book reviews Editor: W. F. KIEFFER Cdlege of Woator
Wwoter, Ohio
Chemistry: Man And MaRer
E. Russell Hardwick and Charles M. Knobler, both of University of Cdifornia, Los Angeles. Ginn and Co., 531 pp. Waltham, Mars., 1970. xi Figs. and tables. 26 X 18.2 em. $11.50.
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This attractive text is intended specifically for nonscience majors; coverage of material suggests afull year course. Judging from the remarks in the preface, the author's chief purpose is the exposition of aspects of chemistry that make visible the link between the world of the layman and the world of the scientist. The chief vehicle selected to this end is applied chemistry; selected material is seen to demonstrate the alliance of fundemental concepts necessary for an nnderstanding of our life processes and our technological world." Accordingly, the first two thirds of the book is devoted to an exposition of "the fundamentals of chemistry." By no means is the subject work merely a revised edition of Professor Hardwick's earlier well-mitten short text ("Chemistry," E. Russell Hardwick, Blaisdell, 1965). While some of the chapters in the earlier work are altered little, the present text as co-authored with Professor Knobler is far more comprehensive m d treats much of the material from "Chemistry" in greater depth. The chief difference, however, rests in the applied chemistry. The authors suggest a division of the book roughly into three sections. The first, Chapters 1-14, treats matter and energy, the particulate nature of matter, chemical calculations, atomic structure, bonding (molecular orbital concepts),
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molecular architecture, mechanisms, rates, and equilibria. Historical and philasophical perspectives are essentially limited respectively, to the development of the particulate nature of matter and chemical periodicity, and to a few remarks about the nature of "reality" and the doctrine of causality. The brief excursion into chemical history permits the authors to develop a t least a few topics inductively. The second part of the text, Chspters 15-20, treats the chemistry of some families of elements. It is largely descriptive, although Chapter 16 involves considerable computational approaches to aqueous solution chemistry. I n the treatment of the chemistry of some non-metals, of some metallic elements, and of some organic compounds, numerous reactions are shown. The relatively encyclopedic approaches taken with this material and the general tenor of the exercises-many involving computational skills needed by working chemists-can be sharply contrasted with much of the text, particularly the third section. This last (third) section, Chapters 2127, offers applied chemistry through the topics of polymers, biopolymers, and the chemistry of living organisms, food, medicine, and the environment. These topics are developed in an effective format, which I believe emphasizes interesting and/or practical aspects of chemical substances and scientific terms which are in, rcningly uwozring the eye* and enrr of the la).mm. The .ubjrrt rnntrrr of t h r ~ c topics w d d pmhubly lnavc good studmt reception. Writing is lucid; there are very few errors. A comfortable style and effective diamams are attractive features. The au&ors have accomplished a synthesis of a
E. Russell Hardwick and Cha~lesM. Knoblm, Chemistry: Men and Matter . . .A287 Gordon M. Barnow, Understanding Chemistry: A One-Volume Programmed A287 Supplement B a a r d Fryahman, Problem-Solving in Physical Science: For NonScience Msjors . . .A288 Albwl L. Lehninger, Biochemistry: The Molecular Basis of Cell Structure and . . .A288 Function R. W. McGilvery, Biochemistry-A Functional Approach . . .A290 Harold J. Morowitz, Entropy for Biologists: An Introduction to Thermo. . .A290 dynamic? Ray U. Brumblay, A First Course in Quantitative Analysis . . .A294 P. W. Atkins, Molecular Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to Quantum Chemistry . . A294 Nunzio Tralli and Frank Pmnilla, Atomic Theory: An Introduction to Wave .A296 Mechanics Robert W. Parry, Editor, Inorganic Syntheses. Volume XII. . . .A298
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relatively comprehensive treatment of the technical distillate of chemistry with a set of "relevant" (contemporaneous) topic?. This work is certainly unique in the scope of coverage of the latter. I t must be highly recommended to those who feel that chemistry courses should be limited to the facts, theories, and key concepts which form the content of the discipline itself, but who are willing to expand their concern to the technological i m ~ a cof t the science. I duubt thnr this work will pwvldr fur the l,ulk of non
