BOOK REVIEWS As an example of perturbation theory in the harmonic oscillator one would have hoped to see a Gaussian bump in the quadradic potential function to illustrate the omnipresent tunneling phenomena observed in chemistry and physics. Unfortunately the quartic term is used which was worked out in the previously mentioned text by Pauling and Wilson. The final chapters in the hook deal with many electron atoms and the aufbau principle. I n summary the hook is generslly well written, nearly free of typographical errors, and provides same interesting, and sometimes refreshing reading. As far an permanence, however, I feel this book will only enhance the reputations of some of a number of "old" classics (listed in the Appendix af this book) such ns the Pauling and Wilson text. W. H. FLYGARE University of Illinois Urbana, lllinois Energy
Riuce Chnlmers, Hnrvard University-. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1963. xiii 280 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $5.75.
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"The main purpose of this hook is to give the reader a better appreciation of the achievements, potentialities, and limitntionsin the use of energy." The above statement from the Preface is well justified by the book's contents. The author begins with an elementary treat, ment of mechanics in which the concepts of velocity, acceleration, force, momentum, and work are developed. Generous use is made of familiar mechanical devices to give these concepts meaning. Both the verbal description and the diagrams associated wit,h these devices are well executed. The author proceeds to build on these basic elements of mechanics in his treatment of kinetic and potential energy, heat, and the conversion of heat into work. He then discusses radiation, cl~emicalenergy, eleotricd energy, and nuclear energy. The book comes to a, close witlr a general discussion of the economics of energy consumption. The book suffers several serious drawbacks when considered as a text for the nrm-scientist. Foremost is the fact bhat the author consistently tends to sacrifice depth of development in preference to encyclopedic coverage of a large number of topics related to energy. Several topics whieh could be developed more extensively are cited below: (a) Early in the book the fallowing equations related to motion are presented without derivation. Here A = acceleration, U = initial velocity, T = time. V = U A T = velacitv D = WT 1I2ATZ= distance V z- U z = S A D There is no mathematical or physical
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BOOK R E V I E W S argument presented which could lend a student from the first equation to the second. Also, i t is probable that many students will not see that the third equation is n direct consequence of t,he first two equations, and the text does not even encourrrKe the thoughtful student t o search for interrelationships such as this. The author is satisfied to dismiss t,hese equntions by carrying out a numerir:xl aalcul>~tion using one of them. (6) In n later section, the author introduces the nniversd gravitational equation. However, he fails to discuss, or even to mention, the problem associated wit,h the det,ermination of t,he value of the universsl gravitational cunsbant. Here i t would rer-
tainly he feasible and desirable to discuss the very interesting experiments related to this problem as first carried out by Cavendish. (c) I n the chapter dealing with heat and the kinetic theory of gmes, the Avogadro number concept is employed without discussion of experimental evidence which led to the concept in the first place. I t would also be feasible and desirable to discuss present-day experiment,^ employed for accurate determination uf tho Avogadro number. Throughout t,he book the author emphasizes numerical eunversions. Often, he employs rather laborious numerical caleulations, inserted directly into the main body of the t,ext, where a single algebraic treatment would he more general and less tedious.
T h e author eommunimtes very little about the methods by which scientific theories are formulated and verified. This reviewer believes that a text about science which is intended for the nowscientist ehould attempt to achieve this g o d in some measum I n conclusion, i t can be said that the author achieves his stated purpose. This reviewer feels, however, that his purpose is too restrictive. The needs of today's college students who do not intend to become orofessiond scientists can best be fulfilled by providing an opportunity to d i p cover what science is really about.
JOHN T. YATES,JR Anlioch College Yellow Springs, Ohio
Fundamentals of Chemistry
I,. Jean Bogert. 9th ed. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1963. xx 626 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 24 cm.
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This text first appeared in 1924, and now in the ninth edition the author states t h a t the material and design have been so thoroughly up-dated that i t is practically a new book, with new material on atomic structure, chemical equations, solutions, organic structure, tissue eonstituents, and intermediary metabolism. The title is misleading, since the subject material actually consists of a n elementary descriptive approach t o those asperts of chemistry and human metabolism which are of direct concern to the nume or dietician. The book has a n easy style, but the approach t o chemist,ry is t h a t of a quarter century ago, and the content is in fact particularly deficient in chemical fundementals. There is, fur instance, no mention of the gas laws or reaction kinetics, and only very superficial treatment is given t o chemical equilibrium, kinetic theory, and stoiehiometry. The discussion of atomic structure, as i t relates t o chemical properties and chemical honding, is likewise quite inadequate for it colleg~leveltext. The book abounds with errors of fact. The structural formulas are very badly printed, and well over half of the cyclic structures are ambiguous ur definitely incorrert. Frequent generalizations are made which simply do not represent sound modern chemistry. On page 202 i t is stated t h a t hydrogen fluorideis anodorless non-toxic substance useful as a. refrigerant. Other incorrect or inexact statements include: "silver, gold, and platinum are not acted upon by acids" (p. 106), "transitiond elements. .exhibit some properties of metals and others of non-metals in a rather confusing manner" (p. 2R), "100 ml. [is] one-thousandth of a liter" (p. 155), "most ethers are very volatile liquids. . . almost all ethers possess anesthetic properties" (p. 282), "ethers do not exist in nature" (p. 284). There are many more instances. The "modernimtion" of the book in-
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