328 Book reviews

the subject at one time. One has to work a little to get the fullbeneÐt : it would be valuable if a subject index were provided,so that one could discover whether and where a particularpolymer or technique was usedÈsuch a thing is but a dayÏswork once the pagination is determined, yet, as from all theother volumes in this series that I have to hand, that index islacking. With such collections there may be several intro-ductions to a technique (as happens here with force Ðelds andtwo-dimensional correlation spectroscopy), but this is varietyrather than repetition, and is compensated by the convenienceof discovering just what the new interests are in this area.There are accounts and illustrations of techniques developedover the last 10 years or so, particularly in vibrational spec-troscopy, where (as described by Noda) the sample is sub-jected to a distortion at vibrational frequencies, to provide asecond dimension to the study. This approach has been usedto tackle several phenomena, such as the premelting of nylon12, and the related method of photoacoustic-scan FTIR spec-troscopy is used to monitor coating at the sub-micron level.

Some highlights may be noticed : there is a beautifulprobing by IR spectroscopy of how the orientations of indi-vidual vibrators in the side chain of an dimer change as aSc~result of switching by the electric Ðeld ; it is demonstrated bymeasurement of dichroism how order in the siloxane back-bone, the oligomethylene spacer, an ester link and the aro-matic mesogen itself is created and switched by an electricÐeld, certain vectors being parallel to and others normal tothe Ðeld directions, and the most sensitive being a phenylband of the mesogen. The time of the response is about 0.1ms. For the industrial IR spectroscopist, anxious to discoverhow much work on identiÐcation might be done for him by acomputer-based search and comparison system incorporatinglibraries of the spectra of standards, Hummel provides a usefulguide to one system. Spectroscopic methods have also beenapplied to measure the stability of a resin exposed to gamma-rays, the chemical changes as poly(p-phenylene vinylene) isformed from a precursor, the curing of gelatin in an electronbeam, the ageing of elastomers, and the composition of a“sticking gelÏ.

One paper on the NMR determination of polymer micro-structure presents good spectra and atactic and partly tacticpoly(propylene oxide)s, clearly showing triad and tetrad Ðnestructure in the backbone carbons of the normal head-to-tailsequences, with some shifts from the regioirregular sectionsclearly present in the spectra of their own systems, but theauthors refrain from using the systematic changes in inten-sities to suggest assignments beyond the tacticity dyad level.The microstructure of poly(1,3-pentadiene) has also beenexamined.

Other techniques mentioned include inelastic neutron scat-tering in aligned polyethylene and paraffins ; Ñuorescence spec-troscopy (to characterize polymerÈbilayer interactions,domains in an ampiphilic polymer solution, and rubbermobility), and an account of GPC equipped with NMR andFTIR detectors. Results from a mechanical relaxation studyare given in the form of a modiÐed ColeÈCole plot : as well aslogarithmic axes being used, the standard form has beenturned on its side ; as in another context, and reversing whatBob Cole once said, “if you want to do it, I suppose thatÏs““notÏÏ the way to do itÏ. Altogether, a provoking volume.

H.A. Fawcett

by polymersCatalysisEdited by E. A. Bekturov and S. E. Kudaibergenov.Hu� thig and Wepf, Zug, Switzerland, 1997.pp. vi] 153, price SFr105, DM118, o� S861.ISBN 3-85739-121-9

The relatively recent and relatively intense interest in the useof polymers as catalysts (or as carriers of catalysts) probablystems from the growing appreciation of the mechanisms ofenzyme action and the belief that synthetic macromoleculesshould be able to perform similar functions to their naturally-occurring counterparts, provided that certain parameters ofstructure can be met.

Sometimes the polymer itself catalyses reactions throughthe mediation of groups attached to the chains, for example,acidic or basic centres ; the hydrolysis of esters is perhaps thebest-known instance of this kind, and certainly it is one of themost familiar of acid-catalysed organic reactions. But manyothers exist, and the Ðrst chapter here also covers the oxida-tion of phenols and thiols ; a particularly interesting facet ofthese reactions is the ability of polymers to e†ect catalysis atthe interface between the reactants, and this has become aÐeld of research in itself.

The use of ion-exchange resins as catalysts, one of the ear-liest applications of polymer-supported reagents, occupies ashort chapter (15 pages) and the remainder of the book (thelargest part) is devoted to heterogenized homogeneous cata-lysts, i.e. transition-metal compounds, known for their cata-lytic activity, attached to macromolecules ; such materials maycombine the characteristic advantages of the homogeneousand heterogeneous systems, i.e. selectivity on the one handwith, for example, ease of regeneration on the other.

The chief drawbacks of this otherwise commendable textare the very small typeface employedÈa book of 250 pages inlarger type would have been a much more comfortable propo-sition for the readerÈand the almost complete lack of refer-ences published in the last decade.

D.A. Jenkins

metathesis and metathesis polymerisationOleÐnEdited by K. J. Ivin and J. C. Mol.Harcourt Brace and Co. Ltd. (Academic Press), London, UK,1997.pp. 204, price DM198.00, £80.00.ISBN 0123-77045-9

My research group has been active in the area of metathesisring opening polymerization for many years and Ken IvinÏsearlier book OleÐn Metathesis, published in 1983, is the mostdog-eared and battered volume in our current book collec-tion. This is not a reÑection on rough treatment from my stu-dents and colleagues, but an indication of constant andrepetitive reference to this useful, comprehensive and totallyreliable monograph by successive generations. The real valueof that book to a group active in the area can be realizedwhen I add that the current volume is the third we have pur-chased since publication.

However, the subject has moved on considerably in the last14 years and the original was beginning to date. This new

POLYMER INTERNATIONAL VOL. 45, NO. 3, 1998

Book reviews 329

book by Ken Ivin and Hans Mol is both timely and welcome.It has been prepared with the same meticulous attention todetail which characterized the earlier work and the reader canbe certain that the authorsÏ statement in the Preface that “Theliterature has been covered up to mid-1996Ï can be translatedas “The literature up to mid-1996 has been carefully read andanything worthy of report has been included, along with somepapers from the second half of the yearÏ.

Any reader wishing to know anything about oleÐn meta-thesis and metathesis polymerization cannot do better thanstart with this excellent monograph. The Ðeld covered isvery broad, ranging from the research frontiers of transitionmetal chemistry, synthesis of speciality polymers, insect phero-mones and other natural products, manipulation of alkenes,theory and modelling, reactive processing and materials sci-ence. The literary style can best be described as compact anddetailed ; neither author uses three words where one willsuffice. Nobody active in the area can a†ord to be without thismonograph and any library which serves a research comm-unity interested in catalysis, organic synthesis and polymerscience and technology will need this book on its shelves. It isreasonably priced for a specialist monograph.

J.W. Feast

symposium on free radical polymerization :Internationalkinetics and mechanisms, Santa Margherita Ligure, Genoa,Italy (SML-96). Macromolecular symposia, Vol. 111.Edited by K. F. OÏDriscoll and S. Russo.Hu� thig and Wepf, Zug, Switzerland, 1996.pp. 328, price SFr108, DM132, o� S934, US$91.ISBN 3-85739-308-4

In 1987, an extremely successful symposium on free-radicalpolymerization was held in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, ata time when the subject was undergoing a tremendous revivalafter a long time in the doldrums. Nine years later, after aperiod of great activity, the exercise was repeated, and 26 ofthe 27 plenary lectures presented there in May 1997 aregathered in this volume.

The papers are divided into four groups : molecular archi-tecture ; novel particle processes ; theoretical, mathematicaland computer modelling, and experimental investigations ofpolymerization.

Studies of the initiation and termination processes continue,but much attention is now focused on control of the growthstep and the use of chain transfer. Reactions in aqueoussystems are better understood, and emulsion polymerizationin particular, is succumbing to detailed analysis. The use ofaqueous environments for polymerization entails problemswith molecular size distributions. One of the most remarkablecontributions describes a new technique, the semi-suspensionprocess.

In the modelling sphere, topics range from the prediction ofthe values of individual rate constants, through the exami-nation of processes with size-dependent termination, to theprediction of reactivity ratios ; the latter is embodied in a

revised scheme that constitutes a notable improvement on thetraditional QÈe scheme.

Experimental investigations cover extreme conditions ofvarious kinds, non-stationary states, pulsed-laser methods,ESR, the study of end-groups, the inÑuence of penultimateunits, and problems posed by the preferential sorption ofmonomers.

D.A. Jenkins

polymerisation and emulsion polymersEmulsionEdited by P. A. Lovell and M. S. El-Aasser.John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 1997.pp. xii] 801, price £140.ISBN 0-471-96746-7

When the current reviewer commenced working on emulsionpolymerization (EP) in 1945, publications amounted to a fewpatents, mostly applied for up to 1939, with a few Germanpatents on vinyl acetate emulsion polymers, a few on vinylchloride and synthetic rubber (the latter mainly intended forprecipitation of the polymer) and processing as a solid. It wasnot until late 1946 and 1947, that the Ðrst publications weremade of “classiÐedÏ knowledge, including redox poly-merization, both acquired in the USA and the UK, and alsoin the BIOS/FIAT series published on inspections of Germanresearch and industry. In the interim half century there havebeen quantum leaps. This latest volume is a comprehensivetransatlantic e†ort to cover the subject, the editors comingfrom the Polymer Science Group of the Manchester MaterialsCentre and the Emulsion Polymers Institute at Lehigh Uni-versity, Pennsylvania.

A general summary of free radical polymerization is fol-lowed by the features of EP including some items, still contro-versial, such as the fate of radicals in persulphate-initiated EP.The stabilization of polymer colloid dispersions, starting withthe electrical double layer, is treated mathematically. Harkins,SmithÈEwart and related theories are described in Chapter 4,followed by a mechanistic description of the EP processincluding the entry and exit rates of radicals.

The section on practice includes a survey, which is too brief,of the principal monomers including those with functionalgroups, crosslinking, additives and initiators, followed bychapters on batch and semibatch processes, compositioncontrol for copolymers, and a brief chapter on continuousprocesses. The loop process used for vinyl ester latexes is notmentioned. The control of particle morphology, includingcore-shell, indicates useful modern developments. Chapter 10on process modelling and control gives useful information.

The long chapters on latex polymer characterization andmeasurement of particle size and distribution are of practicaluse, as is that on the formation and properties of latex Ðlms.

The section on industrial uses includes chapters on diene-based synthetic rubbers, and vinyl acetate polymerization(including theoretical discussions). That on acrylics includesdetails on homopolymer property proÐles, latex character-ization and Ðlm formation, with a summary of applications.The section ends with a brief description of rubber toughenedplastics, prepared by EP, with special reference to ABS.

POLYMER INTERNATIONAL VOL. 45, NO. 3, 1998