Notes on Molecular Orbital Calculations
John D. Robwts, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. W. A. Benjamin, Inc., New York, 1961. ix 156 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 em. $4.95.
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BOOK
REVIEWS
Physical Methods in Chemical Analysis. Volume 4
Edited by IValter G. Berl, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johne Hopkins University, Silver Spring, Maryland. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1961. viii 476 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cnl. $16.
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h 8takd in the preface, "This volume. . . deals exclusively with separation methods. . . . The aim of the individual chapters is to review the theory and practical aspects of the various techniques, to indicate their range of application in the analytical laboratory, and to explain the scientific foundation upon which they are built." The section titles and authors, in succession, folloa: Dialysis (C. W. Csrr); Separations with Molecular Sieves (T. L. Thomas and R. L. Maya); Separation with Foams (w.Rieman, 111, and R. Smgent); Analytical Applications of Inclusion Compounds (M. Bar6n); Separation of Gases and Liquids by Thermal Diffusion (G. Dickel); and Solvent Extraction (F. A. van Metzsch). The reviewer would have preferred consistency in these titles. There are extensive lists of references at the ends of the chapters. In some cases they are not consistently stated and there
-Reviewed
is not always conformity to the practice of Chemical Abstracts. In general, in the space available the varioms authors have done very well in achieving the stated objectives of the hook. The chapters are not equally detailed, hut neither are the techniques equally important in chemical analysis. Thus far, methods employing ion exchange or solvent extraction seem of most importance in analytical work. There is a wealth of practical information in some cases, as in the section for solvent extraction. The reviewer is moved to make two comments about separations. Whenever they are necessary in analyzing polycomponent ~ystems,the processes, whatever they are, alwayys precede measurement of desired constituents. Thus, the material in Volume 4 of this treatise logically should have been in Volume 1. Also, unless another volume is planned, important kinds of separations have been omitted, although Chromatographic Analysis was included in Volume 2 and Distilhtion and Gas Chromatotomauhv - . . in Volume 3. For the materid covered, this should he a valuable reference work for teachers, advanced students, and researchers. M. G. MELLUN Purdue University Lafayette, Indiana
in this Issue
Walter G. Berl, editor, Physical Methods in Chemical Analysis. Volume 4 John D. Robwts. Notes on Molecular Orbital Calculations Nicholas D. Cheronis, editor, Submicrogram Experimentation Alezander R. Surrey, Name Reactions in Organic Chemistry William F. Ehrel, editor, Smith's College Chemistry
The strength and the weakness of this book both lie in its straightforwardness and iB limited objectives. I t aims to teach the student (presumably a first year graduate student or senior undergraduate) how to make "zeroth order" molecular orbital calculations. It will succeed in this for most students who work their way through the numerous examples and problems. This is no mean aohievement and is not always reached by students exposed to much more elaborate training. The book makes no attempt to offer a real intraduotion to quantum mechanics. It will probably serve best as a supple rnentary book in a. course on chemical bond theory. It will also be very helpful to the chemist who has had a sound introduction to the principles of quantum mechanics, but who lacks the details of this particular type of calculation. In two ways this book might be considerably improved without materially increasing its scope or size. The section on group theory could usefully consider symmetry operations other than rotation about a two-fold axis. Some of the most interesting predictions of simple theory involve molecules having multi-fold aymmetry axes. A simple set of directions for the use of the more complicated character tables has appeared (C. G. Swain and W. R. Thornon, J . Org. Chem., 24, 1989 [1959]) and something like it would be helpful in this book. The other useful addition would be a method for 6nding the roots of a secular determinant by diagonalizing it. The method of minors, whichis deecrihed, is not readily adaptable to digital computing machines This hook was photoreproduced from typed copy and suffers somewhat from the lack of a variety of type faces. It $80 has more than the usual number of typographical errors. These difficultiee do not seriously impair its usefulness, however. Its price is rather high for the amount of material it contains. (It would probably not occupy over 100 conventional book pages.) On the other hand the person who wants to learn what this hook teaches will find it a powerful aid and well worthits cost. MAURICEM. KREEVOY Univemity of Minnesota Minneapolis
Eugene A. Carpovich and Vera V . Ca~povieh,Russian-English Dictionary John C . Bevingto~~, Radical Polymerization Takeru Higuehi :~ndEinm Brochmann-Hamsen, editors, Pharmaceutical Analysis
Robert F. Rolsten, Iodide Metals and Metal Iodides
J . P . Harlnett, E. R. G. Eeked, H . S. Mieklay, and R. L. Pigford, editors, Recent Advances in Heat and Mass Transfer Sheldon S. L. Chang, Synthesis of Optimum Control Systems Fred H . Rhodes, Technical Report Writing Donald H. Jlenrel, Howard Mum,ford Junes, and Lyle G. Boyd, Writing a Technical Paper Rutherford B r i s , The Optimal Dosign of Chemioal Reactors: A Study in Dynamic Programming
Edited by Nicholas D. Cherunis, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. Interscience Publishers, Inc., 1961. Miehrochemical Journal Symposium Series, Volume 1. viii 351 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $10.75.
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This book should convince all vho rquestion the place of analytical chem'olume 39, Number 6, June 1962
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