(Here, p. 86, the steady state assumption has been abridged and thus rendered meaningless. The rateof changeof radical wncentrations is assumed to be small with rpspect to their ?ales of formation and destmetion.) Too frwuentlv information seems to eome in a; "06, by the way'' fashion. Facts previously unknown to the student sre adduced in support of the argument.. On balance, I think this is a useful book. My regret is that it could have been s good bit better. I hope that there will he attempts to improve upon it.
St. Catharines, ontar6 Canada
Dictionary of Organic Compounds. Second Supplement
Edited by R. Steuens. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, New York, 1966. 221 pp. 20 X 27 cm. $28. The Second Supplement has been changed only to make it more useful to readers. Among the changes are modernization of nomenclature, a format change in the listing of data for derivatives of a principal compound, full literature references including the author's initials. The majority of the compounds listed are new. However, recent data concerning previously listed compounds are included. Also, errata are given for errors found in the Main Work and First Supplement. LEROYW. HAYNES College of Wooster Wooster. Ohio
198 el sep.) on conventions far expressing free energy changes is most valuable; most senior and graduate students emerging from chemistry majors may not be aware of confusions in the biochemical literature in this important area. I t would have been too much to ask for a first edition, we suppose, thst a free energy datum be included with every reaction where possible-an idea which these authors might wnsider for the next edition. Doeument,ation generally is good, but the historical chapter is sketchy and un-
Hawk's Physiological Chemistry
(Charlei C Thomas, -springfield, Ill., 1930), which contains a great deal of historical material, particularly in the field of digestion, vitamins, and endocrinology, and including reference to Fletcher and Hopkins' classical work which became, through the use of muscle tissue, the starting point of studies on carbohydrate metabolism in animals. The chapter on intracellular organization is also brief. The schematic diagrams are done with expertise and are most helpful. However, reproduction of electron micrographs is unsatisfactory; these are no longer considered as illustrations, but form a docw mentation and therefore require reproductionof high quality. The authors will be their awn befit reviewers from the standpoint of technics1 errors which may have appeared in a firjt edition. We have not read the volume in an attempt to find technical errors, but .I.one does appear on p. 703 (for aspartate ." read ". . . L-ornilhine . . ." on the first line). The appearance of this hook clearly indicates that the practice may be pass6 of having biochemistry graduate student,^ at medical schools take the same course as do the medical students for satisfaction of an introductory course in biochemistry. Or the medical chemistry course will have to be upgraded. This problem is obviated a t schools where several d e ~ a r t rnent,a offer biochemical courses. In anv
and to ignore completely the experimental observations and (often beautiful) logical deductive processes leading to them. Especially is this regrettable in t h m days when it is fashionable to teach the subject to more and more elementary classes; the more straightforward the concept, often the more inaccessible the experimental basis, so that the student begins to regard biochemistry as a Greek philosophy, or, perhaps, as something handed to Moses on stone tablets! I t is, therefore, utterly refreshing to read a new edition which not only expounds and explains in a most lucid manner the major facts and wncepts of both modern and classical biochemistry, hut also offers a wealth of clear, wnoise, and specific experimental methodology. The book is equally of value to chemical, biological, medical, and physiological biochemists. I t is not cheap; hut neither is it so expensive that it cannot be acquired by any serious student. To the student, it offers a real understanding of the experimental basis of an experimental science; to the teacher, rtt m y level, it is a sheer gold-mine of precise data and dire* tions covering almost any area; and to the researcher it offers specifio methodology which may be modified confidently to fit virtually any requirement.
..
". .
Edited Bernard Osw, lJniversity. 14th ed. McGraw-Hill Book (theB1akiston Division), New York~ xvi + 1472 pp. Fi@. and 23.5 cm. $19.50.
hi^ book is, of course, a classic. Its earlier editions have been standard reference works for sixty years. ~ i ~ ~today h is ~an enormous ~ i ~ t far-reaching subject, crossing the horderlines of many conventional disciplines, so that it has hewme the norm for general,
TERENCEC. OWEN Unwersay ojSmUh Florida Tampa
Biological Chemishy
Henw R. Mahlm and Eugae H . Cmdes, both of Indiana University, Bloomington. Harper and Row, Publishers, New 872 pp. Figs. and York, 1966. xv tables. 18.5 X 26.5 cm. $16.50.
+
This is su aurhmitntiw, well-wuwivd, C ~~~ I I Q I I ~ ~ J . - W Tw~ ~wI P t~ a~ r , deali~*g with tlrr applintriurt of chemical prirwiplrt for an understmding of biologicaL proc.i put oo orgmir raw% Thc empha~la1 rhcm~ctryrather than on lwing orgaw.ms, and i t doe> not cleal with therornmrative aspects of biochemistry. The text requires a sound background in the physical and chemical sciences an the part of the reader to he fully appreciated. I t may set some kind of pattern far the field inasmuch as it treats of the intimate detaik of biochemical processes in a. manner and style not achieved by the usual biochemical texts. The authors dig deeply into certain subject matter not adequately treated in other biochemical texts. For e m p l e , the discussian (p. H
310
/
Journal of Chemical Education
will leave many heads unsatisfactorily scratched. A formerly typical, i.e., classical, graduate with a Ph.D. in biology with even somewhat more than a minimum amount of chemistry will be swamped by the m e terial of this hook. The chemicallyoriented biologist who o m handle it would be accepted in the oommunity as a fullfledged biochemist (The old order changeth, yielding place to new). As with most texts "at the summit," some of the material will be outdated rapidly, hut the authors me so well versed and active in their fields that they can easily keep it up-*date in subsequent editions. The aut,hors are to he congratulated on the depth and clearness of their presentations. G. W. BROWN,JR. WIKTORW. NOWINSKI University qf Texas Medical Branch Galveston
-
Gmelins Handbuch der Anoramnirchen ~ h e m i e . 8. AuRage. Sys?em Nummer 21, Natrium. Lieferung 3
Edited by E. H. E. Pietsch and the Gmelin Institute. Verlag Chemie, GMBH, WeinheimlBergstrasse, 1966. 474 pp. Figs. and tables. m v 17.5 X 25.5 cm. $110.
+
This suoolement covers the wmoaunds portion of the compounds with c d x m . Another supplement on sodium is due to be published soon which will complete coverage of the sodium-carbon compounds and include the compounds of sodium with silicon, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth. A special volume will contain the sodium-halogen compound8
(Continued a page A488)
~
B O O K REVIEWS and a separate supplement on the compounds of sodium and lithium and systems with two or more anions is anticipated. These volumes will bring the main vohme on sodium, origindy published in 1928, completely up to date.
JANETB. VANDOREN College of Woos18 Wooster. Ohio
Techniques of Oscillographic Polarography
Robert Kalooda, Prague. Translated by Ziarel Micka. 2nd ed. American Elsevier Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1966. 214 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23 em. $12.50. Dr. Robert Kalvoda's monograph on techniques of oscillographic polarography wss designed to serve as a. training manual for aspiring practitioners of this wellknown electraandytical technique. Dr. Kalvods is probably the world's most qualified individual in the field of oseillographic polarography, having worked with this technique for many years in an environment where its applications are truly ubiquitous and demanding. The excellence of this monograph clearly demonstrates Dr. Kalvoda's qualifications. The level of presentation is aimed at the beginner in the field. The aim is true! Dr. Kalvods succeeds in explaining the basic principles of the technique in quditative terms which demand a minimal background of knowledge in modern electroanalytical methods. The cumbersome mathematical description of the technique is omitted, except for a few illustrative equations. The clarity of presentation for the most part is excellent. For this we apparently owe much to the translator, Dr. Karel Micke. The monograph consists of four c h a p ters. The first chapter provides a summary of principles of the method, its scope, techniques employed in analytical applications and typical instrumentation. Nearly one-half of the text is devoted to Chapter 2 which describes examples of applications of the oscillopolarographic method. Tbis review of applications probably represents the most extensive and complete one of its kind. Applics, tions in analysis represent by far the most frequent use of oscillographic polarogrsphy. The content of Chapter 2 is distributed accordingly. I n this chapter the author confronts the reader with an analytical methodology of truly amazing scope which includes analysis schemes for over 53 elements, for numerous organic compounds ranging through aliphatics, aromstics, heterocyclics, alkaloids, amino acids, hormones, vitamins, proteins, etc., as well as applications in characterization of emulsions, insoluble subst,ances and the like. Applications in kinetic and mech% nistic studies of electrode reactions receive a mere 511% page treatment which is prohahly justifisd due to the lass frequent
A468
/
Journal of Chemical Education
applieabions of this nature. Chapter 3 presents ts well-chosen group of exercises in t.he use of the oscillopolarographic method, while Chapter 4 deals with circuitry end maintenance of apparatus. Clearly this text fulfills its intended purpose. Students learning to apply oscillographic palarography with the aid of the Czechoslovak P576 and LP600 Polaroscopes are particularly fortunate that this monograph exists. However, many readers of this review are not in a position to h w e developed a highly specialized interest in oscillographic polarography. To them, this monograph which deals with a specific technique applied in a rather specified manner (50 c.p.s. alternating current polarization, readoct consisting of dE/dt vs E curves) with the aid of a p a r t i c l h ~ type of instrument (the Czech Palaroscapes) may represent a text of rather narrow content. Such a view would not be surprising, nor would it reflect in a negative way on the abilities of the author who had a rather specific objective in mind. However, this reviewer believes that the careful, percep tive reader will find something in this book which is of much broader significance than oscillographic polarography itself. Through thoughtful perusal one finds an implicit development of a bask philosophy of application of electroanalyticd techniques to chemical problems which transcends the bounds of oscillographic polsrography to include all related methods. The philosophy is one which includes, among other things, an apprecis, tion of the rewards that care and attention to detail bring to electroanalytical methods, and a confidence that the technique a t hand is a powerful one which can be applied successfully even in relatively unfavorable circumstances by a proper blend of basic knowledge and empiricism. In addition to this, readers living in the many countries where applications of electroandytical methods are rare will find the scope of application described in Chapter 2 an education in itself. The content of this chapter should lead one to question whether the electroanalytical methods do not have more to offer than many of us think. There are a few items in this monograph which appear objectionable, although they scarcely dampen this r e viewer's enthusiasm. With one excep tion, most are minor points unworthy of mention. However, in pages 12 and 13 the author makes statements which imply that, while oscillogrrtphic polarography with controlled alternating current is a unique method which truly supplements chssio~lpolarography (which is true), the controlled potential analogs of os,cillographic polarographic (e.g., rapid linear scan or cyclic voltammetry) do not share these properties and provide nothing new. The reader should be aware that there are many, including this reviewer, who do not share this rather disparaging opinion of the controlled potential analogs. The literature abounds in theoretical and experimental evidence from which the reader can draw his own conclusions.
Euanstm, Illinois
Wave Mechanics for Chemists
C . W. N . Cumper, Woolwich Polytechnic, London. Academic Press, Inc., 382 pp. Figs. New York, 1966. x and tables. 14.5 X 22.5 om. $11.50.
+
This book consists of three parts and a series of appendices. After a brief introduction to wave mechanics, the first part deals with exact solutions of the Sehrodinger equation for the harmonic oscillator, the rigid rotator and the hydrogen atom. The second part gives a. short description of the mathematical techniques involved in the most important approximation methods, and applies these to the elementary quantum mechanical treatment of atoms and molecules. The third part concerns itself with some rtpplicrttions to chemical problems. In the Preface the author states that "The intention of this book is to cover the needs of students preparing for University (in Britain). Degree Examinations. I n the U. S. its contents should he accessible to the advanced chemistry undergraduate and may he of some use to the beginning graduate student. mathe em atical arguments have heen kept to a minimum and the presentation, on the whole, is clear. This reviewer strongly feels that the working out of sets of problems should be an integral part of the study of many of the topics involved. He therefore regrets that no such exercises are included. Each chapter ends with list of Bihliographical References, which is helpful but frequently not up to date. It is amrteing how many features the author has managed to cover in anaverage sized book even when one realizes that such coverage does not always go very deep. 4 1 0 While there is heavy emphasis on 1 techniques, the valence bond method is not neglected altogether. I n several instances a more critical approach would have improved the presentation. For example, the discussion of Ionic-Covalent resonance is unsatisfilctory since it does not consider the problems created by the non-orthogomlity of the relevant wave functions. In the VB treatment of butadiene, the arhitrary choice of basic structures is justified solely on the basis of "chemical orderence." The reader is
.."
scheme is only referred to in a footnote. Of course the question as to what to include and what not to include in a book of this type largely remains a, matter of personal preference. We can forgive the author for omitting van der Waals forces and for only briefly touching upon some aspects of optical spectroscopy, even for leaving out entirely EiVIR and NMR spectroscopy. But we cannot be reconciled with the omission of group theory; a t least some simplified discussion of the utilization of molecular symmetry in solving quantum chemical problems should have been given. In re-reading my comments up to this ~ o i n tI, note that in no place have I been highly critical or very enthusiastic. This accurately summarizes my opinion of this book. It is commendable but it lacks originality, depth, critique, and challenge.
(Continued on we A470)
