book reviews
in this way might better be used to learn the chemistry of one functional group." He proposes t,he OH group with it,s central tion to chemistry." The book fulfills its role in the chemist.ry of most elements, purpose admirably. including carbon, other non-metals, and metals. S. L. BURSON The book consists of six chapters. University of 1Vorlh Carolina Chapter 1 discusses the hydroxyl group, at Charlotle with particular emphasis on the a,lcleohols. The properties and reactions of water and alcohols are discussed and compared in Chapter 2. I n Chapter 3, there is preThe Chemistry of the OH Group sented the inflnence of the neighborhood on the properties of the OH group, folLeallyn B. Clapp, Brown University, lowed by a consideration of condensations Providence, Rhode Island. Prenticebetween molecules containing OH groups Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jerin Chapter 4. The author then moves to 108 pp. Figs. and, sey, 1967. vi a discussion and comparison of the nitrotables. 15 X 23 cm. Clothbound, gen system of compounds in Chapter .5, $5.95; paperbound, $2.95. and he closes the book with a third-dimenThis book, which is a part of "The sional view of the OH group. Foundations of Modern Chemistry" SeThe author uses the chemistry of the OH ries, is planned as a supplementary volume group to illustrate many broad and imto freshman introductory courses and portant theoretical concepts, including sophomore coumes in organic chemist,ry. electronegativity, orhital structure, and I t is an outgrowth of the observation of reaction mechanisms. the author that organic chemistry is comThe book is well-written and free from monly given a perfunctory and limited errors. I t includes good cross-references, treatment in general chemistry and high both in footnotes, and a t t,he end of t,he school textbooks. To the author, who chapters. with his pioneering curriculum studies has While there is not agreement wit,h t,he made a tremendous and important impact author's viewpoint that t,his material on the proper presentation of organic should replace s n overall presentation of chemistry in the freshman year, this organic chemistry in freshman studies, the limited presentation is unfair, and even completeness of the book and its lucid dangerous. He, therefore, feels that inpresentation makes i t a pot,entially valostead of a limited spread, "the time spent able supplement to freshman and sopho-
+
A700 / Journal of Chemical Education
more colrrses and in the libraries of high srhnol chemistry teachers.
SAMUEL P. MASSTE TJniled Slales Araual Aeadem~, Annapolis, Maryland $1406 Elements of Organic Chemistry John H . Richards, California. Institute of Technology; Donald J. Cram, University of California a t Los Angeles; and George 8. Hammond, California. Institute of Technology. McGrawHill Book Co., New York, 1967. xiv 444 pp. Figs. and tahles. 16.5 X 24 em. 87.95.
+
I n 1959, wit,h the appearance of Cram and Ilammond's "Organic Chemistry'' ( J . Chem. Edw. 37, 325 (1960))a bold and sharp departnre from the t,axonomic approach to textbook present,ation of element,ary organic chemistry to science m e jom took place. Now, nine years later, most texts exploit to some degree Cram and Hammond's organization built around classes of react,ions rather than classes of compounds. Their original work nnderwent a revision in 1964 which, illthough broadening t,he approach to the subject, considerably, st,ill left it s. most imaginative challenge to t,he committed science major. With the new text Cram and Hammond are joined by John A. Richards in the (Continued on page A70Z)
book reviews preparation of a somewhat modified and considerably attenuated version of their "reaction-class" approach to elementary organic chemist,ry. The particular group of students to whieh this hook is directed is not identified by the authors. They do, however, set, the goal of the text as answering qnestions about organic compounds and organic chemists in a way that suggests bhat it was designed wit,h a course for now specialists in mind. The prerequisite of a sound first year chemistry course is made clear in the preface and by the saphistication of the text. Inasmuch as the text preserves much of the organizational structure of the earlier volumes referred to, i t is not surprising t,o find considerable material extracted from ?he senior author's previous works. Shortening of the book is achieved by a thorough weeding of phrases, paragraphs, topics, and chapters from equivalent sections of the earlier books, not by signific m t re-wiling of the residual material. For example, the subject of nueleophilic substitution a t saturated carbon is reduced from two chapters covering 47 pages to a single chapter covering 1.5 pages. T h s t t,he text, still reads well testifies to the innately good writing and educator's sensit,ivitv of the authors. A notable
The
A702
quite
/
nice
two-color
reaction
Journal o f Chemical Education
schemes and drawing8 developed in the longer book are again used and are usually modified to fit the reduced text. I n Figure 7.10, however, the bond angles are wrong and in Figure 7.11 the change in sign of p and r orbitals is left unexplained. The last third of the book takes on a distinct bioorganie flavor. I t does not particularly build on the rettction classes develo~ed in the earlier sections. I t is special/st. All chapters m e followed by problems which are, relative to the unabridged volume, different, simpler, and less numerous. Two other aspects of the format are worthy of note in this review. Each chapter is preceded by s plate and a. short essay on some specialised instrumental technique of organic chemistry; from Xray crystallography to electrophoresis. They are very well done. Also, there ia in the last third of the book an excellent distribution of photographs and brief biographies of the individudls (many of them living) whose work is discussed. The disturbing custom of leaving the first page of chapters unnumbered is compounded in this volume by leaving plates and plate text unnumbered so that one can go, for example, from page 271 to page 276 without pagenation. This is s. sound text; one which will present a. serious and modern challenge to the non-major without involving him in unnecessarily extensive mechanistic study. At the same time, i t is a text which just
might serve some majors if i t were coupled with a teacher who preferred to build on a. modern outline while providing his awn supplementary material. A single typographical error on p. 124 was observed.
QUENTINR. PETERSEN Simmmzs College Boston. Mass.
Elements of Diatomic Molecular Spectra
H . Brian Dunford, University of Alberta. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, Mass., 1968. vii 160 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23 em. 83.95. Paperbound.
+
By his own statement the author has designed this text for use in the introdnctory physical chemistry course. The aim is to enable students to understand and use the stsndsrd reference in this field, Heraberg's "Spectra of Diatomio Molecules." I n this aim the author succeeds admirably. There is ~urprisingly little duplication of material contained in a previously published work of this level, Barrow's "Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy!' An introductory chapter covers many basic principles and types of apparatus used in spectroscopy. The standard terminology employed in connection with spectroscopic instruments and experiments is explained, but the term absor-
