GENERAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY.Frederick C. Irwin, B.S., Professor of Chemistry, and G. Ray Sherwood, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Wayne University. Fifth Revised Edition. Lithoprinted by Edwards Brothers, Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan. ix 626 pp. 92 figs. 13 X 22 cm. $3.85.
is included also a comparison of the systems of secondary education in the three countries. Throughout are frequent quotations from the literature, two hundred forty-one titles, in the bibliography. He saw thirty-six lessons given in France, twenty-one in Russia. This book is a revision of an earlier text, GENERAL CHEMISTRY He gives his notes on five (three chemistry) observed in the United aon COLLEGES.The present edition, so the preface states, con- States, seven (three chemistry) in France, six (one chemistry) in Russia. One is disappointed to find so little space (eight pages) sists of Part I which "tries to place most emphasis upon contributions of chemistry toward a general education"; while Part I1 devoted to recording the raw data on which so many of his judg"is practically all devoted t o inorganic chemistry" because most ments must be based. And these include little of pupil activity. of "the students who study this will continue with qualitative Here is an abbreviated sample: Chemistry, twenty-four boys who were from fourteen to fifteen years old. Laboratory well equipped, analysis." The division of the book is not so dear cut as might be im- light, airy, conveniently arranged. Individual work. Four aeined. The table of contents shows that Chaoter X I X is a Re- separate experiments attempted. Both teacher and laboratory assistant busy, suggesting, assisting, and criticizing procedure. view awl Sonlmary, hut thrrr is nothing else to indicate t h a t Par, Records entered carefully and neatly (page 175). I1 brgin,with Ch;lplrr X X O y g m Conlpoundcof thc Halogens One should obtain from reading the thesis a fairly clear idea of I n the first eighteen chapters there are seven chapters (nonconsecutive) devoted to theory. These are brief, but ample and the teaching of these subjects in the three countries in so far as well written. This portion of the text proceeds logically t o de- New York City and vicinity, Paris, Leningrad, and Moscow are velop the chemistry of oxygen, hydrogen, water and solutions, typically representative. A few of his statements are misleading. chlorine, the halogen family, carbon, and also contains four "The French secondary school proper is not based on the primary school" (page 102): But surely no pupil gets into the secondary chaoters devoted to oreanic ehemistrv. school who has not completed the course in a primary school (or elementary) and successfully passed its promotional examination. He asserts that the New York State Regents syllabus and oxides, etc., nitrogen, inert gases, phosphorus, arsenic, anti- the College Entrance Examination Board syllabus are probably mony, and bismuth. Chapter XXVII reviews fundamental the most important factors in determining the curriculum conprinciples of physics. Chapter XXIX is a short treatise of X- tent in these subjects. (Are the Appalachians his horizon?) ray spectra and crystal structure. Chapter XXXII is a further These he gives and similar courses of French and Russian schools. development of the periodic system, first treated in Chapter Teachers in French secondary schools are better trained in subVIII. Chapters XXXIII to XL are devoted to the metals. ject matter than in the United States but not so well versed in The concluding Chapter (XLI) is an interesting survey of col- pedagogy. Textbooks here are mechanically superior t o those in use in the countries he visited. These are just samples of the loids. There is good historical introduction to the subjects consid- comoarisons he makes. .Is r rrwlt of hi; %todyhc has liltlc to uffrr in the way of imered. References to source material are scanty. I n most cases only the essence of required theory is included. For a book which proving thr tcachin): of the p h y & d rricm.c- in the Unitrd States succeeds so well in general it is surprising to find occasionally Hc does think s,e might ropy with proCt the I:r
