auccesdully use this text will he well prepared.
book reviews Editor: W. F. KIEFFER College of Woortor Wooster, Ohio
Atoms, Molecules and Chemical Change
Russell H. Johnsm, Florida. State University, and Ernest Grunwald, Brandeis University. 3rd ed. Prentiee-Hall, he., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1971. 368 pp. Figs. and tables. 24 X 16.5 cm. $10.95.
Malhernotical Preparation for Laboratory Technicians
General and Organic Chemistry
Garth L. Lee, Harris 0. Van Orden, Utah State University, Logan, and Ronald 0 . Ragsdale, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1971. mi 868 pp. Figs. and tshles. 18.5 X 26.5 cm. $12.95 ($13.35 in Canada).
+
This hook presents chemistry clearly In overall structure this third edition of and usefully to preprofessionals in areas an excellent text for a one-semester chemother than Chemistry and Physics. The istry course for the general education of authors are successful teachers of college students differs hut Little from the second edition reviewed in THIS JOURNALbeginning students who have published other hooks at this level. The hook is (42, 634 (1965)). A brief chapter on stoidesigned for a year course which will chiometry has been added. The chapter cover the fundamentals of hoth general on the Bohr theory of the hydrogen atom and organic chemistry. There is ample is considerably clearer, dealing more adematerial in both sections, over 500 pages quately with the concepts of physics an in the former and over 300 pnges in the which Bohr based his theory. The c h a p latter. The material in these areas ter on covalent compounds has been reseems more complete than in other mulwritten to strengthen the reader's undertiple area, texts at this level. The cluthon standing of the relationship between the stress modern theory in hoth sections. properties of covalent compounds and the Each chapter ends with s. goad collection models created to explain them. The of related, appropriate questions. The chapter an chemical equilihrium has been use of an additional color in illustrations improved by relating reversihility of reacand reactions; will promote student intion to a system in equilibrium hut the terest and insight. In some instances, brief mention of entropy s t this point does however, it would he possible for a student little to help the student. to misinterpret the idea. For example, All in dl, this text gives an excellent the placement of electrons in the illustrapresentation of many basic chemical tion on page 101 or the "mechanism principles and includes sufficient descripsuggested" in the reaction for the preparative material to demonstrate their usefultion of acrolein on page 717 could be ness. I t should he given serious consideraconfusing. tion by anyone planning a course in chemThis book is not primarily designed for istry for general educittion. the nonscientist but is an outstanding EDWARDC. FULLER text for those needing a strong hackground in these two areas of chemistry Beloit College in s. one "ear course. Students who Beloit. Wisc.
-Reviewed
in this Issue
Russell H. Johnsen and Ernest h n w a l d , Atoms, Molecules and Chemical Change Garth L. Lee, Harris 0 . Van Orden, and Ronald 0 . Ragsdale, General and Organic Chemistry Joseph I . Routh, Mruthematictical Preparation for Laboratory Technicians F. Albwt Cotton, Chemicral Applications of Group Theory Chi? J . Collins and Newel1 S. Bowman, editors, Isotope Effects in Chemical Reactions Carl A . Streuli and Philip R. Averell, editors, Analytical Chemistry of Nitrogen and its Compounds. Parts 1 and 2 Jack Lindsay, editor, Autobiography of Joseph Priestley David H. Rasenblatt and George T . Davis, Labomtory Course in Organic
-
Ch ~ m i--d, m
E. S. Stem and C . J . Timmons, Gillam and Stern's Introduction to Electronic Absorption Spectroscopyin Organic Chemistry B . V .L'vov, Atomic Absorption SpectrochemicalAnalysis Pe~ki%Elmer Corp., Analytical Methods for Atomic Absorption Spee trophotometry P . W . Atkins, Molecular Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to Quantum Chemistry Gerhard Hewberg, ,The Spectra and Structures of Simple Free Radicals: An Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy Michel Lesbe, Pierre Mazerolles, and Jacques Satge, The Organic Compounds of Germanium New Volumes in Continuing Series
.. .A239 . ..A239 .. .A239 . . .A242 . ..A244 .. .A244 .. .A244 .. .A246 . . .A246 . . .A250 . . .A250
. . .A250 . . .A252 .. .A252 . . .A252
Joseph I . Routh, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. W. B. Saunders Compeny, Philsdelphis, 1971. 111 pp. Figs. and Tables. 15 X 22.5 em. $3.50. There is an increasing need today for hooks, films,and manuals to help train paraprofessionals in many technical fields. One of these fields is that of the laboratory technician. It was disappointing to find that this hook does not fill the need. It contains too many explanations and examples that are so abbreviated as to he either wrong or confusing. For example, in explaining how to shift a decimal point to arrive a t an equivalent exponential notation there appears (On p. 4)
An experienced teacher can see through this. A beginning student would he pueeled. On page 15 an example is given of raising a. number to a power by multiplying its logarithm by the power and finding the antilogarithm. The written example is 4 3 = log (4.5)' = 3 X log 4.5 = 91.1 Again an experienced teacher can interpret this. Can a student? The same type of inequality is used to explain how to obtain roots by logrtrithms. The reviewer groped for reasons to explain some of the deficiencies in this hook, which claim to review techniques and apply them to the solution of practical problems in chemical or health science lahartttories. A clue might be found in Chapter 2, Logarithms. On page 11 one finds "the logarithm tahle (in the sp~ e n d i x )has a set of proportional parts to assist you in interpolation between the last two digits." The four place logarithm tahle does not have any such set. On page 12 the text refers to "the tahle of antilogarithms." There is no such tahle. Without it, the explanation that follows is meaningless. These omissions, the use of numbers without dimensions, i.e., "lo-'" for hydrogen ion concentration of neutral water instead of "10-7 moles/l," typographical errors, and too many illogicsl sequences lead one to suspect that the hook was put together in a great hurry and therefore suffered from poor editing and poor proofreading. With due concern for the correction of these flaws, a second edition could be much more valuable. Lest the above comments seem overly critical, several additional examples s u p port the suspicion. On page 46, under molar solution cdaulations, one reads "when working with molar solutions if you first determine the quantity of solution in a liter, it is then easy to calculate (Continued on page AS@)
Volume 49, Number 4, April 1972
/
A239
book reviews fractions or multiples of t h t value." A questionable definition appears on page 47 under Normal Solution as follows: "A gram equivalent weight is the quantity of a substance that will replace or react with 1.008 gm of hydrogen." The explanation that follows in terms of acids and bases would hardly be helpful to a. student a t B level of mathematical skill presupposed by the author. Chemists would prefer the H + and OHand C1- symhols to
*
+
[I$ and to [&I frompH. Chapter 7, Quality Control Statistics, Chanter 9. Buffers. and Chanter 10. Renal
book was prepared would have to be appreciably superior in mathematical preparation to the average enrollee in a twoyear paraprofessional curriculum (an As-
/
The major new materials are (I) the explanation and subsequent usage of the method of projection operators for obPETERC. JURS taining symmetry-adapted linear eomhinaMerr3t College tions (SALC) of orthonormal functions, Oakland, California (2) the description of the F and G matrix method far dealing with molecular vibrations, and (3) theexplanation of the WoodChemical Applications of ward-Hoffmann rules for concerted reGroup Theory actions. Exercises have been included after each chapter which appear t o be F. Albert Colton, Massachusetts Institrue "exercises," that is, they will give tute of Technology. 2nd Ed. John the student straightforward practice in Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1971. using the techniques and principles of the 386 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.5 xiv chapter. Several appendices have been X 16cm. $12.95. added, although those on stereographic projections and the shapes of j orbitals Probably few chemists are not aware of are not used in the text. Some pro"Cotton's book on group theory," thesmall fessors will appreciate having the former, volume whose sales far exceeded the orighowever, since it can be helpful in visualinal expectations and which brought to the izing equivalent posit,ions and comhinaattention of the general chemical world tions of symmetry operabions. The comthe value of group theory and symmetry pilation of character tables has been inin dealing with many chemical problems. cluded in the bound pages in addition to Many chemists have learned to use the being inserted as a separate pamphlet in a techniques of group theory from the first pocket on the back cover, as in the first ed~tion. LA review of the first edition of edition. A reading list, primarily for the 41, this book appeared in THE JOURNAL, chapters of Part 11, is a useful inclusion. 113 (1964).] The magnitude of the additional mateIn the second edition, the author has rial can be appreciated from the fact that aimed not only to improve and update the numbered pages have increased from the first edition but also to make it more 29.5 to 386 even though space-saving desuitable as 8. textbook. These dual obvices have been employed in the printing, .jectives h w e led to a. large amount oi resuch as more words to the line and less arranging, replacing, rewriting, and euspace for some illustrations. A different panding. One chapter has been added, paper gives less glare. The publishers entire sections have been transferred beshould be applauded for achieving all of tween chapters, and some techniques have been replaced by better ones. (Continued on page A244)
(h),(TH), and (a).
I n Chapter 8 the symbols (H) and [HI areused but it is not a t allclear that square brackets indicate concentration in moles/l. The hydrogen ion concentration is stated as lo-' g/l. Chapter 8, with less than three pages of text, a few examples, and a table, hurries through hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion concentrations in aqueous solutions, K,, and conversion to pH from
A242
sociate in Arts degree) who is heading for employment s s a technician.
Journal of Chemical Education
+
