lntroductlon to Chernlstry, Thlrd Ednlon
T. R. Diekson, John Wiley & Sons, Somerset, 1979. iii 465 pp. Figs. & tables. 24 X 21.5 cm. $15.95.
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This third edition is a thoroughly rewritten and updated version of Dickson's previous (1975) edition. Essentially the same concepts are covered, the text is clear; figures and illustrations are abundant and well executed. Major objectives and important terms are listed a t the beginning of each chapter. An adequate selection of problems and questions accompanies each chapter. New in this edition is the use of extra wide margins to present some of the figures and illustrations and t o highlight sameof themost important definitions and eonceots. Also new is the int n , d u r r ~ mw~thinappropriate chapten of '..jptciaI topics" not e-senrinl to thestudent's inrroduction to chemical principle% hut timely reminders of chemistry's central position in the issues of modern society. Included are The Atmosphere and Air Pollution, Energy and Society, Water Pollution, and The Uses of Nuclear Enerw. ... The text assumex no previous hnckgrwmd in chemifitry and provides smwwhat more than the !usual amount of aid t t r the student rhrough topic* covrrcd in the appendices. Fur in. stance, a section un the w e of the hand calrulatur is included m additim to the usunl review of mnthrmntiral skillr. The clarity and quality of the text warrant its consideration for use in one-semester courses directed either at l a y ~ n r aimndatim lor furtherstudy in Chemistry ur as an introdurrion only. A .tudy guide and a laburatory mnnual are available by the same author to accompany this edition of the text. ~~
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Donald J. Brawn Westem Michi@% Univenity Kalamsroo. Mi 49008
General Chernlstry Exarnlnatlon Quertlons. Fourth Edltlon Editors: J. Johnson and L. M. Epstein. Burgess Publishing Co., Minneapolis, 1979. i 367 pp. Figs. & tables. 27.8 X 21 cm. $6.95.
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Johnson and Epstein have not simply added to the large number of problem-solving hooks already available, they have produced a baok designed to help the student study for exams after the material has been thoroughly presented. There are 505 multiple-choice exam questions with answers provided for all of them. Inaddition, there are detailed solutions to 189 of the questians which are marked with a n asterisk. There are 140 sample problems in the very ahhreviated textual sections that precede the questions in the chapters. The authors also included four 20-item sample multiple-choice exams with answers. Each exam covers a portion of the hook. The subject matter is divided into 29 chapters in a manner that will be compatible with most freshman chemistry texts. The order of the chapters can be varied in most cases. This possibility of variation presupposes that the students have thoroughly covered the material in the lecture text. The brief textual section does serve as a good review and is helpful in solving many of the problems. The questions in each chapter are ordered generally according to increasing difficulty. The questions would appear to be a little difficult for the average student using texts of the level of "General Chemistry, Principles and Structure" by Brady and Humiston or "Chemical Principles" by Masterton and Slowinski. The sample exam questions tend not to he as difficult. b n e of the outstanding aspects of the baok is the degree t o which it is error free. I found
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only une definitely wrong answer (rltrcdon 29 5 in the chapter on descriptive chemistry). The only other error in the answers was in the chapter on electrochemistry. The answer was incorrectly listed as 297 kJ instead of 299 kJ per mole of CHsOH. The authors use SI units in the text with the following exceptions. Pressures and volumes are usually expressed as atmospheres and liters, respectively. Density is still in g/cm3 and the cgs system is mainly used in the chapter on atomic structure. Ionization energies are either given in k.1 mole or in PV. Me\' units are used in the chapter mnuclear chemistry. Althoueh the authors state that the commms~ientificocaleis theCelsius scale, they revert back ro using thc term canti~radein theexamplrsand questions. Their w e d di. mensional analysis is turned around from normal usage, that is, they have the conversion factors in front of the given quantity. T h e three-dimensional pictures in the chapter on crystalline solids are not very satisfactory. A photo-effect directly from the authors' manuscript was used t o reproduce the hook. This book should serve as an excellent aid t o the student who is studying far an exam, particularly the objective type exam. The authors have done a goad job in offering wrong multiple-choice answers that arise frequently from common mistakes. They have covered tonics that are usuallv omitted in the ordinary problem-solving book and have covered all topics well. ~~
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Donald D. Mwshall Sonoma Srate University Rohneri Park. CA 94928
Chemlrtry: Key to the Earth Chief Editor: P. T. McTigue, University of Melbourne, Editorial Board: J. Bagg, E. A. W. Clarke, R. N. Fox, I. M. Ling, Anne 0. Meehan, G. R. A. Withers, Melbourne University Press, Oregon, 1919. (Continued on page A196)
Reviewed in this Issue
T. R. Dickson, Introduction to Chemistry, Third Edition J. Johnson and L. M. Epstein, editors, General Chemistry Examination Questions. Fourth Edition P T McTigue, Chemistry: Key t o the Earth Richard Scott Mitchell, Asst. by John Reese Henley, Mineral Names: What DoThey Mean N. A. Michael Eskin, Plant Pigments, Flavors, and Textures. The Chemistry and Biochemistry of Selected Compounds Daniel R. Knopp, Handbook of Analytical Derivatization Reactions Robert E. Mairell, Haw to Find Chemical Information John E. Gordon, How to Succeed in Organic Chemisty. A Self-Teaching Guide Richard R. Hautalo, R. Bruce King and Charles Kutol, editors, Solar Energy, Chemical Conversion and Storage Aksel L. Lydersen, Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer New Volumes in Continuing Series
Reviewer Donald J. Brown Donald D. Marshall
A195 A195
R. Max Ferguson Lowell Heisey
A195 A196
Scott M. Savage
A196
Jerome W. O'Laughlin Gordon A. Parker Richard Pagni David K. Lavallee
A196 A197 A197 A198
N. S . Nogar
A198 A198
Volume 57, Number 6, June 1980 1 A195
book reviews Figs. &tables. 27.6 X 21.3 cm. i $25.00.
+ 501 pp.
This texthook is intended to aervice a two-year rhem~stryp r w a m either in the lasl two years of secondary school or in grader 12 and 13 of the British Commonwealth & e m . The authors' intent to relate chemistry to the human experience has resulted in a sourcehook that admirably succeeds in describing diverse geological and living processes in chemical terms. A d o t edition of this book was tested in the schvols of Victoria. Australia. in 1977. In the same year the newlyformed Chemistry Kducatiun A~soeintlon assumed control of the hook-writing project with sixteen contributing writers, a six member editorial board and a chief editor. A casual glance a t this textbook reveals that the authors have succeeded in creatine an attractive oackaee which exalts descrinlive c h ~ m ~ s tto r ya high plateau. Thecornhinatiun c,f colorful language, "homry" examples and tw
