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BOOKSRECEIVED
Inorganic Reactions and Structure. By EDWIN S. GOULD, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 99 Livingston Street, Brooklyn 2, New York. Henry Holt and Company, 383 Madison Avenue, New York 17, AT. Y . 1955. viii 470 pp. 16 X 24 cm. Price, $6.50. T h e chemistry curriculum in most colleges has undergone during the past quarter century a gradual metaniorphosis. The subject is now largely presented as the development and application of theoretical principles. The descriptive material which remains is used mainly as a fortification of these principles. We teachers are strongly tempted to treat casually the more mysterious facts of nature and to emphasize the phenomena which lend themselves to ready evplanation o n the basis of theory. Lt‘hile this change in approach t o the subject is not on the whole undesirable, it has led to a rather serious deficiency in the student’s factual knowledge of the chemical reactions of the elements and compounds. The author of this book has been keenly aware of this lack in the training of chemists. One of the two main objectives of this book is to rectify this situation in the field of inorganic chcmistry. I t is intended as a text for a course to be given to students in tflc latter part of their undergraduate training or to graduate students who have had no inorganic chemistry other than that normally included in introductory courses. The other purpose of the author is t o acquaint the student with the applicability and limitations of modern structural theory. T h e level of the presentation is for those Tvho have had courses in qualitative and quantitative analysis but have only average background in college mathematics and physics. Rather more t h a n half of the text is devoted t o the presentation of theoretical matter and physical background. The subjects include atomic structure, energy levels, valence bond, bond energies, covalent bond lengths, electronegativities, ionic crystals, stereochemistry and acid-base theory. There are also chapters on X-ray studies, the use of magnetic susceptibility, dipole moments and molecular spectra in structural studies, nuclear chemistry, and nomenclature in inorganic chemistry. Interspersed throughout these discussions are chapters dealing with the chemical properties of representative elements. The author’s reason for arranging the topics in this way is to avoid overdoses of either theoretical or descriptive material, but i t is suggestrd t h a t the order of presentation could be changed without serious consequences. Suggestions for supplementary reading are given at the eud of each chapter. About 80Yc of the suggestions are page references to standard treatises or other text books. Most of the other references are to review articles. A set of questions is also provided with each chapter. The author warns the student t h a t full benefit from the text is to be achieved only by working the problems. A table of approximate oxidation potentials a n d a table giving some numerical constants of the elements are included as appendices. T h e impression gained on reading this book is t h a t the author has covered the theoretical parts adequately b u t has not come through with a satisfactory treatment of chemical reactions. I n too many instances it is assumed that the student is already familiar with the methods of preparation of compounds and with their properties, or he i s referred to more advanced works. The reactions which are discussed in detail are mostly those which can be “explained” as nucleophilic reactions. The structural features of compounds are often discussed without a n y indication of how the compounds may be prepared. Too often, the reader is confronted with paragraphs dealing with several ideas eacli expressed in the baldest form. I n this w a y , the author has been able t o cover a great many plienoniena in a few lilies hut the result is more a n outline for study than material to study. The sets of questions accompanying each chapter are in general well stated and provocative. Some of them are in the nature of puzzles which may he of doubtful value. Many of the questions are concerned with analytical separations. It is unlikely t h a t the average student would be able t o answer many of the questions on inorganic preparations without recourse to sources other than the text. A’ot a few of the questions dealing with applications of theory require t h a t the student use equations which ha\-e not bceri derived.
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The effectiveness of the text in accomplishing its purpose is somewhat diminished by the grammatical style adopted by its author. Sentences are run together, and parenthetic statements abound. The text has not been very carefully edited. The shape of a n ion is described on p. 150 as “a round-based truncated pair. . . which is joined to another pair-shaped atom.” On p. 79 the wrong formula is givcii for acetic anhydride in a n equation which is not balanced and does not give the correct products. All of the figures are line drawings in which the perspective is not always clear. A line is missing from the figures for Be(CS01)2-* and for graphite. The figure representing the structure of diamond is not very useful. The complete absence of reference other than the supplementary reading list is, according to the author, justified because students a t this level have little inclination to consult the original literature. It would have been a great convenience, however, to many teachers to have been supplied with this information. It is not always easy, for instance, to distinguish reaction mechanisms given in the text d i i c h have been supported by experimental work and those which merely appear reasonable to the author. I n spite of these shortcomings, the book shoultl 111-ovc a useful addition to textbook literature. It furiiislies :LII outline for study which touches on most of the importaut phenomena of inorganic chemistry. USIVERSITYOF COSNECTICUT KOLAXD Lf‘ARU STORR. COSNECTICUT
BOOKS RECEIVED September 10, 1955-October
10, 1955
~ V I L L I A MBASD. “An Introduction to Quaiituin Sttit istic..” D. T7au Nostr:md Company, Iuc., 250 Fourth Avenue, S e w York 3, S.Y. 1953. 342 pp. WOO. U L R I C ~ DEHLIXGER. I “Theorctische Metallkunde.” \’(A. 1.3. Spriiiger-\-erlag, Keichpietschufer 20, Rerliii :IT, ( \Vest-Berlinj, Germany. 1955. 250 pp. Gaiizlci~icii DAI 2i.--. JESSE P. GREESSTEIS ASD ALEXANDER ~IADDO:V (etlitetl b y I . “Advances in Cancer Research.” \.olllme 111. Academic Press, Inc., Publishers, 123 East 23rd Street, Sew York 10, S. Y. 1955. 369 pp. 38.50. ERSSTA . HAUSER. “Silicic Science, A Review of the Colloid Scientific Properties and Phe:iomena Exhibited b), ?.latter Composed Essentially of the Elcinent Silicoii.” 1). \.:in Sostrand Company, Inc., %O Fourth Aveiiuc, S e w York 3, S. Y . 1935. 1%‘ ~ I J . ,912.50. I. PRIGOGISE. ”lntrotluction to ’rlicrmorlytiainics of Irrtversihlc Processes.” Charle\ C. Thoinai, l’uhlishc~r, 301 -327 East Lawrelice Avciiuc, SprilIgfield, Illiiiois 19,55. 115 pp. 154.75. G.E;. KOLLEFSOS,Editor, and R . E. PO\YELL, A.;iociate 1GIitor. “Annual Review of Physical Chemistry.” 1701umclt i . Aniiual Reviews, Inc., Stanford, California. 1955. 515 pp. $7.00 (LT,S..4.); U . 5 0 (elsewhere). hf. CASSOS S K E E D A S D ROBERTc. BR;ZSTED, Editors. “Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry.” \‘olurne I\’. Part I . “Zinc, Cadmium, and Mercury.” By Howart1 M . Cyr atid The Editors. Part IT. “Scatidiuni, Yttrium, :itid the Latithatiitle Seriei.” By Thomas I ) . O’Rricii :tiid The Etlitora. D . 17mi Soitrand Corripat~y, I t ~ c .120 , Alexander Street, Priiicetoii, S e \ v Jersey. 1953. 10:3 1111. Stji.O0. x. I;. 1 ‘ R O T M A X - L ) I C K E N S O s . “C;a> ~ i t l e t i c s . All Illtrt!; tiuction to the Kinetics of IIoinogeiieous G a s Reaction.; Academic Press, Inc., Publishers, 125 Enqt 2:3rd Strect, Nen. York 10, S.Y . 1955. 322 pp. $8.00. L. ZECHMEISTER,Editor. “Progress in the Chemistry of Organic S a t u r a l Products.” (Fortschritte der Chemie organischer Saturstoffe). Volume S I I . Springer-T7erlag. llolkerhastei 5 , IYien 1, Austria. 1Sr55. 530 p p . $19.00; C::inzleineti, $19.80.
