book reviews contains useful information on the preparation of commonly used buffers. A chapter on automation, while sketchy, d w s introduce some of the available automatic analytical instrumentation, particularly newer discrete 'analyzers. While this text laekssome of the in-depth expertise available in the multi-contributor, edited volumes on this subject, the overall quality is uniformly good. I found the chapter on competitive protein binding methods arid radioimmunoassays particularly wen-written, with useful tables on manufacturers' reagent kits and normal values for hormones. Nathan Gochrnan Vetemns AdministrationHospital sen Diego, California 92 16 1
Perspectives on Energy. Issues, Ideas, and Environmental Dilemmas
Edited by Lon C. Ruedisili, University of Toledo; Morris W. Firebough, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; Oxford University Press, New York, 1975. aii 527 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 23.5 cm. $6.50 (Cloth, $1.95).
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This book presents a wide variety of "perspectives on energy." Ruedisili and Firebaugh have assembled a group of interesting papers, a few written specifically for this volume. For each section, the editors have written introductions which are helpful in presenting a n overview of the articles that follow. The first two sections present the dilemmas facing the U.S. and the world as people begin to realize that the currently important energy sources are finite. For example, the present epoch of fossil-fuel exploitation appears as a mere blip in human history if one lwks backward and forward just 10,OM)years. Where are adequate energy supplies to come from to maintain even present standards of living around the world, let alone to improve the lot of the people who haven't even the minimum energy sources available to sustain life? J. S. and C. E. Steinhart indicate that the U.S. food system does not provide a worldwide answer since the energy input is some ten or eleven times the food energy consumed. Our exploitation of fossil fuels is seen as an "atrocity" by Ralph E. Lapp, who continues, "The combustion of such molecular architecture just to produce heat must be reckoned a chemical crime when one considers the needs of the petrochemical industry." It will tske much more energy t o construct replacement molecules for those we are burning. Sections three and four present information and opinions on nuclear fission as an energy source and a number of possible alternative energy sources. The views range from an open, total advocacy of breeder reactors as a primary source of power (with a tendency by that writer, B. I. Spinrad, to8'run over" any objections, rather than meeting them), t o a totally pessimistic view of the possibility of any good coming from fission and particularly from breeder reactors. D. P. A514 / Journal of Chemical Education
Geesaman and D. E. Abrahamson do an excellent job of presenting the political and societal problems involved in decisions relating t o fission energy. (These factors are likely t o he a t least as important in those decisions as technical information.) Section five presents these policy recommendations and possible future directions: ways to increase energy efficiency and t o conserve energy, the role of government, and a view of a "recycle society" in 1994. One of the most fascinating papers is an original one by J. S. Steinhart on how the decision to "go nuclear" in the US. was probably inevitable, given the nature of the Washington science establishment. One of the problems of a book such as this is that it tends t o be dated a t the time of publication. Far example, the article on fuel cells was originally published in 1971, the article on shale oil indicates that the "oil will have to sell in the range of $4 per barrel t o yield a reasonable return an investment." Obviously that was written before the recent oil price changes. Overall. the book is informative a n d ~ u i t e readatdp I t dors nor attempt 10 suppl; nn.*ue~;, but to prtwnr information and n rnngr of opinions. It dur.3 [hi; w l i . The book shotlid be usrfui in ruursw in rhrmistrv ur urhtr diac~plinw,which drnl with rwrgv prohlrrnl. It 8s tlr he h o d that hooks nnd nrciclrs such as these wilihelp to make the necessary decisions more rational. Kenneth M. Long Westminster College New Wilmington, Pennsylvania 16142
A Foundation for Quantum Chemistry
A. R. Denaro. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1975. 159+ pp. Figs. and tables. 14 X 22 cm. $10.95. This book provides a good, sometimes excellent, treatment of a rather limited number of topics in quantum mechanics. It is not, and was not meant to be, a quantum chemistry textbook; there is no mention of Slater determinants, the Hartree-Foek method, ete. Instead, after first discussing some fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics, the author proceeds to a series of problems for whieh exact solutions are possible, and t o applications of some of these solutions to real systems. The principal weakness of this bwk is its restricted scope. Nevertheless, the clarity and detail with which it presents some of the topics that it does cover could make it a useful adjunct to many quantum chemistry courses. The first chapter skips through thedevelapment of modern physics, from Thomson to Dirac. It is so superficial as to be, in my opinion, largely useless. Chapter 2, however, gives a good treatment of the mathematics of waves, culminating in a derivation of the Schrodinger equation. This is applied in ch*pter 3 to the particle-in-a-box problem. Included in this chaoter are a discussion of some properties of wavefunctions and quantum-mechanical operators, and a nice exposition of the postulatory approach t o quantum mechanics. In these two chapters, the author has presented, in what seems to be
an effective manner, some of the fundamental concepts which form the foundation for quantum chemistry, but whieh are treated inadequately in some quantum chemistry textbooks. In chapters 4 and 5, the author treats in great detail several different one-dimensional "square potential" problems, and applies them as models for a number of real situations. The latter include radioactive decay, pi electron energy levels in molecules with conjugated double bonds, and the vibrational and electronic energy levels of diatomic molecules. The discussion of these is generally good, and should provide students with some insight into the usefulness of simple models. In the last four chapters, exact solutians are worked out for a linear harmonic oscillator, a particle on a ring, a rigid rotator, and the hydrogen atom. Included with the last topic is a lengthy discussion of angular momentum. The book contains four appendices, the primary purpose of whieh is to provide a review of some of the mathematics used in the text, such as complex numbers. There are no problems, questions, or other exercises for the student. The author's presentation of his material is rather uneven. The topics mentioned in the last two paragraphs of this review are discussed, on the whole, with commendable thoroughness. His treatment of these should clarify a number of points that students are likely to find confusing, and that are glossed over in many other books. On the other hand, the author skims over some important matters, such as electron spin and the Uncertainty Principle; he devotes only a few paragraphs to each. On halanee, i t is my opinion that despite its limited scope, this hook would make a useful aid for lecturers in quantum chemistry and helpful supplementary reading (on certain topics) for their students. Peter Politrer Univemity of Ne w Orleans New Orleans. Louisiana 70 122
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New Volumes in Continuing Series
The following titles are those of volumes i n continuing series. Il4ang of these series are familiar to readers who are besl served by prompt announcement of the appearance of the new titlrs. The policy of T H I S J O U R X A L will be to publish frdl revinus onlg of inaugural volumes i n ncvr series.
Guide to Gas Chromatography Literature, Volume 3
Amtin V Sieneur. Canisius Collem. Buffalo. X 22 cm. $65.
