book reviews Editor: W. F. KIEFFER College of Wooster
Woorter, Ohio
Modern Chemical Technology
The ChemTeC Project. American Chemical Society (Book Department) Washington, D.C. Eight volumes. $5.00 each. These eight volumes culminate the work of the Chemical Technician Curriculum Project (ChemTeC) of the American Chemical Society funded by the National Science Foundation. Authored by the ChemTeC writing team and edited by Robert L. Pecsok, Kenneth Chapman, and Wade Ponder these relatively inexpensive paper-hound hooks should serve all the needs for text, laharatary manual, and problem book for chemistry courses normally offered for chemical technicians in a two-year college or for an in-plant training program for technical assistants. The seven volumes of text for the curriculum aggregate 1348 pages. The objectives are quite specific: 1) Train students in the use of common laboratory techniques; 2) Acquaint students with the language of chemistry; 3) Teach basic chemical principles; and 4) Teach some descriptive chemistry as it is currently used. The audience t o whom these texts are addressed is very specific. They q e students who are more interested in doing things rather than in developing a sophisticated understanding of why things happen. A background in basic algebra is sufficient. In Volume 1 the authors introduce chemistry by involving the student in a n
experiment t o show "what chemists do." Building on experiments with real samples from the environment, they introduce a number of chemical concepts and principles which seem essential for anyone who wants to perform intelligently and effectively in the laboratory. Volumes 2-7 present the subject matter oriented toward techniques rather than an indepth theoretical presentation. Included among the techniques, for example, are ir, visible, uv, nmr and mass spectra, flame photometry, chromatography (gas, liquid column, paper, and thin layer), electrophoresis, and dialysis. Same techniques are omitted, for example, synthesis. Yet the student is trained in skills which may be transferred to new techniques. Chemistry is an integrated discipline: the traditional subdivisions are dissolved and the dichotomy between lecture and laboratory bridged. Within this framework the instructor has much freedom for deciding what topics to include and in which sequence, how much chemistry a t the expense of practical information, and what level of vocabulary to use. These volumes present a valuable text for students as well as a bandy reference work for the already trained chemical technician. The eighth volume, a guide hook, introduces the student to safety in the laboratory, handling of chemicals and apparatus, laboratory notebooks and collection of data, calculations, tests, chemical literature, and the transition from school to a job. This guide should be a standard reference for all chemical technicians, technical assistants, student and apprentice chemists, and educators. The publisher will
The ChemTeC Project. Modern Chemical Technology J . J. Lapowshi, Modern Inorganic Chemistry L. F Hober, The Chemical Industry 1900-1930: Industrial Growth and Technological Change Harry B. Gray. Chemical Bonds L. E. Orgel, The Origins of Life Mark Batterson and William W. Boddie, editors, Salt, the Mysterious Necessity K . J Saunders, Organic Polymer Chemistry Snmuel L. Butcher and Robert J . Charlson. An Introduction t o Air Chemistry P. J. Garratt, Aromaticity Delbert J. Eotough, James J . Christensen, and ReedM. Zzatt, Experiments in Thermometric Titrimetry and Titration Calorimetry Carole L. Hamilton, Chemistry in the Environment. Readings from Scientific American New Volumes in Continuing Series
soon present this guide in a new edition for a general audience. An index in each volume as well as a general index in Volume 7 provide convenience and ready reference. We recommend thii work as a significant contribution to the education of chemical technicians and reference for industrial and government laboratories and libraries. A carefully prepared and remarkably complete Teachers Manual is also available (price $5.00). Special attention is paid to the experiments. A prelahoratory section gives safety precautions and suggestions on handling possible difficulties. Each experiment is outlined in terms of time needed, chemicals and equipment required, representative data and conclusions and suggested extensions into open-ended exploration. Answers are ~rovidedfar all ~ r o b l e m s
Robert E. Varnerin. Manager of Education Manufacturing Chemists Association Washington. D.C. 20009
Modern Inorganic Chemistry
J. J. Lagowski, University of Texas a t Austin. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1973. xii 806 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.5 x 16 cm. $13.75.
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Of late, inorganic chemistry texts have become increasingly lengthy and expensive. Encyclopedic texts seem to predominate as the amount of material to be mastered increases because of the rapid acceleration in the rate of research in inorganic chemistry. Such gargantuan books may indeed have their uses in advanced twosemester courses, hut shorter and less expensive texts suitable for one-semester courses have been rare. In many cases, therefore, students purchasing the longer texts have been paying for extraneous material which they did not use. Professor Lagowski's attractive and readable volume is thus especially welcome a t this time. It is in all respects a teaching text, not a reference hook. "Intended to give senior college or firstyear graduate students a working knowledge of the essence of modern inorganic chemistry,'' this book with its 806 wellarranged pages is priced a t $2 less than any of its recently published competitors because of the careful selectivity with which it has been conceived and written. In this reviewer's opinion, the author has eminently succeeded in striking a proper balance between the number of topics included and the depth of their coverage. A considerable amount of experimental data is succinctly summarized in tabular or graphic farm. In order to compensate further for the lack of detail in various spots, numerous selected references to the
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