book reviews
Paul Santiago, Harford Community College, Bel Air, Maryland. Houghton, Mifflin Company, Boston, 1975. xv 192 pp. Figures and tables and tape. 28 x 20.5 cm.
+
Chemislry: Experimental Foundallons Robert Parry, University of Utah, Phyllis M. Dietz, Fountain Valley High School, California, Robert L. Tellefsen, Vintage High School, California, and Luke E. Steiner, Oberlin College. 2nd Edition. Prentiee-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1974. 597 p. Figures and tables. 20 X 26 em. This text is n second edition of an authoriled rrvisiun of the original CHEM Study texlbook As such, it continues lo huild on the strengths of that course and seems to he a perfect textbook in the sense that no mistakes or typographical errors were discovered in it. "Chemistrv: Ennerimental Foundations" illustrates thk CHEM Study philosophy in a completely consistent manner. That is, the student is always allowed to develop and discover empirical generalizations from observations. Students who use this text should acquire a strong feeling far how scientists think and how knowledge in science accumulates and grows. This will come about naturally as the result of eontinuous and consistent exposure to the scientist's ways of looking at problems. The development of the topics of chemistry is as logical as any that this reviewer has ever seen. Typically, a given topic is built up by stages. Various threads of chemical thought are woven side by side, discontinued a t appropriate intervals and then later picked up, extended, and eventually brought together. The uninitiated student as well as the experienced chemistry teacher should find this approach both logical and satisfying. Perhaps it should be mentioned that the style of intermittent development of a given chemical topic might tend to force to some degree any teacher who selects this text to use it in its entirety and follow it rather closely. "Chemistry: Experimental Foundations'' is a relatively rigorous book. The student
who masters the material presented in it will unequivocally be prepared to take freshman chemistry in college. Furthermare, the bright, curious, young intellectual who assimilates the ideas presented is nearly certain to capture the spirit in which they are presented and thus have had a valid science experience, whether or not he or she ever takes another science course. On the other hand, the student of average ability in the high school population would find the book difficult to comnrehend. and thus it would probably not be appropriate for a tenninal high school chemistry course. In short, this book is written for the beginning student who is sufficiently intelligent to succeed eventually in chemistry in college. In this edition, the chapter on astrochemistry which was an extra feature of the First Edition has been replaced with a chapter in which the nitrogen family and the role which its memher-elements play in environmental chemistry is explored. The authors state in the preface that another significant change made relative to the First Edition is a simplification of the presentation of oxidation-reduction and electroehemistry. Apparently they were successful in this effort, since the treatment of these topics is excellent. In fact, the systematic way in which definitions and conventions are developed and oversimplifications avoided in these two ehapters could be regarded as a lesson in teaching worthy of emulation by all authors and teachers. In summary, "Chemistry: Experimental Foundations" is a truly superb text for use with college preparatory chemistry students, including bright nonsn'ence students. Any teacher who is looking for a text for such students is not likely to find one superior to the one reviewed here.
This "package" consists of a Work Book, an Instructor's Manual and 11 cassette tapes, any piece of which is available separately. The tapics covered would adequately specify a high-quality high-school course: those who wish to use this for their general college chemistry course will need to cover elementary thermo, kinetics, bonding theory, structure and polarity of molecules, and organic nomenclature in some other way. The topics are broken down into 22 Lessons (almost small enough to suit Keller) and are attacked by the student in the following way: (1) he reads the objectives (between 2 and 8). starts the tape and follows the discussion in the Guide Sheet of the Wark-Book, (2) works as many as 60 problems (the answers for which are supplied in an appendix) on the Work Sheet of the Work Book, and (3) goes an to the next Lesson. If he has trouble with any Lesson, he may go to any of 9 of the more popular texts which are cross-referenced to each Lesson, see a tutor, or bring the difficulty to class. The reviewer found the answer sheets to he correct for 75 problems selected a t random, the formula for ferric bromide excepted. The Instructor's Manual is in 4 parts: (1) a 130-question test to diagnose strengths and weaknesses uis-o-"is each Lesson, (2) quizzes and answers far each Lesson (so an instructor can certify a student's progress), (3) the textbook cross-reference mentioned above, and (4) the complete script of all the cassettes This package is worthwhile from several standpoints. I t lends itself to s "selfpaced" program; students who need to prepare for a professional-level general chemistry course could work through this on their own time. The voice from the tape seems to fix the attention of students; unlike pedagogues, it never tires of repeating. The diagnostic test, followed by the pursuit of certain indicated Lessons, could homoeenize a erouu from widelv differine" back.. grounds: this is an increasingly mporrant consideratmn in rhir day of open-dwr admissions. l'hrrc are some items to be given attentiun in any next edition. The proton ia represented as D' and D" in thr Work Rook; this is confuiing to the student and ignores the convention now current, namely p. The statement "no bond is lOW covalent" should be reworked: the student will have difficulty reconciling this with a zero-difference in electronegativity. In the Lesson on atomic structure, a Bohr model is shown with discrete orbits labelled, statements such as "location of electrons" and "paths of electrons" are used. Althoueh a modified mudel is alluded to. the planetary model is nut expressly replaced by the quantum mechanical model. Agreed that rhis package does not aim st theoretical elegance, hut the problem has been handled adroitly at the target level of this package by, say,
.
(Continued on page A134) Volume 53. Number2 February 1976 1 A133
