chemical thermodynamics for beginners by b d d i n g upon ideas acquired a t school in elementary physics and chemistry." On the book jacket the publisher states, "Subtleties of definition and queetions of rigour are avoided since the author believes them to be bewildering to t,he average student a t the beginning. . ." In this spirit the author begins his development with potential energy and its extension to the idea of chemical potentials. Free energy and its application to chemical equilibrium is introduced. After free energy is introduced enthslpy and internal energy (the author calls it tatsl energy) are discussed only to be rejected as inadequate to deal with the interpretation of reaction spontaneity and equilibrium. Considerable space ia devoted to describing relationships between thermodynrsmic properties and a statistical mechanics interpretation. The book concludes with n brief chapter on thermodynamics and kinetics. To shorten the path and woidsubtleties, the author has resorted to a, good many dogmatic assertions. Heelsomakes rather frequent use of the word this without much clarity as to what is intended. By and large little use is made of calculus to present the analysis of relationships. Relatively little data for substances or their reactions ia present,ed. Only in the next to the last chapter is a table of data presented. and this table comurise~electrode potentials for jort right half-cell reaction.-. Or.cdntn tnl,lc ma). o m - t m w a n,conl for u presc,.rntion r e f thermdy,.nrnivi! I n developing a relation between free energy change and the equilibrium constant the author leads himself to conclude that the equilibrium constant has units. When he applies his ideas (p. 26) to the ammonia synthesis reaction with a standard free energy change of -16,350 joule mole-' he feels obliged to say that @ J w i 8 . ~ ~ 6 x ~ Q a must .u have units of stm-'. How it is possible for an exponential to have units the author apparently leaves as one of the mysteriesor subtleties. T h e d i s cussion of calorimetry includes (p. 36) the statement t,hat temperature changes can be kept small by using smnll amounts of reaet,ing substsnees. However, the temperat,nre change far the mixing of, say, aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous hydrogen chloride is quite independent of the total amount used provided the ealorimeter can be treated as havingzero heat capacity. The idea. of number of degrees of freedom is introduced (p. 80) as the minimum number of such quantities as U , H, G, V, S, P, and T required to fix the state of a system completely. However, this definition of degrees of freedom runs into trouble when applied to phase equilibrium in Chapter 8. Thus a, two phaseone component system is said to be univariant and the author states (p. 124) that addition of heat increases temperature and pressure together. Actually the addition of heat shifts the enthalpy af the system and the relative amounts of the two ohases in equilibrium, but does not alter temperature or prevsure so long as phme equilibrium is maintained. Each chapter of the book concludes with from two to seven problems. Answers to,
72
/
lournol of Chemical Education
completely a t variance with the material in their cited publications. This is especially disconcerting in view of the nuL.~URENCE E. STILONG merous "interpretations" offered in the Earham College book for experimental observations reRichmond, Indiana corded by othen. I n some cases the content of the text corresponds with t,he references cited, but in many cases i t does not. This reviewer spot-checked some of the references and was amazed to find thst, in one chapter alone, not a single one of 10 consecutive references bore any relation whatsoever to the subject material a t the point of citation in the text. The index is woefully inadequate; for example, Carbohydrate Chemistry there is no mention of any dkaccharide, Eugae A. Davidson, Duke University. not even sucrose, although there is eonHolt, Rinehart ilnd Winston, Ine., siderable discussion of disaecharides in New York, 1967. vi 441 pp. Figs. the text. and tables. 16 X 25 em. $11.95. Major errols are far too numerous to This book is offered as a remedy for list individually, hut, for example, on page "the failure of books on carbohydrate 255 it is stated that methyl 4,6-0-benzylchemistry to apply modern organic chemidene-a-D-glueopyranoside-a classic exical developments to discussions of reacample used to demonstrate cleavage of tions," and to counteract the "neglect" glycols by periodate-is not oxidized by by most organic texts of modern carboperiodate. Emil Fischer's procedure for hydrate chemistry. synthesis of glyeasides is credited on page Broadly divided into sections entitled 163 to a. completely unrelated article pubStructural Analysis and Reactions, the lished in 1963, and s. grossly incorrect first seclion includes chapters on general mechanistic rationale is given for the glyeosidatian reaction. On page 154 it is stereochemistry and conformation, and on structure, stereoohemistry, and conformaimplied that glycosyl halides normally tion of sugrtrs, together with discussions react by way of open carbonium ions, deof physical tools such as infrared and nmr spite the abundant experimental evidence spectroscopy, and optical rotatory meathat supports the conventional mechanism surements, in relation to structure. The by way of closed-ion intermediates. second section sets out with a survey of Throughout the baok the 1,6-anhydrothe reactions of various functional groups, hexopyranose ring-system is depicted in chapters entitled Cerbohydrate Reacwith a bridge between equatorial atoms tions at Carbon 1, and Reactions af Chain at C-1 and C-5 of the tetrahydropyran Hydroxyls. Glycol-cleavage reactions ring-a stereochemically impossible form. and methylation of hydroxyl groups are A particularly horrendoos "mechanism" related to standard procedures for strucis given on page 118. A large proportion lure determinstion with polysaccharides. of the structural formulas have errors The biological role of sugar derivatives is such as bivalent hydrogen or nitrogen emuhasized in discussions of amino soaars, atoms, trivalent oxygen atoms, and di-, ph&phstes and sulfstes of sugars, gGco: tri-, penta- or hexavalent carbon atoms, peptides, and glycolipids. The biosynand an unusual spiro epoxide formnlathesis of polysaecharides is mentioned. tion is depioted for many of the cyclic Other chapters deal with analytical acetal structures. Such errors were presmethodology, synthesis of isotopically ent in almost every formula sequence labeled sugars, and the separation and examined in chapter 6. Despite inclusion physieo-chemical eharseteriaation of polyof an Appendix dealing with nomenelasaccht~rides. Appendixes give an abture, the nomenclature used throughollt breviated version of the Definitive Rules t,he baok is in s. confused and garbled state. of Carbohydrate Nomenclature and the The treatment of subject material is algebraic derivation, from sedimentation uneven in depth. Optical .rotatory d i s data, of molecular-weight distributions. persion, a technique whose contributions Lists of general references for each ehapter to carbohydrate chemistry to date have are followed by specific literature refbeen small compared with monoehromatic erences for citations in the text: a totalof polarimetry, is treated in excessive detail. about 370 referenees is given. Information given on the rapidly advancI n a book of this type, the reader has a ing fields of nmr spectroscopy and quanright to expect that factual statements, bitative canformational analysis, as apmade without specific reference to original plied to carbohydrates, is superficial and work, are in line with established informanot up to date. tion in the literature. When original refThe reader who is not already well versed erences are given, the information given in the classic and contemporary literature is expected to be that of the authors cited. on carbohydrate chemistry will be grossly The reader of the Dresent book can make misled bv this baok. The hook has shorb To docuneither of these a&mptions. comings that are so serious that it can in ment fully every error in this book would no way be recommended as a class text, require a review longer than the book itand certainly not as a source of reference. self. I n scores of instances the author makes statements, purported to be facts, DEKEKHOETON t h s t have absolutely no documentary foundation in the literature. Worse still, The Ohio Slate University there are numerous exzmples where reColumbus, Ohio 45610 spected authorities in the field are credited (Continued a page A64) with facts and interpretations that are
ilnd discussion of, the problems form an appendix to the book.
+
