J. MATER. CHEM., 1994, 4( 121, 1931-1932 Chemical Technology in Printing and Imaging Systems. Edited by J. A. G. Drake. Royal Society of Chemistry, 1993. Pp. viii +188. Price €39.50 ISBN 0-851 86-655-7. This book is based on the proceedings of a symposium held by the North East Region Industrial Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry held in York in October 1992. It contains 14 chapters, each dealing with a specific theme within the general scope of the symposium. The chapters vary consider- ably in quality, length and in scientific/technological content. The editor states that the objective of the symposium was ‘to highlight the advanced chemistry present in all aspects of the printing process.’ In reality, this text fails to meet this objective. Eight of the chapters carry no bibliography and four of the chapters contain no chemistry related components and little science.In the outline below, the figures in brackets relate to the number of pages and references, respectively. Chapter 1, Future trends in printing, J. W. Birkenshaw (5.1, 0), gives the opinion of the author on six factors that are rather loosely connected and not particularly informative; the content is weak. Chapter 2, Environmental management of processing solu- tions, J. F. Langford (10.3, 0), is totally concerned with the Kodak Chemical Management System (CMSI) and so is of limited value. Other strategies for the management of pro- cessing solutions should have been considered. Little or no consideration is given to the underlying chemistry associated with either the problems or to the solutions to problems.The content is of limited value. Chapter 3, Environmental aspects of solvent use in printing, A, S. McCormick (4.5,0), is largely concerned with definitions of terms, description of acronyms and compliance schedules. In this instance, the lack of specific facts and the lack of a bibliography are serious omissions. Chapter 4,General aspects of flexographic plate technology, J. W. Goodin (9.5, 0), has the oddity of a reference number in the text and no bibliography. It is with this chapter, the ‘chemistry’ content of the book begins, but hardly at the ‘advanced’ level. The content is restricted to definitions and descriptions of particular processes, The grammar used has some peculiarities that can lead to misinterpretation, e.g., ‘After development the plate is dried, Figure 8, which takes about 15 minutes.’ The diagrams given are clear and the explanation meaningful. Chapter 5, Recent developments in negative lithographic plate technology (16, 16), M.J. Pratt, contains much useful information in a well presented format. The examples quoted and the explanation provided herald the beginning of the ‘valuable/useful’ sections of the book. Chapter 6, A review of direct-to-plate systems in litho- graphic printing, P. J. Watkiss (23, 71), is of value. The bibliography is up-to-date, the scientific/chemical principles are cogently delivered and the examples are meaningful.More attention could have been given to the protocol in polymer and monomer identification [e.g., poly(viny1 alcohol), poly- (vinyl butyrol) and poly(methy1 methacrylate)]. Chapter 7, Dye diffusion, thermal transfer (D2T2) printing, R. A. Hann (13, 9), is a useful chapter in an all-round sense. The essential principles of the process are clearly outlined and the physical-chemical aspects of the system are dealt with in some depth. Chapter 8, Fountain solutions, S. Dyster (5.6, 0), is a very brief account of what is a complex component of the litho- graphic printing system. The approach used is very general in nature and rather trivial in style. An example is given by the heading of a section as ‘The Use of Alcohol’ and the reference, continuously, to the use of alcohol in fountain solutions.Chapter 9, General aspects of organic pigment technology, P. Sayer (15, 6), is one of the better chapters but somewhat limited in scope. Thus, the perylenes, perinomes, thioi ndigoids, quinophthalones, etc., are not considered. Greatest attention is given to phthalocyanine pigment class and to the azo-pigment class. Chapter 10, Control of the physical character and perform- ance of organic pigments for inks, R. B. McKay (20 11), has some overlap with Chapter 8, but here the emphasis is placed more in understanding the significance of the physical proper- ties of pigments with respect to their overall performance. This is a strong chapter, containing much useful information. Chapter 11, The recycling generation, S.D. Lillcy (9, 0), covers the regulatory aspects to a limited extent, but is largely geared to the author’s employer from the point-of-view of strategy adopted. Thus, it is largely an expression of opinion and lacking in specific detail. Chapter 12, Current developments in UV-printing inks, G. Webster (14, 4), gives a reasonable account of recent developments. The author has an unacceptable, irregular use of monomer naming and of acronyms, e.g., ethoxylatedpenta-erythritoltetraacrylate (ATTA). Some useful information is provided, but the chapter is not easy to read. Chapter 13, Colorants for electronic printers, P. Gregory (18, 0), will be of use to students and the less aware technol- ogists. The style is variable but several examples of systems are provided.The naming of dyes is not consistent (use of capital letters) and the diagram showing the principle of ink jet printing is a gem (but of little meaning). Chapter 14, Recent developments in water-based inks, B. Hancock (15,O). For a chapter to be so titled and yet have no bibliography seems odd. None-the-less, the coverage is broad and the use of examples skillfully handled. Problems relate to lack of units for rates, the use of non-ST terminology and the unfortunate naming systems for polymers [c .g., poly-(vinyldichloride) (PVdC)]. The total volume has some oddities arising from a lack of editoral control. Chapter numbers are not provided. The table of contents indicates the page at which a chapter starts, but the page is not numbered in the text.Nomenclative and unit symbolism varies considerably. This can lead to confusion for the reader and should be avoided. There are examples in which symposium series hdve been transcribed into useful books. Such examples are not common and this volume is not one of them. It does not meet the market’s needs (students, technologists, research and develop- ment scientists) and at the quoted price cannot be considered to be value for money. J. T. Guthrie Received 25th August, 1994 Statistical Mechanics of Polymers. Symposium Editor, T. A. Vilgis; Editor-in-chief, Hartwig Hocker. Macromolecular Symposia Series, Volume 87. Huthig & Wepf Verlag, 1994. Pp. x + 382. Price DM 152.00; US$105.00.ISBN 3-85739-278-9. This volume contains a collection of lectures given at the international conference Statistical Mechanics of C ondensed Polymer Systems: Theory and Simulation, held at the 1,niversity of Mainz, Germany, on October 4-6, 1993. Altogether there are 37 contributions, each one averaging about ten pages. The topics cover a wide range of theoretical work and there is a nice balance between pure theory and computer simu- lation, with also a few contributions in the field of theoretical material science. Subjects treated include studies on the glass transition, the static and dynamical properties of polymers in melts and in networks, the behaviour of polymers at surfaces, copolymeric systems and liquid-crystalline phases.Reviews of existing theories are given as well as recent theoretical advances, new techniques in computer simulations as well as simulation results are described and molecular modelling also makes an appearance. This mixture very much appeals to me, for it does serve to link up microscopic, atomic views of polymers to the coarse-grained models frequently used to obtain scaling laws and universal behaviour. Naturally, with only a few pages available for each contri- bution, this in no sense could be a reference book. What it does provide, however, is an insight into where the activity in theoretical polymer research is concentrated and the kinds of ideas and theoretical approaches that are in the air. This is not to decry, by any means, the quality of the articles in their own right.Many were written by acknowledged experts in the field and are very instructive and interesting reading. It is just that they are, of necessity, too short to go very deeply into the subject matter. The volume was produced directly from the authors’ type- scripts and this has led to a slightly irritating mixture of fonts, spacings and layouts. Indeed a couple of contributions are tiresome to read, simply because of the poor quality of the layout. This, however, is a relatively minor gripe. All in all I like the book and I learned a lot from it. I would, however, hesitate to buy the book myself at the price. It would, on the other hand, be a useful volume to have in the library.A. J. Masters Received 7th September, 1994 Plastics: Surface and Finish, 2nd Edition. Edited by W. Gordon Simpson. Royal Society of Chemistry, 1993. Pp. xvi +328. Price €47.50. ISBN 0-851 86-209-8. The surface and finish of plastics has always been an important subject for both industry and academia. For industrialists the marketability of their products depends on having the required surface finish, be it decorative or functional, and for academics the scope for studying the fundamentals of surface science is almost limitless. Because in everyday life we are now sur-rounded by so many plastic products it is also a subject of considerable public interest. Since most of the authors con- tributing to this book have apparently worked in manufactur- ing during their lives it is biased much more towards industry than academia but, also has a wider appeal.It gives an J. MATER. CHEM., 1994, VOL. 4 enjoyable overview of many aspects of the subject, some in depth and others more superficially. The whole subject area is of increasing interest to the manufacturing industry and the book has come at an oppor- tune time since, with the end of the recession, many new recruits will, hopefully, be entering the field. These newcomers will find the book a very readable introduction to this area of the plastics industry. For example, the chapter on Surface Recognition introduces the terminology used to describe surfaces and their defects and clearly covers the modern technology that is available for monitoring and quantifying these defects.Similarly, there is an excellent chapter by Sherman and Garrard on surface treatments for plastic films and containers, with many references to the wider literature for those wishing to go into the subject in more depth. Another chapter that provides a fairly comprehensive intro- duction to the subject is that on calendered thermoplastics by Fairbairn. In addition to these and other chapters that cover different aspects in some depth, there are those that are of general interest only. There is, for example, an enjoyable and informa- tive account of basic finishing techniques by Simpson, who offers much advice on how to obtain different finishes on many plastics, ranging from natural products through thermo- sets to thermoplastics.A number of other important subject areas such as vinyl wallcoverings, printing processes for plastics and extruded surfaces are covered in an informative and general way. The chapters Painting Plastics and Adhesives for Plastics Fabrication are on areas of considerable industrial importance and interesting overviews are given. These overviews, however, appear to be based solely on personal experience and opinion since there is not a single reference to the wider literature in either chapter. There is a wealth of scientific and patent literature on the subject of adhesion and yet, when dealing with it under the heading Theoretical Aspects of Adhesion, Counsel1 covers the subject in just one page with no references being given. To be of real value as a textbook for people entering the field, something more than a personal overview of such an important field is required. These aspects of surface and finish are becoming of increased industrial relevance as more plastics and composites are introduced to the aerospace, automotive, packaging and domestic markets and innovative developments are most likely to come from an in-depth scientific knowledge. Too few references (there are only 61 in the whole book and many of these are to British Standards etc.) would be the one main criticism. Apart from this it represents very good value for money and will not only be of interest to those well versed in the field but will certainly whet the appetite of newcomers to the area of plastics surface and finish. P. T. McGrail Received 12th September, 1994