book reviews to use some examples of chemical technology to which the nonscience st,udent, may relate, these applications are rather few in number. Moreover, there are some glaring omissions in the 100 pages devoted to organic and biochemistry. For example, there is no mention of the struct,ure of DNA or its role in genetic biochemistry. These criticisms should not det,ract from other positive features of the text, which appears to be well composed and relatively free of errors. The illustrstions are good and the use of tables and example problems in appropriate sections should be helpful to the student. The rather conventional coverage of topics should be attractive to those teachers who prefer such an approach to the more vogue treatments, especially for classes of mixed backgrounds and career gods. In such difficult siturtt.ions, this should be no worse, and perhaps some better than most, chemistry texts on the market today. WILLIAM H. GLAZE North Tezas State University Denton, Texas 76203
Modern Experimental Chemistry and Teacher's Guide George W . Latimer, Jr., PPG Industries, and Ronald 0. Ragdale, University of Utah. Academic Press, New York, 277 pp. Figs. and tables. 1971. xi 27.8 X 21.5 om. $4.25. Guide, $1.
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"Modern Experimental Chemistry" is a collection of experiments for the general chemistry laboratory which stresses principles and quantitative results. Many of the experiments require better than average planning and laboratory technique. When it enhances the experiment, the student works with an unknown and he is expected to do a statistical analysis of his results. The use of handbooks and the chemical literature is encouraeed. Genera1 safety procedures, as well as specific safety features of individual experiments, are well presented. The laboratory manual is designed for s class which meets for 6 hr of laboratory work a week for two semesters. The manual could be adapted for a class using less laboratory time by selection of experiments and pre-preparation of reagents. The laboratory using this set of experiments needs to be well equipped with single pan balances, pH meters and colorimeters. The experiments include evaluation of data (I), composition, molecular weight and stoichiometry ( 5 ) , aeid-base equilibrium including s. titration in nonaqueous (acetic acid) media (41, thermodynamics including competing equilibria, temperature coefficient of equilibrium, thermochemistry, and the Nernst equation (41, kinetics (I), inorganic chemistry of selected elements (Cr, Ni, Mn, halogens) (4), experiments on solution chemistry of ions in which the student develops his own separation techniques and qualitative analysis scheme (3), and an inorganic synthesis project (1). Many of the expe-
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A600 / Journal o f Chemical Education
riments could be used nq open ended projects. A useful and detailed Teachers Guide for the laboratorv manual is avsilahlp. It lict,nluipm~nt, chrmicnl. 2nd 01utkm.i. iwd augpc~tcdunknon.ns fur rnrh rxprrtmertt. Tl,c (itride nko ron~wit..;r,lt~ttous to the numerous exercises and auxiliary problems in the lab manual, and wggestions on grading each experiment. Some of the experiments require fairly difficult experimental techniques. Far example, the preparation and handling of chromous acetate, and the use of dilute perchloric acid solutions in anhydrous acetic acid. The background principles of the experiments are completely presented but in a somewhat abbreviated form for efficient self study by t,he student. However, the student who really masters the background of all of these experiments will have a good understanding of basic general chemistry. Probably only the teacher who enjoys laboratory work himself and who is willing to communicate that enjoyment by spending time in the laboratory with the students will seriously consider the use of this manual. Those who agree with the authors' viewpoint should find use of the manual rewarding. ~
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C~rwen H. Lawn~..~cfi: E m o r ~University Atlanta, Georgia 50528
Organic Chemistry of Biological Compounds Robert Barker, University of Iowa. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1971. ix 374 pp. Figs. and tables. 24 X 18.5 cm. $11.60, cloth. $5.50, paper.
tion: (1) in a discussion of hydrogen banding (pp. 7-9) the terms donor and acceptor are used interchangeably far proton and electron donors and acceptors; (2) in s discussion of symmet,ry elements (pp. 4R9) HC=CR is said to have an infinite-fold rot,ation axis, obviously untrue when It is any alkyl group; (3) in a discussion of spectroscopic studies on proteins in solution (p. 110) the sbatement that "spectroscopic methods provide average values" is elaborated upon without the necessary distinctions among types of spectroscopy. The wealth of material presented elearl,v and concisely more than compensates for these items in making this a useful book. "Organic Chemistry of Biological Compounds" is designed both for separate use and also for use in conjunction with three other textbooks in the same series ("Intermediary Metabolism and Its Regulation" by Lamer, "Physical Biochemistry" byVan Holde, and ".Macromolecules: Structure and Function" by Wold). Evaluation of the four hooks is beyond the scope of this review. By itself this volume appears to be a good supplementary or reference textbook for a secand-year organic chemistry course. Together with a. separate source of material on homogeneous catalysis, it will be a good textbook for a course in hioorganic chemistry. I t may also serve as a supplement to many comprehensive biochemistry textbooks. Although much of the material available in this book is also available in the second edition of "Biological Chemistry" by Mshler and Cordes, this book is more readable. The teacher and student of organic chemistry, biochemistry or bioorganic chemistry would do well to examine this hook.
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This hook is a textbook designed to be accessible to students who have completed an introductory course in organic cbemistry. I t contains substantial chapters on the structure and properties of water, molecular symmetry, amino acids and proteins, carbohydrates, phosphate esters, lipids, and nucleic acids and their constituents. The find chapter covers briefly porphyrins, carrins, thiamine diphosphate, biotin, folic acid, acetogenins, and alk* loids. All of the above topics can be located by use of the table of contents. Pyridoxal, pyyridine nucleotides, flavins, and thioesters are discussed under other headings and these topics must be located by use of the index. There is no discussion of homogeneous catalysis. The layouL of the hook is clear, and effective use is made of tables and figures. The text is informal and generally clear. Chapters end with annotated bibliographies consisting of 2-7 review articles and books, most of which are dated in the 1960's. The index is adequate. Material is presented in a useful and usable manner. Particularlv convenient i . ~the tahulnr pr~ientationof rmxrrtr ior dreln~l.it~ur~. ~nloddira~~on, and syntllc.5isof classes of compounds. The presentation of related organic and biochemical reactions together in outline form is valuable. Although the hook is generally free from obvious errors, three items deserve men-
WILLIAMH . FUCHSMAN Oberlin College Oberlin, Ohio 44074 Introductory Quantum Chemistry John C . Schug, VPI. Holt,, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., New York, 1972. 287 pp. Figs. and tables. 23 viii X 15 em. $8.
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"Introductory Quantum Chemistry" by John C. Schug is a t first glance a n attractive little paperback, written to he used in a one semester "first" course in quantum chemistry. I t begins with short discussions of the traditional preSchr4dinger quantumproblems and of thenature of waves. Then follow the postulates of quantum mechanics, presented in the language of operators, and discussions of the particle in a box, the hmmonie oscillator, and the rigid rotor. Next is a chapter devoted to time-dependent theory, an unusual topic for an inbroductory text, but, of course, of great importance to spectroscopy. All the above appears in about 90 pages. The remaining 200 discuss the hydrogen atom, vibration and rotation of diatomic molecules, perturhstion theory, variational method, complex atoms, valence bond theory, molecular orbital theory of diatomio molecules, and polyatomic molecules. The presence of so many topics in such a short book is, in this reviewer's opinion, (Continued a page A60S)
