book reviews Editor: W . F. KIEFFER College of Woostor Woorter, Ohio
common experience and lack d matheinatical impediments. Whether i t would also be suited to prepare students for additional work in ehemistry would depend on the mathematical ability whieh the student had independent of this course, and the extent.to which the subsequent course required facility in quantitative reasoning. B r ~ Spencer k
Beloit College Beloit, Wisc. 53511 Fundamentals of Modern Chemistry
R. T Sanderson, Arizona State University. Scott, Foresmsn and Company, Glenview, Ill., 1971. xvi-431 pp. 18 x 26 cm. 510.25.
Fundamentals 01 the Modern Chemical Laboratory
Raymond F. O'Connor, Santa Barbara City College. Scott, Foresman and Company, Glenview, Ill., 1971. 234 pp. $3.75 (softbound). This text is designed to provide students who have weak or nonexistent high school chemistry backgrounds with college-level preparation for the usual general chemistry course. To this end, the author emplays an approach which stresses the logic of the underlying principles and their application in explaining substantial amounts of descriptive chemistry. He wisely chooses to minimize the historical development of most topics since "fundamental chemistry is not simple," but also requires an absolute minimum of mathematical facility. This latter omission, even to the point of neglecting graphical presentations of data and concepts where they might be appropriate, does reduce the barrier for the reluctant student. It may, however, subvert the intent to prepare students adequately for a general chemistry course since the primary difficulty encountered there is as often in quantitative reasoning (i.e., basic algehra) as in a lack of understanding of fundamental principles. Most of the fundamental concepts are clearly introduced, defined, and illustrated
with practical examples. Yet energy, heat, temperature, and light are used with little or no formal introduction in contrast to Coulomb's Law, for example, which is developed in some detail. This variation in treatment, however, is consistent with the author's development of each principle only to the depth necessary to provide a simple model of atomic and molecular structure whieh will be adequate t o explain the major macroscopic properties of chemical elements, compounds, and systems. The examples chosen to illustrate various principles are apt and clear, but are more traditionally chemical in their orientation (chemical analysis, metal ores, organic and inorganic synthesis) than are the resources/environment/life topics which are in vogue for many courses for the nonscientist. The text is accompanied by a laboratory manual which includes a standard set of twenty experiments each designed for a single laboratory period. The topics are well integrated, both in content and approach, with the text, ranging from the properties of elements and compounds, kinetics and equilibrium, through inorganic and organic synthesis. Again, even the quantitative experiments require anly a minimum of mathematical ability while the emphasis is distinctly on developing an atomic-molecular understanding of macroscopic chemical and physical properties. Directions are simple and direct, and the farmat of pretest, work sheet, and report is easy to use, perhaps a t the expense of being somewhat rigid. An instructor's manual for the two books is also available. This set of books should provide the basis far a successful course for nonscientists hecause of its clarity, applicability to
--Reviewed in this ksue R. T. Sanderson, Fundamentals of Modern Chemistry Raymond F. O'Connor, Fundamentals of the Modern Chemical Laboratory Dauid 0. Johnson, John T. Netteruille, James L. Wood, and Mark M. Jones, Chemistry and the Environment Curtis B. Anderson, Peter C. Ford, and John H. Kennedy, Chemistry: Principles and Applications George I. Saekheim and Ronald M. Sehultz, Chemistry for the Health Sciences. Edition Two Joseph I. Routh Darrell P. Eymnn, and Donald J. Burton, Essentials of General, Organic and Biochemistry R. J. Gillespie, Molecular Geometry M. N. Hughes, The Inorganic Chemistry of Biological Processes Sidney W Fax and Klaus Dose, Molecular Evolution and the Origin of Life New Volumes in Continuing Series
. . A101 . . A101 . . .A101 . . .A110 ..All0 . . .A110
. . .A114 . . .A118 . . .A118 . . .A120
Chemistry and the Environment
Dauid 0. Johnson, John T Netteruille, and James L. Wood, all of David Lipseomb College, and Mark M. Jones, Vanderbilt University. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1973. xi 452 pp. Figs. and tables. 27 X 19 cm. $10.95.
+
This teat is intended for nonseience majors in a one-semester course. It is a shartened version of "Chemistry, Man and Society" by the same authors (reviewed this Journal, 50, A44 (1973)), and it has an a!rangement of topics similar to that text. One new topic, Space Chemistry, is included and, of course, several areas of ehemistry whieh are in the longer volume are not considered in this one. The first portion (five chapters) of the hook is devoted to some basic concepts of chemistry: atomic structure, bonding, molecules, chemical reactions, energy. There is a brief treatment of stoichiometric calculations in an appendix. In the middle six chapters some aspects of otganic ehemistry, polymers and biochemistry are described, and in the final ten chapters a variety of topics are considered to demonstrate same applications of chemistry in areas of interest to the nonscientists: medicine, food, cleaning agents, cosmetics, paint, automobiles, pollution. Based on our experience with a onesemester course far the nonscience majors which included students without prior coursework in chemistry, there is too little consideration of basic ehemistry in this text. The instructor would have to expand considerably the coverage of the principles of chemistry, thus diminishing the relative usefulness of the text for the students. The book could he appropriate for a course in which all of the students had had a previous introduction to chemistry either in high school or in a one-semester principles course. The early chapters coHd then be covered quickly as a review, and the course would emphasize the :elationship between the theory and applications of chemistry. The material in the later chapters is suitable for the non-scientists, and it is treated a t an appropriate level. There is some relating of the principles which are a t the beginning of the text to the applied chemistry and, also, some further development of theory in the later chapters. Thus these authors are concerned with the consideration of not anly "what" happens, but also "why." This is in favorable contrast t o a number of recent texts whieh (Continued onpageAll0) Jolurne 51, Number2 February 1974
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book reviews treat the so-called relevant chemistry in purely descriptive fashion. "Chemistry and the Environment" is well supplied with study questions and suggestions for additional reading. There are very few numerical prohlems, and no answers to the questions and problems are given in the text; however, they are available in an Instructor's Guide. The book is attractively illustrated and, in general, the illustrations are well selected to aid the readers in understanding the written material. Carl W. Moeller The University of Connecticut Slorrs, Conn. 06268
Chemistry: Principles and Applications
Curtis B. Anderson, Peter C. Ford, and John K Kennedy, University of California University of California a t Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California. D. C. Heath and Company, Lexington, Massachusetts, 1973. X + 550 pp., Figs. and tables, 26 X 18 cm. $10.95. My overall reaction to this text is very positive. The authors state that the text "was written for students with little or no background in chemistry" and who are "planning a career in biology, nursing, engineering, and other related fields." The text is very readable. I t seems best suited far a year course for average to above-average college students. It is definitely not for weak students. The text very successfully integrates descriptive chemistry, both organic and inorganic with a lucid development of chemical principles in the context of interestingly presented environmental issues, current technological applications, and contemporary industrial processes. This approach should maximize student interest but the organizing factor of the periodic table for the study of the elements is sacrificed. A special index of all references to the chemical elements enables the reader to quickly locate all the information in the text on any given element. Other special features include: 1)very extensive references in the body of the text which will enable a student to review related material presented earlier: 2) all new terms are printed in hold type in the text and exhaustive summaries of all new terms presented in each ehapter are listed section by section at the end of the chapter; 3) the text footnotes numerous short biographical resumes of virtually every scientist mentioned in the text; 4) the end-of-chapter supplementary readings are all very up-to-date articles in Science, Scientific American, Chemical and Engineering News, other periodicals, and selected paperbacks; and 5) the exercises and problems are captioned as to the main topical emphasis of the problem. Answers to most of the problems appear a t the end of each problem set. The exercises are one of the strongest features of this book. Most of the problems require clear thinking, concern themselves with conA1 10
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Journal of Chemical Education
temporary topics, and the answers themselves are of great interest. In order to gain an overview of the flavor of this freshman text some comments on specific chapters will be made. Chapter 2 discusses metallurgy, cement, concrete, ceramics, and agricultural compounds in the context of environmental issues. A realistic and comprehensive discussion of energy resources is developed in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 makes extensive use of enthalpy diagrams. Both the ehapter materials and problems zero in on thermal pollution, new type engines, and platfarming of hydrocarbons. In Chapter 7 the reader will learn about pollution sinks and many aspects of automohile pollution. In addition to usual material on electraehemistry Chapter 8 mentions redox analysis of CO and SO*, new batteries for automobiles and space vehicles, biological fuel cells, heart pacemakers, electric vehicles, the plight of Lake Erie, the mercury problem, and corrosion and cathodic protection of metals. Chapter 9, gases and the atmosphere, is extremely well done. Virtually all of the seventeen problems in this chapter relate to atmospheric and/or pollution chemistry. Chapter 10 discusses liquids, solutions and phase diagrams, and then relates many aspects of water chemistry including the many faces of water pollution. The chapter on solids mentions the synthesis of gem stones, and "whiskers," and contains a beautiful diagram on the steps in the production of transistors. Chapter 12 discusses the chemical industry in terms of five hasic new materials and then details the preparation of selected chemical intermediates (trisodium phosphate, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, and petrochemicals, including alkyl benzene sulfonates and linear alkyl benzene sulfonates). In Chapter 13 the preparation of such consumer products as esters, fats, ails, soaps, polymers, detergents, insecticides, dyes, explosives, herbicides, and defoliants from chemical intermediates is presented with the use of basic aliphatic and aromatic synthesis chemistry. Throughout this text there is a continuous reference to chemical economics. The final chapter on biochemistry discusses amino acids, proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates, hormones, vitamins, antibiotics, and drugs. This book should be considered seriously by all teachers of general chemistry as either a text or a source of good pedagogical ideas.
ticularly for students preparing for one of the health science careers. Its language and style of writing is emminently suitable for students who have had minimal exposure to and aptitude for ehemistry. The book is divided into three sections encompassing 33 chapters: Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry. The chapters are generally brief but cover the essential material with a minimum of derivations and mathematical esoterica. The principal changes incorporated in the second edition of this well-received text are mostly in the form of additional and current examples of applications of chemical principles to health-related situations. An increased number of supplemental readings has been added to the end of most chapters. The majority of the changes in the text from the first edition have been made in the first and third seetions. A few outmoded examples and practices have been deleted while the new material includes expanded examples of the use of radioisotopes in treatment and diagnosis, medical applications of Dalton's law of partial pressures, discussion of hemodialysis in the chapter on liquid mixtures, discussion of prostaglandins in the chapter on lipids, an expanded [and needed] discussion on fluid-electrolyte balances in the chapter on Body Fluids: The Blood, and inclusion of chemical defects behind genetic diseases. These changes are particularly welcome for this hook far they provide a much greater insight for the students of applications of chemistry to situations with which they might be familiar or which they probably will encounter in their chosen careers. A few errors were noted in this edition, mostly in the new material added to the ehapter on Radiochemistry. On page 48, the technetium isotope used in organ scans is usually designated gsmTe or Tc-93m which decays by gamma emission to T c (which is also radioactive.) Figures 4-9 show a scintillation counter, not a Geiger counter as labeled, and an page 56, a rem is defined as roentgenequivalent to man. In summary, the second edition of "Chemistry for the Health Sciences" has provided an increased coverage of applications of chemistry to the health sciences without becoming burdensome nor sacrificing its student-oriented style af writing. Leonard F. Druding
Rutgers University Newark. N.J. 07102
Arthur C. Breyer Beaver College Glenside, Pa. 19038
Essentials of General, Organic and Biochemistry Chemistry for the Health Sciences. Ediion Two
George I Saekheim, University of nlinois, and Romld M. Sehultz, Chicago City College. The Macmillan Co., New York, 1973. vii + 515 pp. Figs. and tables. 24 x 18 em. $9.00. This textbook is designed for a one year introductory course in the basic principles of general, organic, and biochemistry par-
Joseph I Routh, Donell P Eyman, and Donald J. Burton, all of the University of Iowa. W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1973. xiv + 652 pp. Figs. and tables. 26.5 X 19 cm. $12.95. The authors indicate the purpose of this text remains unchanged from the first edition [see this Journal, 48, A501 (1971)l. which was directed to students "desiring a (Continued onpageAll4)
