reviews Chemistry: An Experimental Science, Second Edition Geoge M. Bodner and Harry L. Pardue. Wiley: New York, NY, 1995. xxxi + 1070 pp. Figs., tables, and photos. 21.3 x 26.1 cm. $54.50.
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The Ezoen'mental Science is a .....sacnnd .....-.editinn --.-.- o f C h e m i t m An -- '~ well-written general chemistry text geared toward the college freshman who has previously had a high school chemistry course. Students lacking a high school background in chemistry probably would find some explanations of theory and phenomena to be incomplete. However, a student with a minimal to good chemistry backmound should find this hook to be unexpectedly interesting. . The authors have utilized a chapter format that is simple in concept yet creates a positive attitude toward the material to be presented. Every chapter begins with a list of conceptual questions that relate to major topics covered in that chapter and most of the questions are interesting and easy to relate to. For example, the chapter on thennochemistry begins by asking, "Why does the floor feel 'cold' but a n adjacent rug feels 'warm' on a cold winter night, when bath objects have the same temperature?" Discussions in the text are then related to the initially posed questions and after developing the relevant theoretical background, answers are clearly explained. I found this approach to be thought provoking and motivatine. ". and I think mast students will also. The authors hare utilwed pedaao~walfeatures that most inatructorr w l l find useful includ~ng"intersection essays" that estabhsh connections betwrcn arts of related chapters, and 'bridge icons" that refer students to previous relevant discussions. I pa& tieularly liked their inclusion of "Research in the 90's" sections in each chapter that are successfully used by the authors to portray chemistry as a n "active field in which students can participate" instead of t h e impression t h a t freshman chemistry topics are "'dead' or a t least 'dying" t h a t is produced by many freshman chemistry texts. I also liked the "special topics "sections that are used to introduce slightly more advanced topics a t the ends of chapters and can be assigned or not a t the discretion of the instructors. The authors also indude numerous photographs of lect u r e demonstrations t h a t should appeal especially to those instructors who do not have the proper facilities to perform lots of demonstrations. There also are numerous worked-out examples throughout the text and "checkpoints" that are used to verify student comprehension of concepts. In addition, all ofthe typical supplements are available including computerized test hanks and lecture demonstration manuals and videotapes. The first edition of this text was reviewed in this Journal (1989, 66,11,A279-280) by T.C. Ichniowski, and one major flaw alluded to involved captions and legends of some of the photographs used to illustrate concepts or to supplement descriptive sections. I found that this problem still persists in the second edition. In one case I was not able to find a photograph specifically referred to in the text (nor could three other colleagues), and in several in~~~~
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Journal of Chemical Education
stances photographs and dlagrnms were nut labelled adequately. Except for this one flaw, I was very impressed with this text and feel that it is a very well written and well-organized textbook,
Mary Sohn Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne. FL 32901
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Chemistry of Carbon Compounds, Third Edition DavidE. Newton. J. Weston Walch, Publisher: F? 0.Box 658.
Portland. M E 04104-0658, 1994. vii + 333 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.3 x 27.4 cm. $18.95.
This book is aimed a t the senior high school and begining college-level student and presents a comprehensive oveniew of orpanic chemistm. The seanence and ranee of tonics covered follow :he traditionalbutline.~.deeimine with Gasic nhncio~esof hondine of cnrbm and endmg w t h b~ouhem~ral processes, lncludlng protrm synthesw and metabolism. Topics not covered include spectroscopic techniques and mcchonistic pathways, however, the text is described as an introduction to organic chemistry and the depth of ewerage uf many toplcs should provide the student with a atimulating chnllenge and the desire to ~ r r kout additional information in more advanced texts. The text ~tself1s very rwadable, and it 1s a t an appropriate level. One welcome a s p e i o f the text is a seetion, a t the end of many chapters, relating the subject matter to practical issues. For example, one can find discussions of fossil fuels, polymers and rubber, DDT, pheromones, detergents, prostadandins. Alar. ete. G i l e thetext $ well done. less care aooears to have been taken ~~, over the figures and srhemrs, pnrtlculnrly thnar in the early chaptern Some reacttons span both len and nght margins fur no apparent reason, reaction arrows in some cases appear to be bonded to reactants or reagents and the lengths of reaction arrows and double bonds are not consistent. Structures of cyclic compounds such as benzene and polyeyclic derivatives are drawn in large scale initially and an a smaller, more aesthetically pleasing, scale in subsequent pages. Cycloalkanes are shown with strange bond lengths, and substituents appear to have unusual geometries. Because the tetrahedral nature of bonding in carbon has been discussed previously in the teat. such f i m e s could easilv confuse the reader. The later chanters of the buok"have nune uf tlLese lssues with dra~vamspresenled in a very clear, prreisr, and strurturally m m t mannerreontclst the structures 18iugwsin chapter 1U to the cyclupentsnea of Chapvr 2, for example,. In addnion, although this is the third edition of thm text, a number of significant errors still are to he found thmughout and careful reading is required so that students can correct their texts and so avoid confusion. ~~~~
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