Llberal Arts Chemistry: Worktext, Second Ednion Otis S. Rothenberger. KendalllHunt: Dubuque, IA. 1988. ix 278 pp. Figs. 18.4 X 23.1 cm. $20.95.
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The problem of what to try to teach students in the one-semester liberal a& chemistry course is a hardy perennial. Should we work on orbitals and bond hybridization or sir oollution and ~esticideresidues in food? ~ o t h e n b e r ~ e rs&tion, 's which I like, is to focus on some of the basic ideas and lanc a g e of chem~stry,in particular, the ideas and languagc ofclansrcal, nmeteenth-century chemistry. He argues tbat one can appreciate the meaning of chemical formulas and balanced equations with no more theoretical background than that available to a student 100years ago. It is the idea of chemical chance and its internretation in terms of atomsand molecules that isatreaoed, not the chemistry of particular elements and rompounds, nor of pn,ducts such as antacids and laundry bleach. Historical examples (for example, Pasteur's work on fermentation, the phlogiston theory, and Newland's theory of octaves) are used to illustrate points about how scientists work, but the book is not a history, nor a collection of historical anecdotes. The Daltonian atomic theory and the classical (Frankland/Kekule) valencies are used as the basis for writing formulas and balancing equations. The idea of molecular structure, including chirality, is developed starting from a brief consideration of crystal forms. A useful feature is that the simple rules for interpreting the organic chemist's bond-line ) eiven. formulas Ke.. . . CaHm . ."= A ./are Ions as~is the - are ~ introduced. ~ ~ ~.~~~ ~ eoneeot of ionic and covalenr bonding, hut mly in the last (ninth) chapter. when atomic substructure is discussed. Energy relationships are introduced in connection with thermochemistry, and the concept of entropy is touched upon. Great emphasis is placed on the simplicity of the arithmetical calculations involved in stoiehiametry, although Rothenberger uses the term linear reasoning instead of proportionality. I found few errors and none of consequence, although there are places where I might prefer a different choice of words (ex., "linear reasoning" or "birthing plaie"). The text is short and meant to be covered ~~~~~~~~~
in less than a semester. Over a third of the pages are used for the Performance Objectives a t the end of each chapter and qoestions and problems, with answers given in an appendix. The remaining time to be used to talk about contemporary developments or applications. I have not taught a general studies course of this kind for a number of years, but experience with general ehemistry leads me to think that Rothenberger's approach is sound and one I would like to try. I t is perhaps worth noting tbat Rothenberger is a t Illinois State University, a leader in the number of chemistry majors it graduates annually. They do something rigbt with their undergraduate majors. I think this book shows that they do something rigbt with their nonmajors also. R. F. Trlmble Dept. of Chemlatry 8 Blochemlatry Sanhern llllnois Univershy Carbondale. IL 62901
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Chemlcal Information: A Practical Gulde to Utlllzatlon, Second EdRlon Yecheskel Wolman. Wiley: New Yo*. NY, 1988. xiv 291 pp. Tables. 15.7 X 23.7 cm. $44.95
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Wolman's guide is a substantially expanded and updated edition of his 1983 book of the same title. The book is aimed a t practicing chemists and chemical specialists facing the expanding universe of chemical information. The book contains chapters and sections on all the main types of c b e m i d literature, including bath paper and computerized information. Introductory material on libraries and current awareness presents basic information on how to access information in libraries and how to keep up in a particular field of chemistry. As with several other chemical information source books (Robert M a i d ' s How to Find Chemical Information, Wiley, 1987, comes immediately to mind), the audience for this book is practicing chemists and particularly chemistry students. This book differs from others in the way the information sources are discussed. The prime intent of this book is to help chemists solve real information problems that they have in their daily work. The chapters on numerical data and synthetic reactions take chemists step by step through the various sources most useful in solving a particular information
problem. When more than one source exists, the various titles are discussed and evaluated as to currency, ease of use, and overlap, if any, with other sources. Sections an Beilstein and Gmelin, typically daunting sources for moat users, actually go through the steps required to find relevant data on a specific compound. Wolman then comparesthe data retrieved from these handbooks with that retrieved from other sources. This updated edition includes expanded coverage of computerized data bases, both bibliographic and numerical. Significant space and detail is devoted to conducting computerized lrterature searches in general and to Chemical Abstracts searching on the Dialoe. and STN networks in particular. In addit& to providing nitty k i t t y information an how to perform the searches, Wob man gives detailed analyses on how the systems differ and why results may vary between the two systems. The author's concluding chapters on expert systems in chemistry and on a look to the future in chemical literature provide one witha glimpse of what may be coming in the area of chemical literature and ways to access that literature. Far readers in the United States and Canada, the book shows a certain European slant. Discussion of classification schemes and vendors particularly highlight this point of view. If a fault may he found with the book, it is that a unified bibliography of sources mentioned is lacking. I t is somewhat disconcerting to have to read through text in order to find bibliographic information about a particular title. The extremely detailed table of contents and the index do help locate the references to desired titles. This hook would be useful pnrtreularly to chemistry and science librarians looking for guidance through the chemieal literature. Chemists teaching courses in chemical literature will find this a very welcome addition to their own libraries. Christine Johnston The University of TexabAustin Austin, TX 78712 ~~~~~~~~
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The WlleylNBS Registry of Mass Spectral Data, Volumes 1-7 Fred W. McLafferty and Douglas B. Stauffer. Wiley: New Ywk, NY. 1989. xxvi 7872 pp. Figs. 22.3 X 28.5 cm.
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This new compilation of mass spectra is a
--Reviewed in This Issue Revlewer Otis S. Rothenberger, Liberal Arts Chemistry: Worktext, Second Edition Yecheskel Wolman, Chemical Information: A Practical Guide to Utilization, Second Edition Fred W. McLafferty and Douglas 6. Stauffer, The WlleylNBS Registly of Mass Spectral Data, Volumes 1-7 Monographs Titles of Interest
A256
Journal of Chemical Education
R. F. Trlmble Christine Johnston
A256 A256
Christine Johnston
A256 A257 A257
