book reviews expertise, but that reproduction of electron micrographs was unsatisfrtctory. There has been no improvement in the presentation of the electron micrographs. The format of the book has been improved by bold titles for tables and figures and the use of dark lines to separate these from the textual material. The increased use of bold type subject headings in the wide margin facilitates searches within the various chapters. In their preface to the 2nd ed., the' authors state ". .what we had to do was not to restrict ourielves to a mere updating and revising, but instead to write what amounts to a new book." While it is true that there are numerous changes, additions, and deletions, the reorgmization in reality amounts to a. lot of cutting and pasting of paragraph, diagram, strnctures, and equations that were in the first edition. However, there are numerous new items, diagram, and structures in the second edition. 'This patching does not detract from the value of the second edition. All of the effort seem to be a legitimate way to approach the problem of updating the material. The first edition comprised 872 numbered pages including the index. The second edition reached 1009 pages. However, in the second edition, there are approximrttely 6 lines more per page. The revised volume is equivalent to a book containing a half-million words. Considering the authoritativeness of the presentation, this is no mean achievement. As for the student who makes use of this text, it
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Puts to him all the learnings that his time Could make him the receiver of. Shakespeare, Cymbeline We recommend this text for a twosemester biochemistry course for students with a strong science background. Serious students of biochemistry who are using other texts in their courses will wish possibly to add this authoritative hook to their libraries.
College of Fisheries Univwsit?, of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195
are employed in industries connected with polymers but even introductory senior and first year graduate level courses in polymer science are not common. For this reason, the well organized presentation of the important facets of polymer science in this hook is especially important. Those who have not been trained in polymer science but must work in the field can start here to get the general background they will need to work intelligently. Faculty who wish to add special topics in polymer chemistry to existing courses will find this one of the best primary sources of text and references. Workers in various parts of hiochemistry and medicine who deal with natural polymers will also profit from starting with this book to build the background of physical chemistry of nonmolecules which will aid their own specialized interests. The material covered is similar to that of the first edition-with many intelligent additions and revisions. Since the field that it covers is verv broad. this book is essentially xn outline-although n vcry inrlusivc one. \lust topic.. of utcercst arc found in rhc hook, with a h i d disrusiion followed by references ta more complete general discussions found in more ad-
Fred W . Billmeyer, JT., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1971. 598 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.5 xiv X 16 em. $15.95.
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This third generation book which has grown from Billmeyer's earlier "Textbook of Polymer Chemistry" is still the best general source for a survey of the polymer field. I t is still true that this very important area of science and applied science is greatly neglected in college and graduate school. About 40% of industrid chemists
A396 / Journal of Chemical Educafion
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Chemicd Thermodyn~mics
D. J. G. Ives, Birkbeok College, University of London. Macdonald and Co., Ltd., London, 1971. viii 211 pp. Figs. and tables. 22.8 X 15.2 em. $2. ( ~ $ 5 . ) .
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Professor Ives states that he intends this book for final year undergraduates with some prior exposure to thermodynamic principles. But since the author is of the opinion that the prior exposure rarely leads to any useful mastery of the subject he hopes his writing will prove helpful to first and second year students, "who may welcome a short text somewhat Encyclopedia." In the case of fields unconventional in approach, emphasis, which are changing rapidly there are well and illustration." chosen references to the original literature. There is presented a rather helpful The organization of the book is, as mixture of classical and statistical thermobefore, first, the "scientific" aspects: dynamics. The opening chapters are Physics, physical chemistry, and organic presented more as a review of elementary chemistry of polymers, then the techthermodynamics than a. thoroughgoing nological properties of commercial polyexposition. A number of topics are mers and polymer processing. presented without constructing them I recommend the book highly to the logically from first principles but with the wide spectrum of readers mentioned in this intention of using thermodynamic lanreview. guage from the beginning. Thus entropy E. FERINOTON and enthalpy are used early in the text THOMAS W . R. Grace but only developed further along. Research Division Under the general topic of ThermoClarkmille, Md. 921OS9 chemistry there are good discussions of Hess's law, Kirchhaff's theorem, thermochemical bond energies, electronegativities, Born-Haher cycles, and a variety of applications to chemical behavior. The Ecology, Pollution, Environment discussions are critical and the rtndysis of bond energies is especially clear. Amos Turk, City University of New Entropy and free energy are discussed in York, Jonathan Turk and Janet T. fair detail in a relatively elementary Wittes, University of Pittshur~h. W. fashion. There is a careful treatment of B. Sannden Co., Philadelphia, 1972. equilibrium constants with special atten217 pp. Figs. and tables. 22.5 ix tion given to the question of dimensions X 14.5 cm. $3.95. and standard states for equilibrium wnstants. The author briefly describes free The title correctly describes the content energy functions as used in many tables of this book. Perhaps its size (200 pages, hut makes it clear that in his opinion many of which contain photographs such "these formelisms, which add nothing in as a full-page view of a half-cleaned office substance or prinoiple, may be of advanbuilding) wgg-ts the level of treatment. tage to the few habitually handling data, It is a. well done and reasonably balanced but otherwise they are an emharrasspopular level treatment of its subjects. ment." I t is hardly a, textbook, even for an introSolutions are discussed' in terms of duetorv coune in environmental science. chemical potentials and partial molar quantities. For most readers this will prove to be the most complex mathecmtrnrnpmyy t e l l H w + v r r , a matics of the hook although the compotent1.11danger is rll:t~.tudeni> may h m n plexity is more one of numerous details nnmwcl..* hn.cJ on lhp rclnrivvly w,wrhr in1 than of principle. Although earlier the information these pages For author was quite careful about dimensions example, the multifaceted problem of nufor equilibrium constants, he is much less clear energy is treated in chapters entitled
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Textbook of Polymer Science, Second Edition
Radioactive Wastes and Thermal Pollution. Nowhere is a. profile of either power needs or energy resources given nor is the oneept of a breeder rertctor introduced. Chemistry professors may find this book useful as supplementary reading for students. In these days, "ecasystem" is a. good ward to hear in a chemistry class. However, the real chemistry, even the background essential to understanding how man is endaneerine his ecosvstem. will have to be made av&lable to the students from other sources.
sa when it comes to activities and their Use. Under the sub-title "With Special Referenoe to Inorganic Chemistry" there are numerous applicrttions to experimental situations. The author's general approach to his applications is well characterized by his statement, "In these circumstances of facing problems as yet elusive to detailed interpretation, it is an object lesson to find that all the systems must conform to basic thermodynamic rules, and that it is the evidence provided by thermodynamic data that must he examined firat-these aspects are the only present concern." There are no formal problems presented for the reader to solve as an aid to study. Few experimental details are presented as to how appropriate data are obtained in the laboratory. Only a. few errors were noted and none of these appeared to be seriously misleading. For example, a decimal point was lost on page 72. The author has a little fondness for stilted language now and then with phrases like "conspectus of entropies," "evidential of," and"symbolization." Those who are fortunate enough to study this book will he rewarded by a. greater appreciation of the power of thermodynamic arguments. To quote the author, "A scientist unable to appreciate or use the thermodynamic angle of approach to natural
