book reviews especially unfortunate in view of the fact that the authors have pioneered the teaching of this subject matter and must have accumulated a coordinated set of exercises to help the student gain mastery of the material. Perhaps future editions will include some of these. Considering the work as a whole, its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.. and it should serve as an instrumerit to promote the inrlu~ionof the formal study of molecular dynamics in an increasing number of colleges and universities. Departments which are not yet prepared to expand their curricula to include a new course would do well to consider use of this book as a supplementary text for existing courses in reaction kinetics.
Melhods in Molecular Orblial Theory
is either tautologous or very difficult to follow. The hook is written in an appealing colloquial style, which encourages the reader to believe that the topics are not so terrihly hard. Unfortunately, the writer commits such solecisms as "Transferability to about the extent of 3%is observed. . . for (the) kinetic energy" (in fact, the error is ahout 3%). "Suppositions of Configurations" is mentioned on p. 182. More serious than the verbal errors, which can be found in many hooks, are the occasional factual errors. A combination of functions (rp3 rp4) is said to be a reducible representation (p. 173). According to statements on p. 155, one forms the elements of the matrix S'I2 by forming the square root of each element of S (true only if S is diaganalized first). These errors or infelicities are not troublesome to the experienced reader, but interfere with the use of the book by its intended audience unless guided carefully by a good instructor. In its present form this book would be most useful as a source of illustrative material rather than a central text.
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Carl Trindle Unhrenity of Virginia Chsrbttesville, Virginia 2290 1
Almon G. Turner, University of Detroit. Prentiee-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1974. xiii 225 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.5 X 15 em. $13.95.
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Laser Mbro-Spectrochemica1 Analysls Professor Turner has set himself the goal of building an understanding of computations by semiempirical MO methods and providing a perspective on newer developments in nb initia computations, presuming no more than the knowledge of wave mechanics obtainable from an undergrsduate course in physical chemistry. T o these ends, he summarizes some necessary quantum mechanics and molecular orbital theory before turning to a utilitarian summary of the group theory and discussion of his central theme. The strengths of this book are (1) the collection of the several tables (such as valence state ionization energies) used frequently in approximate MO theory, and (2) the very detailed examples of the use of group theory and the analysis of MO's. The author supplies a realistic guide to the types of questions whieh can be answered hy approximate MO theory (though the successes in the theory of reactivity are ignored). Unfortunately the hook is flawed in several ways. The summary of quantum mechanics is opaque and sometimes misleading. For example, the nonrelativistic spatial wave function is said to depend explicitly on the particles' momenta as well 8 s eoordinates (p. 2). but no reference is made to momenta on p. 5 in the discussion of densities as squares of the wave function. The superposition principle is illustrated but never stated. Indistinguishahility of particles is said to lead directlv to the antisvmmetry of wave funrtmna, whereas there are other eho~ees(as for hosons) ruled out for electrons only by experience. A projection operator appears without warning or definition on p. 38. The introduction to group theory is useful, particularly the illustrative examples. However, the discussion on p. 86 of reducing s reducible representation A388 / Journal of ChemlcalEducatbn
ature are provided, particularly to work carried out in the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. Also, a number of interesting examples of applications for laser miero-spectrochemica1 analysis are given.
H. Moenke and L. Moenke-Blankenburg, VEB Zeiss, Jena. Translated by R. Auerboeh. Crane, Russak & Company, Inc., New York, 1974. viii 253 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 22 cm. $19.75.
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This hook is a translation from the German of a monograph which attempts to describe the state of laser miero-spectrochemical analysis from an instrumental paint of view. I believe that it will be of little interest to scientists not directly involved in such analysis for the following E990nS. 1) The book presents no overview of the subject. No effort is made to explain the general idea of the techniques, nor to point out clearly the advantages over other techniques. 2) The English grammar is sufficiently paor that the book is indeed difficult to read. In fact, it appears to me to he almost a transliteration, undertaken by someone unfamiliar with scientific terms in the field. 3) The first (German) edition was published in 1965; the second slightly revised version in 1967. Although some additions have been made for the English edition, the hulk of instrumental information is likely to be quite obsolete. 4) The emphasis on instrumentation (and in particular, on instruments produced hy Zeiss, a company with which the authors are associated) certainly provides little information of general utility to the scientific community. On the positive side, a number of spectra are reproduced which could be of considerable use to workers in the field. In addition, a number of helpful references to the liter-
Englneerlng Education: A Soclal H l d o q
George S. Ernrnerson, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada. Crane, Russak & Co., New York, 1973. 384 pp. Tables. 22 X 14 cm. $16.75. When undertaking a review of this book I questioned its suitahility for a journal directed primarily to chemistry teachers. A short period of reading persuaded me that not only was a review in order but that here was book of unique significance for anyone concerned with science and technology. The author has successfully developed the growth of technological education as a parallel to the growth of technology itself. There is an interesting discussion of the influence of the utilitarian views of Francis Bacon on Descartes in France, Locke in England, and Comenius in Germany and later on Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot in 18th century France. I t was in France that the rise of the military engineer revealed the potential of the engineering profession. With the creation of the Emle Polytechnique early in the Revolution the education of engineers (still primarily for military purposes) received national sanction. The school would long serve as a model for education of engineers, particularly in the utilization of mathematics and science as foundation studies. The pattern set by the French would not he duplicated quickly elsewhere. The British, in the midst of their industrial Revolution, would fail to recognize the importance of engineering studies at the university level, except for the Scots. The English did set up night schools for instruction in mathematics, drafting, and mechanics but these aimed a t the working artisan who sought to better his lot rather than a t young men seeking preparation for lifetime careers. In America too there was s slaw start toward formal education of engineers despite the pattern of early instruction in science pioneered in the universities by teachers trained in Edinburgh under Joseph Black and later in London under Frederick Accum. The elder Benjamin Silliman utilized the Accum training to develop science instruction on a sound footing at Yale and to spread the gospel in his wideraneine.. lecture tours. His student. Amos Entun, would project the pattern more apecif~callytoward applied science at Hensie. laer Institute. For the most part however, members of the engineering profession in 19th century America gained their training in the field in connection with the construction of canals, roads, bridges, railroads, and buildings. T o some extent their experience benefited from contact with im-
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