reviews Chemistry
in Context:
Applying Chemistry
to Society
A. Truman Schwartz, Diane M. Bunce, Robert G. Silberman, Conrad L. Stanitski, Wilmer J. Stratton, and Arden P Zipp. ACS: Washington, D.C. and Wm. C. Brown Publishers: Dubuque, IA, 1993. xvii + 411 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.8 x 27.8 cm.
Chemistry:
Science of C h a n g e , Second Edition
David W Oxtoby, Norman H. Nachtrieb, and Wade A. Freeman. Saunders College Publishing, 1994. xxiii + 1098 pp. Figs., tables, & photos. 21.2 x 26.2 cm. This eeneral ehemistrv text is desimed for science and enei"~ nrvrlug studenti whc, have :$ strong fiunrlnrion i n ,>lgcbra..\Ithouch rhc ?uthors .r.?tr 1 I 1 , ~ t n u chrmlitry hackground is prrsuppoacd. ;t student w t h r ~ u t h x h school c o ~ r i cnould haw difficulty covering the wide range of fundamental topics of the first 26 pages: density, composition of matter, atomic theory, stuirllwmr,tr>rl;~wa.>iutrplr m d y s ~ s and , mole prohlcms The topm ofSI mctnc unit?, dnmwirun~la n ~ l v s l sand , s~anlfirmrfigure< are relernrd to the nppmdix 'Thc .-crud r,d>twnmcurpw rates more entry-level problems and additional example than the first. In addition, the 10 applied chemistry chapters of the first are compressed into five more comprehensive longer chanters. The text is divided into four maim sections: the maerns c o ~ i casoects of chemistrv:, chemical eouilihrium with its~thermn~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ dynamic and kinetic basis; submicroscopic view of matter including the nucleus, quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, and crystal structure; and applied chemistry of solid state materials, chemical processes, and organic synthesis. Although this arrangemtur I S d ~ i i ~ 10 ~ keep ~ t d-1urlent lntrrrst hlgh, s m w ~ n s t l - ~ c 1 t . r ~ mns find rhr ddny o t t h c o t ~ r r ~ loplrc nl wch s i clectn~nrgnt~wtx iw3lent L I U ~ ~ ~id Z , h h n d i,rhml eonrrprs ro pages . . ti99 and beyond somewhat hindering. The text has a friendly, conversational writing style that is designed to maintain interest in chemistry while not intimidating students. The authors make a particular point of presenting relevant, practical problems and of using "she" frequently when referring to a chemist or a student in these problems. Unique two- and three-dimensional graphs are used judiciously throughout to emphasize trends. For example, an interesting comparison of the phase diagrams of AT, COP, and HzO is presented in a semi-log side-hy-side graph. Engaging three-dimensional graphs are presented in a periodic table format for ionization energy, electron affinity, molar volume, eleetranegativity, and standard reduction potential. In contrast, however, 3D views of molecular models are difficult to visualize in some sections where the underlying tetrahedral or octahedral structure is omitted. This is particularly true in models ofcoordination complexes and in the structural analysis of the net diode moment of CCL where individual bond d~,i ~ o l e s arc ~ h o w bi)&nt~rld nwdy tjum chiorltlt In dddltlm, mo;r rnlorrn phntu.. n f s t \ rc.fo.tm stick rnolcculnv inuJcls du t ~ r tinclude thv ;,tnl,uli uftht clrmenti th;rt m a y mnkr i r d i l f d t fur i t u d ~ n t * ro relate to the chemical formulas. Relevant descriptive ehemistry is emphasized in all chapters hy incorporating 28 special boxed topics entitled "Chemistry in Color" where the sources of color in the world are related to chemistry and "Chemistry in Progress" which depicts technological ~~~~~
Once in a rare while a reviewer has the opportunity to write about a new textbook that could really make a difference. This is such an occasion. Chemistry in Context, designed for college chemistry courses aimed a t nonscience majors, builds an the secure foundations of the American Chemical Society's Chemistry in the Community, a parallel high school project. Like the earlier work Chemistry in Context develops the chemistry-more broadly, the science-as it is needed by the reader to understand issues of importance to society. Its 13 chapters start with three involving atmospheric chemistry and covering t h e composition of t h e atmosphere, protecting the ozone layer, and global warming. A e h a ~ t e on r enerm. intraducine basic canceots.. is followed bv three chanters ahout water discussine" eeneral orooerties. acid rain. and " a case study of the pollution of a lake. Returning to the energy theme the next two chapters cover nuclear fission and solar energy. Organic chemistry, broadly defined, is the main chemical topic of chapters an plastics and polymers, drug design, and nutrition, and the text ends with a look a t where chemistry is headed next. Appendixes include physical constants, brief discussions of exponents and logarithmsla glossary, and a full index. In a text aimed a t the nonscience major manner is mare important even than matter. Here this book excels. The writing is clear, direct, and pointed, and I compliment the six authors and their editors. The visuals-diagrams, pictures, charts, tables-are plentiful and relevant. Eaeh chapter is punctuated fully with probing short essay questions, entitled "Consider This"; straightforward problems, entitled 'Your Turn"; and more challenging environmentally relevant problems, often based on media quotes, somewhat archly entitled "The Sceptical Chymist". Eaeh chapter concludes with "References and Resources", which include magazine and journal articles, books, and official reports. End-af-chapter exercises include discussion questions and problems, and selected answers appear a t the end of the text. ( m e r e also is a substantial instructor's manual and a set of experiments keyed to the chapters, neither ofwhich was seen by this reviewer) Amajor accomplishment ofchemistry in Context is that it gives a balanced oresentation of the enormous successes of ehemistrv in imorovine
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ammend it highly. Harold Goldwhite California State University Los Angeles, CA 90032
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Reviewed in This Issue Reviewer A. Truman Schwartz, Diane M. Bunce, Robes J. Silberman, Conrad L. Stanitski, Wilmer J. Stratton, and Arden P Zipp, Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society D a v ~ dOxtoby, Norman H. Nachtrieb, and Wade A. Freeman, Chemistry: Science of Change J. J. MacDonald, Thermodynamics for Teachers: Basic Concepts Explained Titles of Interest Monographs
Harold Goldwhite
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Hall
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Phillip
George
H. Duffey
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72 Number 3 March 1995
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reviews achievements dependent on ehemistry. In addition, the authors not only describe the development of chemical processes and their importance in our everyday lives but also present the historieal development of how the need arose far the procedures. Flow diagrams are used extensively to illustrate the production ofhigh volume feed-stack chemicals, and numerous colored photos depict the actual production facilities. This text is appropriate for science and engineering majors who have a good background in the fundamentals of chemistry and algebra.
Philip Hall University of Wisconsin Centers Marshfield, WI 54449
Thermodynamics for Teachers: Basic Concepts Explained J. J. MacDonald. Caledon Educational: 52 Crawford Dr., Glasgow G 156TR, U.K.. 1994. 114pp. Figs. and tables. 2 1 . 7 ~ 29.8 cm. 19 pounds UKI20 pounds all others. This text presents thermodynamics a t an elementary level. I t emphasizes a comptehensian of concepts, rather than the solving of problems. Many illustrative examples are worked out. So it could he useful as supplemental reading by undergraduate students and their teachers. For simplicity, the author starts with physical changes-a falling weight, a recoiling spring, an expanding gas. A mechanical interpretation introduces the free energy concept. Chemical processesare considered later. Details not found in conventional texts are developed. Thus in diseussine entroov. ... exoressions k lnW and k In n are both calculated for k w oarticles in an evenlv maded enerev level svstem. The ~ o l t z m a distribution k law isi&duced by Kitand the Maxwell distribution law explained by assuming a law far the degeneracy of each level. However, same basic concepts are not well presented. Thus, while energy has mass, the Einstein equation E = mc2 does not imply that they are measures afthe same thing. The universedoes not possess a n antiparticle for each particle. The term "merg" should not be introduced. Tem~eratureis described in some detail in a oostscriot. But work and heat are not well defined. Work can he 'dissioatkd in a process and so cause a rise in temperature, mimicking heat. The choice of t h e term reversible is not explained by the author's argument. Infinite slowness does not ensure reversihility; a dissipative process may be carried out as slowly as one desires. With respect to state functions, it should be pointed out thatp. V, and n are not generally suitable as independent variables for a pure suhstance, whereas p, T, and n would he. A reason for this limitation could be stated. In his definitions of accessibility R and number W, the author assumes that the different microstates available are completely disjoint. In general this is not true. Furthermore, one couldjustify the form S = k In R by pointing out how different contributions to S and t o n combine. In other texts, one can find alternative interpretations of entropy. T h e most insightful i s probably t h a t developed by Caratheodory. Nevertheless, the many examples covered may make this text useful. An illustration is the treatment of photosynthesis.
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Titles of Interest
Antoine Lavoisier: Science, Administration, and Revolution Arihur Donovan. Blackwell: Oxford. UK, 1993. xv + 351 pp. lllus. 15.9 x 23.8 cm. This biography, one of the Blackwell Science Biographies series of books, presents a comprehensive account of the great 18th-century French chemist and administrator, Antoine Lavoisier. Historians of science know of Lavaisier as the leader of the chemical revolution and as one of the founders of modem chemistry. Students of the French Revolution know of him as a n important financier and administrator in the final decades of the old regime and as the mast famous scientist to be guillotined during the Terror. This volume devotes equal attention to Lavaisier's creation of his oxygen theory of combustion and to his efforts as a public administrator before and during the Revolution. Lavoisier was, by virtue of his achievements and the events in which he was involved, an important historieal figure. His biography illuminates bath the rise afmodern science and the history ofthe French Revalution. This hook provides the reader with an image of the man, his achievement, and the tumultuous age in which he lived.
The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide: A Jargon-Free Guide to the Chemicals of Everyday Life John Emsiey W H. Freeman: New York. NY, 1994. xi + 347 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.3x 24.3 cm. $24.95. This hook is a n attempt to deal with the misinformation that surrounds many of the controversial chemicals in daily life. I t explains in accessible, nan-technical language the science behind suear and artificial sweeteners: cholesterol. animal fats. and fiber: oakkillers. and the risks asskiated withtakine dm&: olantiei
as sueh: perfume and alcohol. The book is for anyone, with or without a scientific background, who has been worried, sometimes alarmed, by stories that suggest that these chemicals are dangerous, polluting, or unhealthy,
Symmetry: A Unifying Concept lslvan Hargjnar and Magdolna Harg~narShe ler P ~ ocat l ons PO Box 279, Bol nas CA94924 1994 x v I + 222 pp Pnolos and s 21 9 A 26 5 cm 818 00 PB Symmetry is one of those words occurring in everyday language that nearly everyone knows (yet perhaps cannot define), as well as one that has a precise technical meaning. This is a book that successfully attempts to bridge these two extremes in usage. The underlying theme of this book is the unification of diverse fields of knowledge via the subject of symmetry. I t is the author's aim that by providing a powerful unifying factor hetween seemingly disparate fields of human endeavor, the concepts in the book will help readers train their eyes and minds to see new patterns and make new connections in the surrounding world.
Experimental Methods: An Introduction to the Analysis of Data Les Kirkup. Wiley: New York, NY. 1994. xv + 216 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.3x 22.9 cm. $24.95 PB.
This book is designed as a supplementary text for students beginning study in the physical sciences and engineering a t tertiary institutions. The text integrates topics of fundamental importance in these courses sueh as keeoine.. a labaratorv notebook.. analvzine , expenmental data. 3rd repon wrlt~ng.in sddltmn, it explmn-. how ro use sprmdihrrrs for the anal)sis and pre,cntatwn oid;lt.i.
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American Chemists and Chemical Engineers, Volume 2 Math Survival Guide: Tips for Science Students JeffreyR. Appling. Wiley: New York, NY. 1994. viii + 127 pp Figs, and tables. 20.4 x 25.2 cm. $18.95 PB.
A72
Journal of Chemical Education
Wyndham D. Miles and Robert F: Gould. Gould Books: 20 For-
est Brook Rd.. Guilford, CT 06437, 1994. ix + 365 pp. 16.3 x 24.3 cm. $20.00.
