book reviews for all students a s this may be an impossihle task. Lest the comments above be misunderstood, the hook is valuable and may he recommended. One nice feature is the rather "stiff" final exam a t the end (about one minute per question). A student scoring 85 or better will know his organic chemistry. J.-P. Anselme University ot M ~ ~ s a c h u ~ satt tBoston s Boston, Massachmetts 02125
Information Retrieval and Documentation In Chemistry
Charles H . Dnuis and James E. Rush, Drummond Island, Michigan. Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1974. a 284 pp. Figs. and tables. 14.5 X 21.5cm. $12.95.
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This hook is the eighth in a series dealing with Librarianship and information science. The authors' stated objective is to explicate and popularize major aspects of information storage and retrieval. It is written for chemists, information specialists, and individuals interested in scientific documentation. Although considering only chemical documentation the authors are quick t o point out that the principles and techniques presented can equally well be applied to other disciplines. The first six ehapters, approximately 100 pages, present an overall description of concepts associated with searching for and finding needed items of information. In order these are: (1) introduction, (2) the human factor, (3) indexing systems, (4) abstracts and abstracting, (5) general principles of retrieval systems, and (6) retrieval systems evaluation. The remaining three chapters, approximately 160 pages, are devoted to examples of chemical structure representation. Chapter 7 discusses nomenclature of organic compounds. Chapter 8 describes five systems of linear notation for organic compounds. These are the IUPAC, Wiswesser, Hayward, Skolnik, and GREMAS systems. Chapter 9 considers topological systems, that is the machine storage and retrieval of chemical compounds by structure rather t h a n , name. This is a commendable book, well written and well documentated with some references as recent a s 1973. The librarian's vocabulary pertaining t o information storage and retrieval may be unfamiliar to chemists but each term is defined as i t is introduced and its meaning clearly stated. For the research chemist accustomed to finding reference material and with a well developed filing system adopted t o his/her needs there may he little new information in this hook, although the approach, from the librarian's point of view, is not the same as that of the library user. The chemistry instructor looking for a text from which to teach fundamentals of various linear notation systems will likewise be disappointed. This is not a textbook in the usual sense. There are no ordered listings of rules depicting, for example, representation of organic eompounds by the Wiswesser line notation, and there are no
exercises for student drill. This is, however, a book worth reading by student and instructor alike if they are uninformed about modern practices of information storage and retrieval. Both will find a thorough presentation, in general terms, of the problems and solutions encountered in obtaining information from the vast amount of available literature. Regarding nomenclature and the linear and topalogical systems for representing chemical campounds, here, in one source, is a comprehensive introduction with numerous worked examples and extensive references describing material that should be known by rhem~stry students and instructc,rs alike. Lastly, the fledgling researcher. who ha, not yet fully developed hrr own techniques for liteiature searching and for whom Chemical Abstracts indices are still unclear, will find here an ordered comprehensive work intended, again in the author's words, to create more understanding of the processes involved in information storage, retrieval, and dissemination. Gordon A. Parker University of Toiedo Toiedo, Ohio 43506
Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds. Third Edition
Robert M Siloerstein, G. Clayton Bassler, and Terence C . Morrill. John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1974. x + 340pp. $13.95. The first edition of "Spectrametric Identification Organic Compounds" by Silverstein and Bassler appeared in 1963. It eonstituted one of the first attempts to present a n integrated course suitable for advanced organic chemistry students in which the four main spectroscopic methods, uv, ir, nmr, and mass spectrometry. were used far the identification of organic compounds. The book provided models for procedures to coordinate information fram the four spectral classes that led the student through a series of logical steps to the solution of the problems. The first edition proved quite successful and in 1967 it was reedited and expanded to incorporate advances in nmr spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. In the present edition a third author, a former student of the other two, was added. The major changes in the third edition are in a chapter on nuclear magnetic resonance which has been expanded to bring it up to date and cope with recent developments in that field. Another change in this edition is the omission of a chapter on spectral problems which were offered without hints or references. The solved prohlems and the exercises with Beilstein references have been retained and supplemented. The hook has been also expanded to include additional reference tables, charts and soectra.. maenetie chemical .. chift equnalentr. and a dvcus\im of thr. u i r "f lanthan~deehift rmgmt:, 8 - \\ell na a mow drtailed ennrnrreriralion hy infrared spectra ~~
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A useful innovation in rhir third edi~ion is the availahil~tyof an inaructur's manual that includes a drtailed diicussiun and answers to problems and gives same additional problems for use in the class or for testing. Two minor criticisms come to mind: one is the quality of the paper, which has deteriorated since the second edition. The decision to da that was probably dictated by the paper shortage and the desire to keep the price down. Another is the format of the infrared spectra, which is not uniform throughout the hook. Thus in the prablems a t the end of the book the wave lengths are linear whereas in the early chapters they are not. In the present reviewer's opinion the third edition of "Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds" is well up to the standards one has come to expect fram its authors. It will probably continue to find the same success the earlier editions have had. and will remain one of the best texts available for a spectrometric identification of organic compounds. Hassan S. EI Khadem Michigan Technical University Houghton, 49931
Interpretation of Mass Spectra, Second Edlion
F W. McLofferty, Cornell University. W. A. Benjamin, Inc., Reading, Massachusetts, 1973. xix + 278 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23 cm. $7.50 Paper, $15. Cloth. It is a pleasure to find that a goad texth w k is being kept up-to-date. There have been great advances in mass spectrometry during the last seven years and these are reflected in this timely new edition. Its scope is much more ambitious than that of the first edition although the basic approach is the same. Complete chapters have been added an the mass spectra of common functional group classes, theories of unimolecular ion decomposition reaetians, and auxiliary ms techniques. Other chapters, tables in the appendix, and a good set of references have been revised and expanded. The goal of Prof. McLafferty's hook is implicit in its title; the emphasis is on the priictical interpretation of mass spectra. Over 100 problems of graded difficulty are included throughout the book. These problems are a n extremely effective aid to learning. Only a very few "unknowns" in the book's early chapters are so difficult as to cause frustration. The problem solutions in the back are generally complete and well written. "Interpretation of Mass Spectra" is an excellent supplementary teat for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses. It will also he useful as an introductory selfstudy far those already familiar with organic chemistry, although its effective use demands a substantial amount of time. The author's writing style adds to the book's teaching effectiveness. His enthusiasm for the present utility and future im-
