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, ~
~
n. 3831. - ~,~ r~-
gun: 7 l ~ * r n n r I.. lcrnhr.rrr. I niwrsiry of'
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:~.
f ' m r l u ~Kiop/mclrcn.
Ilnivrr-ity o f O w
+
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
