book reviews theories of reactors and weapons but very little on direct medical applications and no mention of the most widely used diagnostic isotope, 99"'Te. The introductory organic chemistry chapters also have their flaws. Figure 16.3 has been borrowed from another book without revising its captions properly. Ethylene is not commercially prepared by dehydrating alcohol as implied on p. 232; in fact, this is inconsistent with what is said two pages later about one of the main uses of ethylene. The addition of a section on theory of chemical bonding a t the end of chapter 15 bears little relationship t o the other material in the chapter. There are too many other points of dispute to mention them all. A number of other superior teats have been written for either the one- or two-semester chemistry courses for the health science oriented student. Leonard F. Druding Rutgers University Newark, N.J. 07102
Group Theory and Chemistry
David M. Bishop, University of Ottawa. Oxford University Press, Ely House, London, W. I., 1973. xvi 294 pp. Figs. and Tables. 15.5 X 24 em. $27.25.
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In recent years several books have appeared which discuss symmetry, the theory of groups, and treat chemical problems whieh are simplified by the use of group theory. These texts vary from those which
give the minimum amount of theory neeessary to treat problems in chemical bonding and molecular spectroscopy in a qualitative fashion to those that strive to give a sound mathematical grounding in group theory. This book falls into the latter category, although the treatment is fairly well balanced. In the first four chapters, concepts are developed in detail. The book begins with an entertaining discussion of symmetry and the historical evolution of group theary. Symmetry elements, operators, and their algebra are developed very clearly. The reader is given the feeling that chemical applications are regarded as important by discussions of dipole moments and optical activity a t this point. Point groups and the determination of molecular paint groups are examined, and the text is illustrated with numerous drawings. A chapter is included on matrices and matrix algebra, and most of the mathematics which is used later is developed here. These early chapters can be understood easily by a college junior or senior and are written in the pleasant style with historical asides whieh English authors do so well. In the next three chapters, the approach and level becomes approximately that of a beginning quantum mechanics text. Matrix representations are developed from a position vector, sets of base vectors, and by considering the actions of transfarmation operators on a set of functions, e.g. .atomic orbitals. Equivalent and reducible representations are treated mathematically, and finally irreducible representations and character tables are examined. For
the student who is willing t o take the time, these three chapters will give him a much better background than the texts which are concerned more with applications. Chapter 8 attempts to set forth some principles of wave mechanics which are necessary for a fundamental understanding of the applications treated in the last four chapters. Prior exposure to quantum mechanics is helpful a t this point. The final four chapters are concerned with the use of group theory in solving problems in vibrational spectroscopy and chemical banding. Harmonic oscillators and normal coordinates are discussed, but symmetry coordinates are not. The treatment is rather mathematical, restricted to simple molecules, and about a t the level of a beginning text an molecular spectraseapy. It is not a guide to the determination of molecular symmetry from spectra; and in fact, no Raman or infrared spectra are illustrated. The last three chapters deal with molecular orbital theory, hybrid orbitals, and the bonding in transition metal compounds. MO's for benzene and the trivinylmethyl radical are developed mathematically without recourse to drawings of contour surfaces for atomic and symmetry orbitals. Energy level diagrams for transition metal compounds are treated qualitatively using both MO's and the effect of a crystal field. Spectra and magnetism are discussed only very briefly. Throughout the early chapters of the book, many of the proofs and descriptions of mathematical operations are collected a t the end of each chapter so that the reader less concerned with rigor can move more rapidly. A brief set of problems also is included a t the end of each chapter; answers are not supplied. For the reader who wants a good grounding in the theory of groups but also is interested in diverse chemical applications, this book can be recommended. R. Stuart Tobias Purdue University West Latayette, Indiana 47907
Twenty Years of Colloid and Surface Chemistry The Kendall Award Addresses
Edited by Karol J. Mysels, Carlos M. Sornour, and John H. Hollister. American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, 1973. ix + 305 pp. Figs. and Tables. 22 x 28 em. $12.00. This volume contains 19 oaoers. each
an annual symposium in honor of the recipient of the ACS Award in Colloid or Surface Chemistry. These collected papers provide an excellent overview of the history, central themes, and current status of research of the field. WFK
A556 1 Journal of Chemical Education
