of phenomena. These include, in addition to the usual discussions that can be found in many other similar texts, a chapter on polymers and biopoly- mers, which treats molecular weight distributions in linear condensation poly- mers, rubber elasticity, thermodynamics of polymer solutions and helix-coil transitions. Moreover, there are four chapters devoted to nonequilibrium theo- ry, which treat in an up-to-date fashion such topics as fluctuations, random noise, linear irreversible thermodynamics, linear response theory, and the fluc- tuation-dissipation theorem.

tions are explained with clarity and ease, and no reader will resist the charm of the beautifully written 4% pages of historical introduction, which contains portraits of ten famous theoreticians.

The author has knowingly addressed himself t o a broad audience and has, on purpose, avoided discussions of “philosophical” foundations. It will fur- ther be obvious that a book of this size which covers so much ground must needs be very concise. It is not recommended as a text from which a beginner will easily learn statistical mechanics without guidance if he does not have any

The clear and simple style betrays a born teacher. Relatively complex ques-

120 POLYMER LETTERS EDITION

background in the subject. In fact, some topics are treated so briefly that some of the logical steps will remain obscure. This is true, for example, of linear response theory, partly also because it contains printing errors.

Likewise, the discussion of Brownian motion and the Fokker-Planck equa- tion is admirable on the whole, but it omits t o add explicitly that the time over which the Langevin equation is integrated is supposed to be small enough to consider the velocity as unchanged but long enough to find large changes in the random force. The second virial coefficient and the use of cluster diagrams is explained beautifully, but the discussion of the three-dimensional Ising mod- el is a little too condensed. The treatment of pressure fluctuations and of fluctuations in a microcanonical ensemble can be improved in a later edition, but throughout most of the book the discussion is so lucid that occasional small shortcomings play a negligible role in one’s judgment.

ent will at several places want to consult other texts t o deepen their perspec- tive, but in an introductory text this is not a disadvantage.

The book will be good for an introductory course. Both teacher and stud-

J. J. Hermans

Dept. of Chemistry UNC, Chapel Hill, N. C. 27514

Received January 3, 1975

Mechanical Properties of Polymers and Composites - Vols. I and 11, Lawrence E. Nielsen, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1974, Vol. I 255 pp. Vol. I1 301 pp. Vol. I $24.50, Vol. I1 $28.75.

In the preface the author outlines the objectives and scope of his new book: “Polymers are relatively cheap, large volume structure materials comparable in importance to metals. Their widespread use and rapid growth result largely from their versatile mechanical properties which cover the range from soft elastomers to rigid materials. There is a need for a knowledge of mechanical properties of polymers by many groups of workers with widely different back- grounds and interests. It has been about a decade since an up-to-date book has been published on the mechanical properties of polymers which is simple enough to be easily understood by a scientist who is not a specialist in the field but has enough detail and depth to be useful for those working with poly- mers. Many universities have established departments in polymers or material sciences and are offering more courses in polymer technology. Industrial lab- oratories are putting more emphasis on mechanical behavior and on applica- tions involving mechanical properties. Design engineers are being forced to gain knowledge of viscoelasticity and the mechanical properties of polymers as