gsnic chemistry and all of the contributions are definitely addressed to the organic chemist. A phenyl group is missing from the acridinium ion within the equation on page 225, but the book is in general free from errors. Of the 13 chapters, one is an introduction by the editor and the others are each by different authors, including a further contribution by the editor. Indeed, slightly over one-half of the book is occupied by just two chapters: the second chapter by G. Klopman (The General Perturbation Theory of Chemical Reactivity and Its Applications), occupying 112 pages, and an 86 page chapter by R. F. Hudson (Nucleophilie Reactivity). Fortunately, hoth of these are well written and can he recommended as good general reviews of their respective topics. The chapter by G . A. Olah (22 pages) entitled "Electrophilic Reactions: The General Concept of Carbocations and Their Role in Electrophilic Reactions of Alkanes (o bases)" is well worth reading but its value is diminished somewhat by the lecture upan which it is based having previously been reported a t some length in Chemistry in Britain. The chapter "Intermolecular Interactions and Chemical Reactivity" (32 pages) by H. Fujimoto and K. Fukui can be recommended for the reader unfamiliar with the concepts of HOMO, LUMO, and frontier orbitals. The underlying theory is, however, presented only in considerably condensed form. The intent of the other chapters varies from a collection of abstracts of assorted studies from the laboratories of the author, so brief as to be of limited value except ss a source of references, to a 24 page cantrihution (with 123 references) by five coauthors. which is more in the nature of a research contribution; in this chapter, the reader reaches reference 30 within the first short paragraph! Dennis N. Kevill Nwthem Illinois University DeKalb. lllinos 60 115
Molecular Reactlon Dynarnlcs
R. D. Leuine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem and R. B. Bernstein, University of Texas, Austin, Texas. Oxford University Press, New York, 1974. vi 250 pp. Figs and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $10.
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The problem of understanding the mechanisms and rates of chemical reaetions in terms of the dynamics of molecular encounters has been of interest to chemists for many decades. Initial progress in this area was slow mainly due to the difficulty of obtaining information about the details of pair-wise molecular collisions from either experimental or theoretical studies. Recent advances on hoth of these fronts have led ro n dramatic accelemtion of prop,. ress m this area, and although rhar pnrgresr IS well ducumented m n plerhura of research papers, review articles, and specialized monographs, there has developed a need for a state of the art survey of the entire discipline in which the relationships between the many diverse subtopics is clearly shown.
I t is appropriate that scientists who have clearly established themselves as leaders in the field should undertake the project. This book is the result of collaboration between two such men. Levine and Bernstein have written an elementary text intended to be a primer in the field of molecular reaction dynamics and useful to students with a minimal training through the underaraduate ohvsical ehemistrv level. The rbook contains 30 sections divided among six chapters. Each section covers sufficient material to comprise the basis of a single class meeting, so the hook is well suited for USC in a one term course. Passages dealing with technical material of more complexity thnn rhnt of the main body of the hook arc designated by asterisks sothat they may be skipped, if necessary, to accommodate a quicker survey. Appendices are introduced as chapter sections in the body of the text as needed. These too may be skipped by the cursory reader but will prove of substantial value,to the serious student. A bibliography is included for each section providing a guide to the literature relevant to the section topic. The index is extensive so that finding specific information is straightforward. Being based on the experiences of the authors gained from teaching such courses over a period of several years, the material is for the most part well ordered. The student is led sequentially from an introduetian to the dynamics of collisions between structureless particles to consideration of collisions between polyatomic molecules with emphasis on the many modes of energy transfer available to the systems. The relationships between molecular dynamics and bulk kinetic parameters are explained. Methods used to auantifv oarameters of speclfic interactions arc introduced along the was as required. 'Thee include molecw lar hrnm rerhniquer, time resolved spectroscopy, double-resonance methods, photo-fragment spectroscopy, ehemiluminescence, and calculated potential energy surfaces. The final chapter includes a case history, to date, of what has been learned by application of the available tools to probe the dynamics of a single reaction: F +Hz=HF+H. The style of writing is rather casual which in itself is not objectionable but is, in fact, a rather refreshing change from the cold formality of many science texts. The quality of the work is, however, diminished on occasion when that casualness influences the orderly organization of material and the definition of terms and symbols. The latter problem is compounded by the inclusion of many figures reproduced from the literature. Occasionally the notation of the figure does not agree with that of the text, or one or more symbols are not defined either in the caption or in the text. The meanings can usually he inferred from context and at times subsequent sections help clarify previous ones. Students for whom the subject matter is largely new would do well to read through the text twice; it is short enough to permit this with ease even in a single term. Perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the book, however, is the absence of any problem sets. This greatly reduces its effectiveness as a teaching instrument and is
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(Continued on page A388) Volume 52,Number 8, August 1975 / A387
book reviews especially unfortunate in view of the fact that the authors have pioneered the teaching of this subject matter and must have accumulated a coordinated set of exercises to help the student gain mastery of the material. Perhaps future editions will include some of these. Considering the work as a whole, its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.. and it should serve as an instrumerit to promote the inrlu~ionof the formal study of molecular dynamics in an increasing number of colleges and universities. Departments which are not yet prepared to expand their curricula to include a new course would do well to consider use of this book as a supplementary text for existing courses in reaction kinetics.
Melhods in Molecular Orblial Theory
is either tautologous or very difficult to follow. The hook is written in an appealing colloquial style, which encourages the reader to believe that the topics are not so terrihly hard. Unfortunately, the writer commits such solecisms as "Transferability to about the extent of 3%is observed. . . for (the) kinetic energy" (in fact, the error is ahout 3%). "Suppositions of Configurations" is mentioned on p. 182. More serious than the verbal errors, which can be found in many hooks, are the occasional factual errors. A combination of functions (rp3 rp4) is said to be a reducible representation (p. 173). According to statements on p. 155, one forms the elements of the matrix S'I2 by forming the square root of each element of S (true only if S is diaganalized first). These errors or infelicities are not troublesome to the experienced reader, but interfere with the use of the book by its intended audience unless guided carefully by a good instructor. In its present form this book would be most useful as a source of illustrative material rather than a central text.
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Carl Trindle Unhrenity of Virginia Chsrbttesville, Virginia 2290 1
Almon G. Turner, University of Detroit. Prentiee-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1974. xiii 225 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.5 X 15 em. $13.95.
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Laser Mbro-Spectrochemica1 Analysls Professor Turner has set himself the goal of building an understanding of computations by semiempirical MO methods and providing a perspective on newer developments in nb initia computations, presuming no more than the knowledge of wave mechanics obtainable from an undergrsduate course in physical chemistry. T o these ends, he summarizes some necessary quantum mechanics and molecular orbital theory before turning to a utilitarian summary of the group theory and discussion of his central theme. The strengths of this book are (1) the collection of the several tables (such as valence state ionization energies) used frequently in approximate MO theory, and (2) the very detailed examples of the use of group theory and the analysis of MO's. The author supplies a realistic guide to the types of questions whieh can be answered hy approximate MO theory (though the successes in the theory of reactivity are ignored). Unfortunately the hook is flawed in several ways. The summary of quantum mechanics is opaque and sometimes misleading. For example, the nonrelativistic spatial wave function is said to depend explicitly on the particles' momenta as well 8 s eoordinates (p. 2). but no reference is made to momenta on p. 5 in the discussion of densities as squares of the wave function. The superposition principle is illustrated but never stated. Indistinguishahility of particles is said to lead directlv to the antisvmmetry of wave funrtmna, whereas there are other eho~ees(as for hosons) ruled out for electrons only by experience. A projection operator appears without warning or definition on p. 38. The introduction to group theory is useful, particularly the illustrative examples. However, the discussion on p. 86 of reducing s reducible representation A388 / Journal of ChemlcalEducatbn
ature are provided, particularly to work carried out in the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. Also, a number of interesting examples of applications for laser miero-spectrochemica1 analysis are given.
H. Moenke and L. Moenke-Blankenburg, VEB Zeiss, Jena. Translated by R. Auerboeh. Crane, Russak & Company, Inc., New York, 1974. viii 253 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 22 cm. $19.75.
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This hook is a translation from the German of a monograph which attempts to describe the state of laser miero-spectrochemical analysis from an instrumental paint of view. I believe that it will be of little interest to scientists not directly involved in such analysis for the following E990nS. 1) The book presents no overview of the subject. No effort is made to explain the general idea of the techniques, nor to point out clearly the advantages over other techniques. 2) The English grammar is sufficiently paor that the book is indeed difficult to read. In fact, it appears to me to he almost a transliteration, undertaken by someone unfamiliar with scientific terms in the field. 3) The first (German) edition was published in 1965; the second slightly revised version in 1967. Although some additions have been made for the English edition, the hulk of instrumental information is likely to be quite obsolete. 4) The emphasis on instrumentation (and in particular, on instruments produced hy Zeiss, a company with which the authors are associated) certainly provides little information of general utility to the scientific community. On the positive side, a number of spectra are reproduced which could be of considerable use to workers in the field. In addition, a number of helpful references to the liter-
Englneerlng Education: A Soclal H l d o q
George S. Ernrnerson, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada. Crane, Russak & Co., New York, 1973. 384 pp. Tables. 22 X 14 cm. $16.75. When undertaking a review of this book I questioned its suitahility for a journal directed primarily to chemistry teachers. A short period of reading persuaded me that not only was a review in order but that here was book of unique significance for anyone concerned with science and technology. The author has successfully developed the growth of technological education as a parallel to the growth of technology itself. There is an interesting discussion of the influence of the utilitarian views of Francis Bacon on Descartes in France, Locke in England, and Comenius in Germany and later on Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot in 18th century France. I t was in France that the rise of the military engineer revealed the potential of the engineering profession. With the creation of the Emle Polytechnique early in the Revolution the education of engineers (still primarily for military purposes) received national sanction. The school would long serve as a model for education of engineers, particularly in the utilization of mathematics and science as foundation studies. The pattern set by the French would not he duplicated quickly elsewhere. The British, in the midst of their industrial Revolution, would fail to recognize the importance of engineering studies at the university level, except for the Scots. The English did set up night schools for instruction in mathematics, drafting, and mechanics but these aimed a t the working artisan who sought to better his lot rather than a t young men seeking preparation for lifetime careers. In America too there was s slaw start toward formal education of engineers despite the pattern of early instruction in science pioneered in the universities by teachers trained in Edinburgh under Joseph Black and later in London under Frederick Accum. The elder Benjamin Silliman utilized the Accum training to develop science instruction on a sound footing at Yale and to spread the gospel in his wideraneine.. lecture tours. His student. Amos Entun, would project the pattern more apecif~callytoward applied science at Hensie. laer Institute. For the most part however, members of the engineering profession in 19th century America gained their training in the field in connection with the construction of canals, roads, bridges, railroads, and buildings. T o some extent their experience benefited from contact with im-
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