Essentials of Blo-organlc Chemlstry R. W. Hanson, Edward Arnold Publishers,
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Baltimore. MD, 1984. viii 208 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23 cm. $14.95 PB. This book is an interesting attempt to design a text of oreanie chemistrv suitable for ttsr by stutient~1 8 i t,idoocal iuhjrrts. The muti\at,un fm such a text is that often it is ienrrd rhw the usual texts of organic chemistry dwell excessively on synthetic reaetions and divert attention away from mechanistic considerations relevant and indeed essential for understanding biochemical reactions. This is an ambitious if not impossible undertaking for a text of only 208 pages, including index. The material is presented in nine chapters. After a very brief introduction which discusses nomenclature and classification of carbon =ompounds, the book proceeds through chapters on bonding in organic compounds and chemical reactions and catalysis. The material in the first three chapters which is of fundamental importance to bio-organic chemistry is given very light treatment indeed. It is likely that the biology student with little background in organic chemistry would find thesechaptersincomprehensibly brief without assistance. The four following chapters, which are the strength of the book, cover in reasonable detail mechanisms of reaction of hvdrocarhuniand im tmnal gnmpr nnd srereurhemistry. Thc d i r c u i w n i cd organlr reartam mechanisms of the various classes of compounds and functionalgroups are useful and novel in that they proceed quickly from the usual chemical examples to those of biological or metabolic relevance. The chapter on stereochemistry is concise and well done with the oossible eneeotion of the omission n i th? .ui>jc-(r (of prwhirni~ty.This !"pic i% m r n t ~ m e dbmtlg in n lnrcr ehnptrr. Inaamuch as the topicaf stereochemistry is men-
Reviewed In This Issue
tioned in the discussion of mechanisms in proceeding chapters it might be better placed in an earlier chapter on structure and bonding. The final chapters address the topics of enzvme catalvzed reactions and the resction. ofrorn,ymes. (:haptrr 8entirled "Enaymrc'' h e ~ i n awith a unr and me-half pnga description ut Il'H system for tlasrtfirarwn and nomenclature of enzymes. Although one comes away with a general feeling of how the nomenclature system works, i t is of little use to those students who desire to determine what reactions a particular enzyme catalyzes from its name. The treatment of enzymatic catalysis is disappainting, again primarily for its brevity. Catalysis is explained in terms of effects of enzymes on the entropies and enthalpies of activation for reactions. Unfortunately the con: cepts of entropy, enthalpy, and transition state are so inadequately explained that this discussion would be of little use to the untrained student. Inhibition of enzymes is discussed in only the most qualitative manner. The last chapter is a very good, solid introductory treatment of coenzymes and their participation in metabolism. The general concept of "Essentials of Bioorganic Chemistry", that of a short course in organic chemistry as related t o biology is a useful approach t o the education of students in the biological sciences. However, as a textbook this volume will not stand alone due to its rather thin treatment of many of the fundamental concepts of bio-organic reaction mechanisms and enzymology. I t is more appropriately suited to be a helpful course outline heavily supplemented by lecture material and outside reading. To use i t as a short cut for the education of biology students would he a mistake. Richard N. Armstrong Department of Chemistry aMI Biochemistry University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742
Chemistry a n d t h e Living Organism MoNy M. Bloomfield, John Wiley & Sons, inc.. New York. NY, 1984. xviii 664 pp. Figs. and tables. 18 X 26 cm.
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As its title suggests, this hook is intended for a survey course in chemistry directed t o students in allied health and related fields. About half of the hook is devoted t o what might he termed general chemistry with a good deal of emphasis on radiochemistry and very nice treatment of the effects of radiation on living tissue. The remainder of the hook covers organic and biological chemistry, although a chapter is included on the twenty-one elements (besides C, H, N, and 0) necessary for life. Several worked-out examples are included in each chapter. These are followed immediately by exercises designed to require the skills just demonstrated. Answers t o all these exercises appear in an appendix. Twenty t o thirty problems are provided a t the end of each chapter. A list of learning objectives is given a t the beginnings of chapters. A very attractive feature of this book is the introduction of the material in each chapter with a one- or two-page anecdote which points out the relevance to the health sciences. The writing style is informal and should prove non-threatening t o students with weak backgrounds. Material on atomic structure does not appear until Chapter 5 and that on bonding untilchapter 8. Chapter 9 deals withehemical equations and the mole, while solution concentrations are treated almost 40% of the way through the text in Chapter 12. This placement of topics seems quite logical in the author's oreanization. However. i t could create some orohlems in desienine lahoratory e x p e n m e k for the beginning part of the course. (A lab manual t o accompany the order of the text is available.)
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I Reviewer
Books R. W. Hanson, Essentials of Bio-organic Chemistry Molly M. Bloomfield, Chemistry and t h e Living Organism F. W. Fifieldand D. Kealy, Principles and Practices of Analytical Chemistry, Second Edition J a c k W. Billmeyer, Jr., Textbook of Polymer Science Textbook Announcements Monographs
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Journal of Chemical Education
Richard N. Armstrong John J. Alexander W. F. Arendale
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R. Owen Asplund
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The hook does have some drawbacks, however. Granted that the presentation of chemistry a t this level has to be somewhat superficial, this reviewer was struck by the lack of emphasis on how we establish seientifie models-namely, by doing experiments. Rather few experiments are even mentioned. The material on atomic structure includes orbitals only as an optional section and, even then, says very little about the difference between s and o orbitals. Perhaos ~, hv ~, nerrssity, the treatment of structure and bonding seemed q u w brief and superiiriai. Probably nwrl pnhlemarrc rx the tmdency to make misleading statements when just a more careful word choice could increase scientific accuracy without sacrificing simplicity. For example, "although energy can be converted from one form to another, it must all be accounted for" is not a very precise statement of the First Law. Presumably, we could "account for" some energy by saying that it was lost. Beta particles are not 7000 times "smaller" than alpha particles; they are 7000 times lighter. In the figure on p. 127 a- and &particles are both assigned wavelengths without any discussion of how wavelengths can meaningfully be assigned t o oarticles. Ions are introduced hv men~, timing only electron removal from aroma. 'I'hr careful instructor can probnhlg head nft'mc,st ofthcsc prublemr. In t h e o p i n i ~ n o f this reviewer, Bloomfield's hook is worth serious examination. John J. Alexander Univenity of Cincinnati Cincinnati. OH 45221 ~
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Principles a n d Practices of Analytlcal Chemlslry, S e c o n d Edltlon F. W Fifieldand D. Kealy, Hyden 8 Sons, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 1984. xii 462 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.1 X 22.9 cm. $24.00 PB.
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"Principles and Practices of Analytical Chemistry," 2nd edition, is representative of the good technical textbooks that are available from the English press. The presentation is accurate, concise, and carefully edited. A person who is familiar with the material will find the book an excellent reference and a jay to read. The book contains 460 six by nine-inch pages. Ten chapters describe the principles, methods, and instruments used by analytical chemists. No detailed experimental procedures are included. The book is directed toward the curriculum of the English technical school. The hook could he considered as the text for an initial analytical course in American universities. Although there is an excellent list of questionsor problems a t the end of most chapters, the number of exercises is small compared t o what is found in most of the popular texts. The book does not contain worked examples. The authors state in the Preface that there have heen advancements in instrumentation sinee their first edition in 1975. The increased use of computers in analyt-
such as these almost incidentally, I fear that he or she would not likely be very effective, otherwise. Other than that, the hook is virtually faultless with respect to its intended audience. For polymer science introdueed a t the undergraduate level this is surely the text of choice. However, I believe that any instructor would want to use it by starting from the bibliography and moving into eertain selected areas in much mare depth than they are covered by the text. This is one of the strengths of this teat sinee it offers a flexibility which a dedicated instructor would find desirable without demanding that all of the supplementary material be obtained from scratch. R. Owen Asplund The University of Wyoming Laramie. WY 82071
ical chemistry is also noted as a reason for a second edition. This reviewer found the chapters an instrumentation up-to-date and well illustrated. Chapters 11and 12, "Overall Analytical Procedures and Their Automation" and "The Role of Computers and Microprocessors in Analytical Chemistry" do not exhibit the same quality of coverage as found in the rest of the book. The chapter on computers is the weakest but serves to warn the reader of the oossihilities.
types of instrumentation t o he considered, and general reference use. W. F. Arendale me University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville. AL 35899
Textbook Announcements Textbook of Polymer S c l e n c e Fred W. Billmeyer, Jr.. John Wiley 8 Sons. inc.. New York, NY, 1984. xviii 578 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 24 cm. $34.95.
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This is a revision of a text which has been a standard in the areaof polymer science for more than twenty years. The second edition bears the publication date 1971, so an updating is long overdue. The third edition is actually fewer pages (578) than is the second edition (598). This has been accomolished by judicious rdiring and rlw use ot ;lightiv rmnller p r i m The hook is intended for rhtm rerrwmg n first intruduerion to polgmer science a t an undergraduate level. A knowledge of basic physics and chemistry is assumed, hut an advanced understanding of these subjects is not required for comprehension of the material presented. The teat is encyclopedic in nature in that virtually all topics in the area of polymer science are a t least alluded to and none is covered in great depth. This latter fact is compensated for by an extensive bibliography a t the end of each chapter. These are, as they should be for a hook of this type, made up mainly of references to books, review articles and articles which attempt synthesis of experimental work rather than articles on direct results from research. Further, these are as up-todate as is possible sinee some hear the same dates as the publication date of the hook, 1984. Professor Billmeyer writes very lucidly, showingapreference for short direct sentences. The book is free of typographical and factual errors. The figures and tables are generally useful and are chosen and placed in such a way as to augment the text. The figures tend to be simple line drawings, but they are clearly done and easy to eomprehend. The transition from science to technology is smoothly and logically aeeomplished and the emphasis on technology is justified by the realities of this particular science. An innovation in the third edition was the inclusion of problems a t the end of each chapter. These problems tend to be rather simple in nature and, in my opinion, not instructionally useful. If an instructor using this text could not formulate problems
Chemistry: Experlment a n d Theory Bernice G. Segal, John Wiley 8 Sons. Inc., New York, NY. 1985. xxiv 999 pp. Figs. and tables. 19 X 26 cm.
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Physical Chemistry, S e c o n d Edltlon Ira N. Levine, McGraw-Hill Book Company. New York, NY, 1985. xix 890 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.5 X 24 cm.
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Enzyme Chemistry, Impact a n d Applications Colin J Suckling, (Editor), Chapman 8 Hail. New York. NY, 1984. 255 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 24 cm. $36.00. List o f Contents and Contributors: Infant enzyme chemistry, Colin J. Suckling; The Mechanistic basis of enzvme catalvsis., Ronald Kluger; Chemical models of coenzyme catalyses, Seiji Shinkai; Selectivity in synthesis-chemicals or enzymes, Colin J. Suckling; Enzymes as targets for drug design, Barrie Hesp and Alvin K. Willard; Metal ions in biological systems, Donald H. Brown and W. Ewen Smith; Enzyme-level studies of the biosynthesis of natural products, David E. Cane; The impset of enzymology in biochemistry and beyond, Keith E. Suckling
Volume 63
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(Continued on page A24) Number 1
January 1986
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