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their compounds, with an emphasis on providing a thorough understanding of the most familiar and important inorganic comoo1,na.. . FoUowing the launching of Sputnik on Ortohrr 4,1957, in an attempt ta"upgrade" chemiraleducation, the emphasis ingeneral and inorganic chemistry changed from a predominantly descriptive approach to a predominantly theoretical one. In an oftenquoted, provwative article, "The Grim Silence of Facts," published in this Journal [1970,47,271], Derek A. Davenport warned that even graduate students were woefully ignorant of descriptive inorganic chemistry. He "was startled to discover that [a] student believed silver chloride to he a pale green gas". Since then, in an accelerating trend others have advocated the restoration of descriptive inorganic chemistry to its former prominent place in the chemical curriculum. The relative importance of "description" versus "theory" has been debated for years with the consensus favoring a sumhle blend of the two. Moat textbook authors have vaid liv service to this ideal, but in the bookunder-review here Sanderson has systematically integrated observations with theory on the basis of polar covalence, electronegativity equalization, and several other general concepts. A true labor of love, this hook is intended "to fill a void left by other current textbooks of inorganic chemistry, which deal dutifully with whatever seems fashionable without providing the real insight and understandine that are now uossihle." Sanderson's aim isrto helo the reader acouire the broadest possihle perspective of inorganic chemistry as wellma real depthof understanding". He f m l y helieves that "all chemists should he helped to appreciate the cause-and-effect relationship between the inherent nature of atoms and the properties of their cambinations and compounds, for this is what makes chemistry a beautifully logical and intellectually satisfying science". He thinks that "highly specialized details, except as they may shed light on general principles, can come later," but he does not neglect practical, industrial chemistry or relevant prohlems such as those associated with natural ahundance of compounds and their availability and reuse. He also considers timely problems of health and pollution. In the author's words, "this hook could he subtitled, 'What I Think Every Chemist Should Know about Simple Inorganic Chemistry'". Thus, in a sense, it is a very "personal" hook. Yet few of the topica usually dealt with in more traditional texts are neglected. However, the "new approach" of the suhtitle oresents old chemistrv in a new context. permitting students to see and understand how the strength of a chemical hund originates in the structure of i t s atoms and thus to learn why bonds tend to form and rearrange as they do. Some idea of the author'sapproachcan he gleaned from the titles and lengths of the 11 chapters-(1) The Natwe of Atoms (46 pp); (2) The ChemicalElements, I. The Nonmetals (44 pp); (3) The Chemical Elements, 11. The Metals (38 pp); (4) The Energy of Polar Covalence (18pp); (5) The Chemistryof Hydrogen (46 pp); (6) The Oxygen Chemistry ~
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of Major Group Elements (115 pp); (7) Binary Halides and Oxyhalides (50 pp); (8) Same Binary Chemistry of the Transitional Elements (36 pp); (9) Coordination Compounds (17 pp); (10) The Solid State (52 pp); and (11) What Else Is There? (10 pp)a brief consideration of the many areas of inorganic chemistry not detailed in the book. In keeping with the author's emphasis on visualization, the volume is replete with 81 figures and 134 tables. Each chapter concludes with several thought-provoking questions in a section titled "Self Service," and the hook concludes with a detailed 26page index. With the exception of one tahle, no references are included, hut the text is a student-oriented one, and how many students make use of references? Sanderson rejects the new IUPAC system of numbering periodic tahle groups, hut he presents its pros and cons and uses his own system of primes and asterisks and of designating main and transitional groups by M and T, respectively [Sanderson, R. T. J. Chem. Edue. 1964,41,187; Chem.Eng. News June 15,1987,65(24), 21. He also uses prime Arahie numerals to designate oxidation numbers. The hook lucidly explains many impor&t and familiar facts of descriptive inorganic chemistry, e.g., the existence of air as a gas rather than as a mixture of polymeric nitrogen and oxygen, why carbon dioxide is gaseous while silicon dioxide is solid, why fluorine seems anomalous, why carhonic acid is unstable, why the nitrogen oxides differ so much fromthe oxides of the heavier Group 5 elements, why chemical elements occur principally as compounds, why the higher oxidation states of some first-row transitional elements are less stable than those of heavier elements of these groups, and why and how protonic and hydridic hridging differ. The book contains a few minor errors in nomenclature such as ethylene diamine for ethylenediamine, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (p 399), and dicyclopentadienyl iron for his(cyc1opentadienyl)ironlI1) lo .. 4661.. Thid book may not be everyone's cup of tea. However, the instructor dissatisfied with current textbooks who is looking for a novel approach to inorganic chemistry from a systematic, consistent, and unified point of view should carefully consider this unusual textbook. which revresents a distillation of more than 50 year'erperience of a dedicated and experienced chemical educator. George B. Kauffman California State University, Fresno ~~
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Organic Chernlstry, Second Edition Seyhan Ege. D. C. Heath: Lexington, MA. 1989. xxv 1311 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.2 X 26.2 cm.
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This text is written for a full year or more first course in organic chemistry. It suffers from a common malady among organic chemistry texts in that it is composed of 28 chapters and 1200 plus pages. As is true of manv of the texts eurrentlv available in organic chemistry there is no way that the instructor can present nor that the student can comprehend the information covered in the text in a one-year course.
The organization of the f i t part of the book is unique. A great emphasis is placed on developing basic concepts needed in the mastery of organic chemistry. Many mstrudors will find the organization useful, hut those who take a more traditional functional group approach to teaching the suhject will probably object to the fact that alkanes are found in chapter 5. The chapters are well written and easy to read. The "A Look Ahead" section of each chapter gives the reader a brief introduction to what the author intends to do in the chapter. The "Problem-Solving Skills Section" is an excellent teaching idea. The step-by-step analysis of synthesis problems allows the student to learn firsthand how organic chemists think through the preparation of an organic compound. Stating reaction conditions aids the student's understanding of the reactions. The problems in and a t the end of each chapter are fairly standard fare. A nice addition to the book would have been the inclusion of answers to a t least some of the assigned problems. The "table" of reaetiona at the end of chapters in which a functional group is discussed is useful, hut somewhat too detailed. The use of four colors in the printing of this text does make it more attractive than a traditional black and white format. The shading to show planes of symmetry in chapter 6 is very effective. In the reviewer's opinion, the publisher could have done a better job of making the colors more vivid. There are several similar texts with better use of color. In an attempt to develop a unique format the author has made some changes which may not fit into traditional organic chemistry courses. For example, the chapter on acids and hases seems rather lengthy. There is no doubt that the discussions of acids and hases are imvortant: however, this much detail in an introductory text seems unnecessary. Delaying the discussion of aromatic chemistry until chapter 19 does not add to the flow of the text. Synthesis of aromatic compounds should he covered with aromatic chemistry or a t least in the next chapter. In this text three chapters separate these two related topics. In the reviewer's opinion, the author's goal of designing a text that does not require the student to develop an "encyclopedic knowledge" of reactions has not been met. Most of the synthesis problems do require such an "encyclopedic knowledge" of organic reactions. The "table" section at the end afthe chapters reinforces the apparent comnlexitv and number of reactions. ' hi; text will he of rea at interest to those instructors who are seeking a new approach t o teaching organic chemistry. However, the student using this text may not benefit from the unique format presented. Joe C. Greever Delta State Universlky Cleveland, MS 38733 Biochernlstry, Third Edition Frank 8. Armstrong. Oxford Unlverslty Press: New Ywk, NY, 1989. xxlil 675 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.2 X 24.2 cm. $47.50 HBIS23.95 PB.
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The third edition of this textbook cantinues the evolution in content and limited increase in size observed in the second edition six years ago. The orifinal purpose of the ~
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text was to provide a basis for a general introductary course for undergraduates in such curricula as preprofessional programs, biological and agricultural sciences, chemistry, engineering, and science education. This end was only partially achieved with the first edition, which had some deficiency in its coverage of areas such as metabolic interrelationships and control which limited suitability for majors in biological sciences, preprofessional programs, or chemistry. In this new third edition, these deficiencies have been largely made up at the cost of an approximate 20% increase in size from the first edition. As before, the hook is very dearly written, withattractiveand well chosen illustrations, diamams. and formulas. The format and producti& are convenient and attractive with few typographical or mechanical errors. ~
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The sequence of the 26 chapters is quite conventional. The first four chapters are introductory, representing an attempt to bring students of various backgrounds up to the same knowledge level. Included here are a brief discussion of the development of molecular biology and an overview of cell hiology. The book then proceeds to a second section of eight chapters covering the chemistry of the various classes of biomoleeules. One of the chapters contains an excellent discussion of amino acid sequencing including modern technological advances. The moleculnr hsair of bioenergetics, involvrng the disrua&n of the intermedian' metahoLism of the various classes of bio&oleeules, occupies the next seven chapters. There is some slight update and modernization of this material. The fourth section of three chapters is devoted tomolecular biology and includes quite current information on DNA ~equenring,gene expression, protein proceasmg, and uhiquitin proteolysia. The use of molecular biolom in biotechnulow -.isalso a part of this seeti%. The last three ehapters are devoted to immunology, hormones, second messengers, and human nutrition. The chapter on immunology is a new addition to the text and the hormane/second messenger chapter is much expanded and includes timely new material such as membrane transduction and polyphosphoinositol systems. Every chapter is followed by a hrief listing of suggested general readings and also by a list of more immediately relevant journal articles; while some of the material is classical, there is a significant amount of reference to modern publications. Finally, all the chapters end with a small but carefully selected and thoughtful set of problems. As before. the sections on bioenereetics and intermediate metabolism are especially well written and logically assembled, but other chapters, partirulnrly those covering biochemical genetics, immunology and endocrinology are very good and surprisingly complete, and tend to increase the overall quality of the text. While somewhat shorter than some of the better known and more widely employed texts, and hampered at Least slightly by its brevity, this third edition goes a long way toward meeting its avowed purpose of underpinning an introductory course designed to accommodateundergraduates from widely varying curricula. I t continues to he well written although concise, and provides adequate, and in some cases more than ade-
quate, coverage of much of what is important in contemporary biochemical information. Melvin F r i d College oi Medicine unlversiiy of Florida Gainesville, FL 32610 M l c r o s a l e Organlc Laboratory, Second Edltlon Dana W. Mayo, RonaldM. Pike, and S a m elS. Butcher. Wiley: New York, NY, 1989. u 522 pp. Figs. and tables. 22 X 28.5
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cm. $38.95.
One of the most significant organic laboratory textbooks of the 1980's was the first edition of Microseole Organic Laboratory. Mnvo. ~. , Pike. and Butcher were not the f i t to develop microscale organrc experiments, but they were the first to prove that the entire two-semester laboratory course can be taught using micrwcale experiments without watering down the chemistry. Their textbook showed that any effective macroscale experiment can be converted to an effective microscale exoeriment. and the small scale facilitates experiments using reagents that are tootuxiuor rooexpensive for students to use on a macroscnle. Conridering its uriginality and the large number of new experimental proredured. the first edition had minor rough edger. In addition to the usunl firit-edition ernrrs, the equipment diagrams were roughly drawn and the students were never introduced to important techniques such as downward distillation and the use of a separatory funnel. The second edition of Microscale Organic Laboratory is more polished than the first edition. The level of errors is law, the drawings are smooth and clear, and many procedures have been refined or clarified. Especially significant is the addition of six optional scaleup procedures using aseparatory funnel and and conventional glassware. More material on chemical safety and risk assessment has been added, perhaps to counter the media-induced chemophohia most of our students suffer. A Material Safety Data Sheet for acetone is given, together with a description of the information nrovided on the sheet lforchloroform). Also r~ new are the references within experimenlr to chemical tests uf the pruducrs, although in some caws the amounts of produrta re. covered are barely enough to carry out the tests. Several new techniques are introduced in the Second Edition, including the selective S ~ O F H N Oreaeent ~ and a clever lens oaver ii*
