"Fundamentals" is another excellent text hy Professor Holum in the area of general chemistry. It is quite similar in organization, content, and level t o his earlier book, "Elements of General and Biological Chemistry;" however, it contains mure material and more applications. "Fundamentals" is also quite similar to "Essentials of General, Organic, and Biochemistry" by Routh, Eyman, and Burton. The latter was reviewed in J. CHEM. EDUC., in September 1978. This book is evenly divided into the three areas eiven in the title. withabout 10eha~ters
istry chapters provide excellent descriptions uf the structure, function, and metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. The genetic code, biochemical energetics, and extracellular fluids are discussed. The final chapter on nutrition will probably be enjoyed by more people than any other chapter in the book. The most serious problem of this book is the relative level of difficulty of the three main sections described above. Even taking into account the philosophy that the material should become progressively harder as the student works through the hook, there remains a considerable disparity in level of difficulty. The general chemistry section barely exceeds in difficulty the level of a rigorous high school chemistry course. The use of "Rohr-like" electron dot diagrams is most discouraging; the student is never expected to perform even the simplest equilibrium calculation; and the arithmetic demands "quit before the need to solve a quadratic equation arises3'despite the fact that such a skill is required in any good eighth grade algebra class. Enthusiasm for taking and for takine seriouslv iunior hieh and senior hieh
coverage of several topics is understandably but unfortunately brief in this 246-page section, i.e. ouidation-reduction reactions receive less than a page and chemical kinetics is covered in only four pages. The organic chemistry section provides a quick but excellent overview of the subject including brief chapters an synthetic polymers and optical isomerism. The biochem-
texts. The organic material seems to be aimed a t the appropriate level-namely to beginning chemistry students who are preparing for careers in the allied health sciences. The hioehemistry section is too difficult. The figures presenting the catabolism of some amino acids, the interrelations of major metabolic pathways, and the principal sources of triacylglycerols in adipose tissue
book reviews Fundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological Chemlstry
John R. Holum, Augsburg College. John Wilevand Sons. Ine.. New Yark. 1978. Fies.
A224 1 Journal of Chemical Education
for instance are generally found in texts presuming two years of college chemistry. The production of the book is excellent. The color registration of most figures isvery well done. I read 79 pages before finding the first typo;and the quality of printing and paper is good. Strangely, little attention was given in the layout t o providing definite breaks between the three sections; for instance, an introduction t o biochemistry is buried in the chapter.on carbohydrates. A delightful series of photographs introduces each chapter, with the family of skunks marching into the chapter on mercnptans taking first prize. The text lives up t o its promise of describing only the chemistry and those applications of chemistrv which ~ e r t a i nto the hrnlrh srtrnrr
