book reviews meet this need far practice in solvingchemical problems. The book is arranged as a self-teaching manual consisting of 19 sets of prohlems of gradually increasing complexity which the student can work a t his or her own pace. Within each set, problems are grouped around one or more important chemical concepts or ideas. Each question is followed immediately by an answer. In the ease of mare complex questions, the method for arriving a t the answer is described in detail. One important feature presented is the "OEIOU (one equation in one unknown) approach" to problem solving, an approach which teaches the student to solve problems in a logical, orderly fashion. This bookshould be a highly usefuladjunct to the basic textbooks used in an introductory chemistry course, and for use away from the regularly scheduled classes. All students will benefit from the approach used but serious students will find it hoth interesting and valuable. Dr. Gibson has prepared a highly useful book which should be carefully considered for possible use by those teaching chemistry a t the introductory level. Donald F. Loasdon. Jr
130. " . . rhc linal rrsponsihilicy for error drrrcrion lirc wirh rhc user of rhr program. who must scrutinize the output todetermine whether it makes sense." The goal of the text is, of course, to make the programmer and the user one. And, on p. 402, in the context of program debugging (but equally applicable elsewhere in the text-indeed, anytime the student is interacting with the computer), "Those who need the most practice will he sure to get it!" This reviewer believes that a student will obtain a clearer understanding of the chemistry and mathematics, and of the assumptions usually invoked in numerical solutions, by explaining the problem to a machine (programming) than by hand calculating a few problems. Part 111 contains a brief introduction t o binary arithmetic, a glossary of computer terms (further helping to forestall a ''snow job" at the computer center), and wrhaps the most useful feature, a guide to program optimization (to which the authors should refer more frequently in earlier sections). Theappendix (Dl on program trouhle-shooting emphasizes the differences between batch and on-line operation. There is a useful hibliography, and a comfortably complete index to both the chemistry and programming discussed in the text. Though the book is reproduced directly from type copy and has a cheap look about it, it is quite error free (exceptions include: steo . 2...o. 22:. error in Basic expression, p. 40; tab error, p. 73; confusion of molal with molar, p. 148; buffer definition, ~
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This text meets its stated ends; i t should become a landmark in chemistry, computing, and chemical education. I suggest that every chemistry student should obtain a copy for self study a t the beginning of his second year-and the teacher should consider having his own copy.
Scmh ('andinn: nnd 6'mr.r C .lure. The Pennsylvania State University. Alyn and Bacon, Boston, 1974. Figs. and tables. 23 X 18.5 cm. riii 414 pp. $7.95.
George Brubaker iilinois InstiMe of Technology Chicago. illinois 60616
Introduction to Computer Programming For Chemists. Basic Version
Chark\
.. .,i:ins. Universitvof Nebraska:~.
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This bookis written for theundergraduate chemistry student and based on the premise that ". . . programming is the only way t o learn to program." I t is rather similar to the earlier Fortran oriented book, "Introduction to Computer Programming for Chemists," by two of the present authors, in its organization and content. Apart for the obvious difference in programming language, the present volume also dwells extensively on interactive computing. The hook is divided into three sections: Part I covers computer architecture, characteristics and logic, and flow charting and computer languages, in just enough detail to protect a novice reader from a "snow job" by the eomouter's caretaker. The author's in-
the reader is reminded that exact interpretation depends an bath the machine and the installation, and that the aforementioned caretaker ultimately has the last word. Part I1 contains 52 oroerams with varied concepts and programming requirements. The description of the chemistry component of each exercise is sufficient to fully justify the title of the book. The writeup isgenerally clear, and sprinkled with truisms as, on p. A344 1 Journal of Chemical Education
Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis. Fourth Edition
Galen W Ewing, Seton Hall University. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New Yark, 1975. viii + 560 pp. Figs. and tables. 24 X 16.5 cm. $18.95. This hook is the new editionof astandard textbook for seniors or beginning graduate students. This edition has been improved by the addition of chapters on electron speetroseopy and automated analysis. Expanded coverage on magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy aver the third edition has been included. This is a very readahle text and should be considered for any instrumental analysis text. The simple treatment given most topics is the main disadvantage of this text. In the electrochemistry section there is essentially no discussion on liquid junction potentials, ir drop, or overvoltage. Nothing is shown about haw to plot potentiometric titration curves and there is a lack of applications of potentiometry. The section on conductivity shows no titration curves and electrogravimetry is left out entirely. There is some good (Continued an page A3461
book reviews
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information but modern electrochemical techniques such as ac polarography are not included. The introduction to optical methods seems good, but there is little information on deviations from Beer's Law. There is verv little of infrared theory, i.e., what motion oimolecules cause absorption. The section on instrumentation is excellent. The atomic ahsorption treatment is generally good, although no equations showing the fraction of excited atoms to ground state atoms are given. The chapter on emission spectroscopy includes flame emission and this results in a rather brief treatment of flame methods, althoueh the ehsoter is eenerallv excellent. The chapter i,n nmr n light on thewy as ucll as inpcctm. It is mterestlng ro now that much better treatments of nmr are t o be found in organic tents such as Morrison and Boyd. The chromatography section is also light on theory and examples. The newly added mass snectra is eenerallv. eood but aeain there is little infcmnatim that wcndd show a atudent h w ma.* spectroscopy cracking patterns nmr a b m t The nutumntir nnnlysir chapter i:. d'intrrert and is well dune. In gmt.ml,thisisir well wriltrn text but it is hampered by the fact that theauthor treata a number of subjecb (as discussed above) tw lightly. This would lead the serious instructor to supplement the teat with added information.
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up to date. For example the chapter on anproperties rn~singand luwering uperators, matrix representation, vector coupling, and projection operators. Elsewhere one finds interspersed among the classic examples lucid applications invol;ing such topics Fourier t&nsforms, Poission brackets, uncertainty, the virial theorem. Condon-Slater rules. Hiickel t h e m,.. \,an dcr Waals forces, larers, tunnelmg, group theory. I? nmr spectroscopy, the Born npproximation, as well as numerous others. The closely detailed documentation (each problem is referenced) reveals that most of the standard textbook derivations have been included as well as many original problems and examples from the literature that are within the masoof thestudent. For examole. . . m thr rhaprrr on hydrogen.l~keatomz.ju~irnnl rrfcrrnrrsare given for an npplrcntion of Srhrodi,~gcr's fartoriratiun technrque for solving one-dimensional problems, a relativistic correction calculation, and a development of the two-dimensional hydrogen atom paradox. Although i t is conceivable that Problems and Solutions could be used as a textbook, its most useful application would be as a supplement workbmk similar to, say, a Schsum's Outline, providing alternative derivations and prartwe. In thm sense Johnwn and I'rdrrscn's bvuk fills an importnnr void and h w l d b e a must wtlrcmcsddit~mtothe l i brary of teacher and student alike.
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Dan McLaughiin UniversilyofNew Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
Donald G. Davis University of New Orleans New Orleans. Louisiana 70122
i'roblems and $olutlons in Quantum Chemistry and Physlcs Natural and Synthetic Polymers Charles S. Johnson and Lee G.Pedersen, University of North Carolina. AddisonWesley Publishing Company, 1974. Figs. and tables. 21 X 28 cm. & +432 pp. $8.50 (paper text edition) Students in Quantum Chemistry classes are frequently warned that there are only two kinds of problems they will encounter in the course--trivial or impossible. Evidence for this frustrating situation may be found in the large number of otherwise excellent quantum textbooks whose authors have elected t o include no exercises a t all. The book bv John.s#mand Pedcrsen btterr B r r ~ ~ l u t m IOnhoth renrhcrs and students by pruvidma a supplemental paperback containing 280 examples followed immediately by detailed salutions and 139 supplementary exercises provided with final answers only. This carefully written book is divided into 12 chanter t o ~ i c sand desiened to he selfn.ntaitwd in the sense01 inrludmgshorr rxp.,qitor) intmduruons ro csc h chapter, and ten extensive appendices on mathematical topics. Of course some facility with baekground subjects such as calculus, mechanics, and electricity and magnetism is assumed. The subject matter is quite modern, including entire c h a ~ t e r son formalism. the electronic
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A346 / Journal of Chemical Education
Henry I. Bolker, MeGill University. Mareel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1974. xiv 688 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 23.5 cm. $29.75 and $19.57 (texthook).
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In hm "Xntural and Synthet~cI'olymen" Bdker hni pn,duced a m ~ v dand often enp c m g entrant :ntu the field of intmductory polymer chemistry texts. True t o its title, the hook embraces the broad perspective of polymer science and gives almost as much attention to polymers of natural origin as to those produced synthetically. From some other viewp~inb,however, the coverage encompasses considerably less ground. The physical chemistry of macromolecules is, with few exceptions, left for the reader t o glean from other sources. The properties of polymers in solution are not seriously addressed, and there is little svstematie discussion of the
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polymeric materials and on their roles in technology and nature. Thus, considerable space is devoted t o the organic chemistry of polymer synthesis and to discussions of the natural source and function of the biopolymers. In eeneral. chemical and macromolec-
