book reviews Many are accounts of actual happenings: many are contrived. In all, the collection, aside from its relevance to physical science is a mixed hag if ever there was one. But this is a book meant for casual reading, meant t o give glimpses into how physical scientists see themselves and their world, and meant to be consumed by the wider public. It succeeds well in the first two aims but not a t all in the last, I fear. This is a collection of inside stories and it will be genuinely appreciated by physical scientists, teachers, and students of the physical sciences, hut it will not do mueh to interpret this culture; too much of it is directed a t the physical scientist to lead the uninitiated to the few gems that might illuminate. For example, who will find the humor in tlie following? "The fusion plasma requires a temperature of 500 million degrees, but I forget whether that's Centigrade or Ahsolute"-Remark overheard by Arthur H. Snell, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Nane-the-less, I have genuinely enjoyed reading "A Random Walk in Science" and have made use of it in a class of thermodynamics students and in a class of physical science students and found i t to he well received in both cases. It is worth owning in its own right and, t o be sure, it will he cited or a t least probably should be cited as the source of a good many classroom or meeting anecdotes to come.
such useful analytical techniques as polarography and voltammetry are discussed. For each of the functional groups mentioned in the oxidation, reduction chapters, a general discussion is given followed by a precise experimental procedure for carrying out a specific reaction. This type of presentation will do much to help organic chemists overcome the energy barrier involved in carrying out an electrochemical reaction. Other especially useful portions of the hook are the glossary of terms and charts of electrode potentials a t which the various functional groups are oxidized or reduced. These are in appendices a t the end. The various literature cited were not intended to he complete and cannot he in a book this size. However, very few works published after 1970 are cited, and the period since 1910 has been a n especially active period in electrochemistry. The last two chapters an electroinitiated polymerization and electracoating are, however, quite up-to-date and interesting accounts. The printing is by some type of off-set process, making the print quite large and easy to read, but also leading to relatively few words on a page. Persons contemplating the purchase of this hook would be well advised to look first a t the text entitled, "Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry" by A. J. Fry (Harper and Row, 1972). Although the Fry book does not devote as mueh space to techniques as does this text, i t is a much more thorough treatment of electrochemistry.
James M . Bobbitt university ofConnecticut Stons, Con". 06268
Robert W . Suter Bluffton College Eloffton. Ohio 45817
introduction to Organic Electrochemistry
M . R. Rifi and Frank H. Couitz, Union Carbide corporation, Bound Brook, New Jersey. Marcel Dekker, Ine., New York, 1914. vi + 417 pp. Figs. and tables. 23 x 15 cm. $26.50; student version, $19.50. This book is the latest addition to the outstanding series on "Techniques and Applications in Organic Synthesis'' edited by Robert L. Augustine. It is designed to instruct and direct a practicing organic chemist in the choice of experimental techniques for an electrochemical oxidation or reduction. The haok is divided into a n introduction; four general chapters on basic principles, apparatus and techniques, reduction of funetlonal groups, and oxidation of functional groups; and two rather specific chapters on eleetroinitiated polymerization and eleetrocoasting (the author's specialty). The three most useful chapters are those on apparatus and techniques, oxidation, and reduction. The various electrodes are discussed, and the properties of a number of solvents and electrolytes are tabulated. Equipment and cells are described and A300
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Journal of ChemicalEducation
Analytical Chemistry
Robert V. Dilts. Vanderbilt University. D. Van Nostrand Company, New York, 1974. ix 592 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 23.5cm.$14.95.
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The title "Analytical Chemistry" is somewhat misleading. The subtitle "Methods of Separation" is given on the title page and more appropriately describes the contents. The intent of the author is "to present contemporary methods of analytical chemistry to students fairly early in their undergraduate careers." The theme chosen is that of separations and is indicated by the following chapter contents: four chapters on the balance, lahoratory apparatus, laboratory operations, and errors; one chapter on chemical equilibrium; one chapter an solvent extraction; and eight chapters on chromatography, including column, liquid-liquid, paper, thinlayer, ion-exchange, gel, and gas chromatography. Each chapter includes a discussion of appropriate theory and applications, and a number of experimental pmcedures are presented. "The basic skills of volumetric, gravimetric, and colorimetric analysis are also taught by using them in these experiments for quantitative deter-
mination of the separated components. Thus, classical analysis is learned by ap~licationin realistic laboratory situations, rather than in contrived exercises." This text can only be considered representative of modem analytical chemistry if one is willing to accept the idea that such chemistry is primarily associated with chromatographic separations. With senarations ,~~~ as the theme. the number of ditiemnt laborntog experiment detrrminarami imeasurrmmla nrr quite Imrted. lnrluded are: fire expenmenth lxiaed on H I values, five an colorimetric measurements, one on gas chromatographic measurement, two on gravimetric measurement (both for nickel), one on potentiometric measurement, one on non-aqueous titration, one on conventional aeid-base titration, and several on EDTA titrations. The experiments are well written and quite complete. The text does not include much material an the subjects of sampling, oxidation-reduction, electrochemistry, uv and ir spectrophotametry, and many other topics that many persons would consider important. Chapter 5, "Chemical Equilibrium," consists of 165 pages (nearly Ys of the book) and includes much of the material that would he traditional either in the first year general chemistry course or the sophamare analytical course. There are problems (some with answers) a t the end of most of the chapters, and there are a number of worked out problem examples throughout the text. Operating instructions for the Mettler H6 single-pan balance, Coming Model 7 p H meter, and Bausch and Lamb Spectronic 20 Spectmphotometer are also given. Numerous tables and figures are presented throughout the haok; many figures are taken from photographs and clearly represent the apparatus, operation, or principle described. The text is well organized in regard to the topics of chromatography and the specific examples of laboratory techniques of separation are varied and practical. The separation theory introduced is well written and a t a n appropriate level for sophomore students. This text represents a markedly different approach to the presentation of the first course in analytical chemistry. The author is to he commended in this attempt to depart from "tradition," and for those instructors who might wish to emphasize solvent extraction and chmmatographic separations as the course basis, the text will he of considerable value. For others who may wish to continue with a more balanced presentation of classical /instrumental theory and methods, separations, and measurement, the book would serve as a good reference source, hut probably would not be suitable as the major text. ~
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J.M.Pappenhagen Kenyoo College Garnbier, Ohio 43022
