Organic Reaction Mechanisms: An Introduction
Ronald B7eslolo, Columbia University.
BOOK
REVIEWS
W. A. Benjamin, Inc., New York, 1965. Organic Chemistry Monograph Series. xii 232 pp. Figs. and tables. 14.5 X 22 em. Clathbound, 67; paperbound, $345.
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This is a. book on organic reaction mechanisms for beginning and for intermediate students of organic chemistry. General Chemistry the chemistry of the noble gases has been Its stated intention is to present "unified added. There is a. new chapter on Eleoutlines of the field.. .together with a. W . F . Luder, Robert A . Shepad, A~thur ments of the Second Period, which gives an critical examination of the evidence ior A. Vernon, and Saverio Zuffanti, all of excellent introduction to eaoh of the famproposed mechanisms. . . which can he Northeastern University, Boston. 3rd ilies. This is followed by three chapters, read independently by undergraduates ed. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, each concerned with two families of elewho are enrolled in a good course in ele1965. xiii 560 pp. Figs. and tables. ments. Chapters on Equilibrium and mentary organic chemistry." There is, $8.75. Spontaneous Reactions, Hydroxylic Acids indeed, a. great need for such a book, as and their Derivatives, and Coordination In the third edition of this excellent most of the current beginning texts are Compounds are completely new. The textbook the authors have produced a very long on mechanisms, but very short material on Organic Chemistry makes up complete revision and reorganization. (approaching zero) on the evidence s u p the three concluding chapters entitled The content and sequence of the chepters porting t,hem. The present book is Open Chain Compounds, Closed Chain have been altered. New topira have been certainly a vast improvement over the Compounds and Natural and Synthetic added and in some cases two ch&ers of usual textbook coverage, although some Products. the earlier edition have been incorporated parts of it are better than ot,hers. A table of ionization constants has been very soccessfnlly into one. The chemistry The approach taken is, necessarily, added to the appendix and the table of of hydrogen, oxygen, water, and hydrogen illustrative rather than exhaustive, and atomic weirhts is based on Cwbon-12. peroxide has been included in the first chapthe choice a i material is generally good. New illustrations have been added and ter entitled Chemical Changes. Atomic There are c b q ~ t e r son structure, general those a t the heading of each chapter are Strncture and the Periodic Table includes theory of reaction mechanisms and rates, particularly significant and informative. material formerly in two chapters. Cheminucleophilic substit,ution, elimination and The use of different forms of type gives s. cal Bonding is introdaced early and conaddition reactions, aromatic substitution, pleasing appearance and should aid the tains new material on chemical geometry reactions of earbonyl compounds, and rcstudent in the orgsnizatition of his study. and extensiveuseof atomicenergy leveldiactions of free radicals. Each is followed The questions and problems at the agrams. The inclusion of crystal strucby s. mare detailed discussion of a special ends of the chapters as well as the reft,ure makes the chapter on the States oi tapic, illustrating and expanding on the erences to supplementary readings have Matter more complete. Chemical Kinetics paints made in l.he chapter. To this been completely revised. is treated separately instead of being reviewer the best chapters are those on The revised edition is a solid and u ~ e d as an introduction to Chemicd nucleophilic substitution, and elimination rigonru prr;wtntior> of 3,firct-ywr O,IIT*C Equilibrium. A new section on ionic reeeand addition reactions. The former, i t , genernl :h.mlctrv ar.4 Jewrvei the lions, which should be p~rticularlyhelpparticularly, seems to pick out, unerringly, n t r v n t m >oi trnvhrri ir r aitljle ncioptmn. ful to students, has been added to Soluthe illuminating experiment from the mass tions of Electrolytes. The chapter on SISTERMARYJOAN of material in this field. Its special topic Introduction to the Representative EleEmmanuel College is neighboring group participation, prements has been completely revised and Boston, Massachusetts sented very well from the Winstein-Cram point of view. Both the main chapter and the special topic are richly and judiciously footnoted. The chapter on earbonyl compounds, and especially its accompanying "special tapic," on organic redox reW . F . Luder, Roberl A . Shepard, Arthw A . Vernon, and Saverio Zu$anli, General aet,ionswas also very satisfying. Chemistry The first two chapters, on structure and Ronald B~eslow,Organic Reaction Mechanisms: An Introduction rate theory, predictably, present difficulties, because the intended audience is Russell S. Drago, Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry lacking in the background and sophisticaCharles Wallcr, Steady-State Applications in Enzyme Kinet,ics tion required for R mund treatment of these subjects beyond the elementary D. M. Adams and J . B . Ralino~,Advanced Practical Inorganic Chemistry level. Since the audience could not follow N. Haissinsky and J. P . Adloff,Radiochemical Survey of the Elements the appropriate derivations, these chapters tend to be arbitrary and dogmatic. Michael Hanaek, Conformation Theory They are, also, much loss well footnoted than the rest of the book; probably beThomas M. Dunn, Donald S . MeClure, and Ralph G. Pewson, Some Aspeet,s of muse the audience wouldn't understand Crystal Field Theory t,he appropriate original literature. The B. Trdmilla, Les ~Pparationspar les resines &changeusemd'ions chapter on aromatic substitution is d i appointing to me because it does not preK. G. Dmbigh, Chemicai Reect,or Theory sent much oi the lovely, classical work of R. A . Bernheim, Optical Pumping: An Introduction Ingold and his co-workers. I t seems to me that the author has been led down the Daniel A . Greenberg, Mathematics for Introductory Science Courses: Calculus garden path by spectacular recent experiand Veet,ors ments. some of whirth mav not be correctlv ~,~~ F& Wolf, Das Lustige Atom interpreted and which do not seem, to me, as pertinent as the earlier studies. Albert I,. Lehninger, Bioenerget,ies As already mentioned, many pertinent 12. 0.C. N o n a n and R. Taylor, Eleetrophilie Substitution in Benzenoid Comresults are footnoted with references to the pound~ original literature, in pleasant contrast with elementary texts. Unhappily, this
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'olume 43, Number 4, April 1966
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