Since 1914 Ullmann’s Encyklopädie der technischen Chemie has been a valuable work of reference to German-speaking chemists and has passed through several editions. The fourth edition, much enlarged and revised, is now in course of publication and Volume 18 has now appeared, including a section on the platinum metals.

This has been prepared by Dr. Hermann Renner of Degussa, who has succeeded in compressing a great deal of information on their refining, properties, chemical compounds and applications into some 32 pages. This replaces the former chapter in the third edition of 1963, written by the late Dr. Ruthardt of Heraeus. Many developments have taken place in the meantime, and the references—totalling 177—include a mention of everything of importance to an industrial chemist, or metallurgist, that has been reported up to the end of 1979.