trend.sin analyticalchemistry, vol. 8, no.

2, I989
*

79

primer for many people.

This is a well balanced text which
pays due attention to the theory
while also providing a comprehenThe
sive range
of examples.
biochemist however, may be a little
disappointed with the text as only
one section deals with a large molecule, namely motional
consider-

ations in DNA. It is rather unfortunate that the editors chose not to include a section on at least one aspect
of modern protein analysis.
JOHN REGLINSKI
J. Reglinski is at the Department of Pure
and Applied Chemistry, University of
Strathclyde, Glasgow Gl IXL, V. K.

An overly-extensive treatment?
On-column
Injection in Capillary
Gas Chromatography,
by Konrad
Grob, Hiithig, 1987, DM 188.00 (xx
+ 591 pages) ISBN 3-7785-1551-9

This book, one of the Chromatographic Methods series, follows an

earlier volume by the same author on
split and splitless injection. The present volume is 591 pages in length,
subdivided into three main sections;
(A) on-column injection, (B) solvent
effects, and (C) retention gap effects.
,
Each of these topics is dealt with in
such verbose detail that the impression is gained of an author simply
immediate
writing
down
his
thoughts. There is little or no evidence of subsequent editorial intervention which would have condensed
the text to a reasonable size without
any loss of real information. Indeed,
the author stresses in his introduction
that this is not a book to be read from
beginning to end. It is a reference
book, and fortunately the style is
partially redeemed by the inclusion

of summarised instructions and guidelines printed in grey fields. Also,

summaries of important conclusions
are printed in bold-faced typescript.
Section A includes a historical introduction, a detailed discussion of the
sample introduction process, injection design, on-column syringes,
band broadening in space, solvent effects, involatile sample by-products,
and high oven temperatures.
The
section gives simplified guidelines for
on-column injection and concludes
with an evaluation of the technique,
including its accuracy and realibility.
Section B deals with the effects of
solvent trapping and phase soaking
and how to avoid peak broadening
and distortion. Section C is devoted
to retention gap techniques, first discussing the purpose of using an uncoated column inlet and then the
mechanism of solute reconcentration
using retention gaps. Practical topics
such as their required length and
preparation are treated extensively,
as are connections between capillaries and on-column injection of
large sample volumes. Automated

on-column
injection
is also described.
Each of the three main sections of
the book is separately referenced,
with a total of 183 references
throughout. There are two appendices; one is a useful trouble-shooting appendix and the other a glossary
of terminology. Numerous line diagrams illustrate mechanisms and effects and on the whole these are welldrawn and easy to follow. On-column injection is fraught with troubleshooting problems, particularly in relation to peak distortion or peak
splitting and the use of diagrams to illustrate these problems is an invaluable feature.
As a chromatographer
who has
been closely associated with the development of gas chromatography
since its inception in the early 1950s
this reviewer was left rather bemused by the extensive treatment of
the subject, much of which seemed to
be rather obvious common-sense and
simple scientific logic. Nevertheless,
the author is an acknowledged expert in this area, and who has studied
all aspects of capillary injection in
minute detail from a very practical
viewpoint. There is no doubt that
there is much useful information in
the book and certainly it will prove to
be the definitive reference work on
the subject of on-column injection.
D. W. GRANT
D. W. Grant is a Chromatography Consultant at Chrompack UK Ltd., 14 Kelburn Avenue,
Walton,
Derbyshire S40 3DG, V. K.

Chesterfield,

Statistics in practice
Statistics for Analytical Chemistry, by
J. C. Miller and J. N. Miller, Ellis
Horwood,
2nd ed., 1988, & 9.95
(paperback)lL 26.50
(hard
cover)
(227 pages)
ISBN
o-7458-0292-3
(paperback),
0-7458-0271-O
(hard
cover)

Looking at the title of this book, one

might think Yet another book about
statistics for analytical chemistry.

The authors must have anticipated

this as the preface begins with the
sentence To add yet another volume
to the already numerous texts on statistics might seem to be an unwarranted excercise . . .
The emphasis is on the practical
use of statistical methods and theoretical aspects are almost completely
omitted. Many paragraphs start with
a sentence like: The operation of
this test is most easily demonstrated

by an example . . . For each of the

statistical
procedures
discussed,
good practical advice on its use and
limitations is given. These statistical
common sense expositions give this
book its value. An interesting aspect
of the book is that nearly all of the
numerous examples are made with
real data provided
by research
papers published in The Analyst.
This certainly makes the examples
more appealing for a chemist to read.

80

Indeed, many books in this field

explain statistical concepts on a theoretical base, leaving the reader with
complicated formulae and expressions, but without the knowledge of
where to apply them. This book is
clearly intended for the practitioner
of analytical chemistry. The required
background knowledge is limited to
very elementary mathematics and
chemistry. It will be a useful addition
to the laboratory library for a quick
reference to the how and why of a
simple statistical procedure or test. It
might serve equally well as a text
book on elementary statistics in a
course on analytical chemistry or
chemometrics.
This 227 page book is thin enough
not to scare people off reading it, yet
remarkably
complete and useful.
The first three chapters deal with the
statistical
procedures
elementary
and examples are taken mostly from
classical wet analytical chemistry.
Chapter 1 and 2 elaborate on random
and systematic errors, their distribution and propagation. Chapter 3 explains very clearly, the use of the traditional significance tests: t-test, Ftest, Chi-square test and analysis of
variance. In chapter 4 some ideas
about sampling are presented, followed by a discussion on collabora-

Books received

trendsin

tive trials and control charts. Although this chapter seems a bit heterogeneous, it serves as a good introduction into this subject, which is often overlooked in many textbooks.
Chapter 5 addresses problems related to instrumental analysis, with
emphasis on calibration. Again sophisticated techniques are not considered, but an excellent treatment is
given on linear regression, limits of
detection and standard addition. The
next chapter is entirely devoted to
non-parametric tests such as the sign
test, the Wald-Wolfowitz run test,
the Wilcoxon rank tests and the Kolmogorov test. An interesting paragraph deals with non-parametric regression methods. Finally, chapter 7
tries to get the reader interested in
more advanced procedures. About
half of the chapter is devoted to experimental design, followed by some
ideas on optimization and pattern
recognition. The complexity of these
topics, as well as the limited amount
of space devoted to them, makes this
chapter less practical and less useful
than the others. Hopefully, it will encourage the reader to study further.
References at the end of each
chapter tend to cite monographs
rather than research papers. Some
indication about the content and the

Experimental Toxicology, edited by D. Anderson

and D. M. Conning, Royal Society of Chemistry,
London, 1988, vii + 536 pp., ISBN O-85186-108-3,
f 69.50, US$ 138.00.
X-Ray Fluorescence

Review copies of the following books

have been received. The appearance
of a book in this list does not preclude
the possibility of it being reviewed in
the future.

:;eirpiele zur Datenanalyse mit BASIC-Programmen, by G. Henrion, A. Henrion and R. Henrion,

Spectrometry, by R. Jenkins,
Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1988, v + 175 pp.,
ISBN O-471-83675-3, f 40.60.

A Guide to Materials Characterization and Chemical

Analysis, edited by J. P. Sibilia, VCH Publishers,

Weinbeim, 1988, v + 318 pp., ISBN O-89573-269-6,

DM 75.00, f 29.95.
Maximum Concentrations at the Workplace and Biological Tolerance Values for Working Materials 1988.
Report No. XXIV. Commission for the Investigation

VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin,

1988,6 + 363 pp., ISBN 3-326-00272-6, DM 34.00.

of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the

Work Area, VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim,
1988,5 + 90 pp., ISBN 3-527-27366-2, DM 28.00.

Spectroscopic Properties of Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds, Vol. 21, senior reporters: G.

Macrophage Plasma Membrane Receptors: Structure

and Function, edited by S. Gordon (.I. CeliSci., 1988,

Davidson and E. A. V. Ebsworth, Royal Society of

Chemistry, London, 1988, viii + 509 pp., ISBN
O-85186-193-8, f 120.00, US$ 240.00.

supplement 9), The Company of Biologists Limited,

Cambridge, 1988,l + 211 pp., ISBN: o-948601-13-2,
f 29.00, US$ 50.00.

analytical chemistry,

vol. 8, no. 2,1989

c

authors appreciation of the refer:

ence is given, which Zvalued highly.
Each chapter concludes with a
number of exercises, the solution of
which is given at the end of the book.
The answers are not limited to the
correct numerical value; ample explanation is also given.
Appendix 1 is a useful table that
summarizes a number of statistical
tests, grouped according to their application. Table entries are Name of
the test, Used to test whether,
Refer to page and Comments. Appendix 2 contains 16 (short) statistical tables covering all the tests explained in the book.
Because of its concept, stressing
applications and examples rather
than theory, this book has indeed its
place and is not just yet another
book on statistics in analytical chemistry. Analytical chemists who have
read this book will certainly commit
fewer crimes against statistics in their
work if they follow the good advice
spread out over the pages of this
book.
P. VAN ESPEN
P. Van Espen is at the Department of
Chemistry, University of Antwerpen
(UIA), Universiteitsplein I, B-2610 Antwerpen (Wilrijk), Belgium.

Subcellular Biochemistry, Vol. 13, Fluorescence

Studies on Biological Membranes, edited by H. J.

Hilderson, Plenum, New York, 1988, v + 465 pp.,

ISBN o-306-42940-3, US$ 85.00.
Bioanalysis of Drugs and Metabolites, especially
Anti-flammatory and Cardiovascular, edited by E.

Reid, _I. D. Robinson and I. D. Wilson, Plenum,

New York, 1988, v + 415 pp., ISBN O-3-6-42996-9,
US$ 89.50.

Develooment in Solvent Extraction, edited by S. Ale-

gret, E%is Horwood, Chichester, 1988, 6 + 221 pp..

ISBN o-7458-0303-2 f 30.00.

Methods in Enzymology,

by S. P. Colowick and N.
0. Kaplan, Vol. 140, Cumulative Subject Index Volumes 102-119, 121-134, Academic Press, San Diego,
1988, v + 288 pp., ISBN o-12-182040-8, US$ 85.00.

Selenium in Medicine and Biology, edited by J. Ntve

and A. Favier, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 1988, vi +

411 pp., ISBN 3-11-011770-3, DM 290.00.