General Chemlstry P. W. Atkins. Freeman: New York. NY. 1989. xxiv 989 pp. Figs. and tables. 20.5 X 26.1 cm.
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This text is the latest of many entrants into the general college chemistry text field written for first-year science majors. It covers the majority of traditional topics included in this type of text. The author is the renowned physical chemist who has written a widely accepted physical ehemistry text. This is his first venture into the general chemistry field and there is a carryover of presentation into this text. The author states in the preface that he has aimed to write a text that conveys enthusiasm and gives pleasure and transmits an attitude during the presentation of the essentials of chemistry. In addition, he states that he has avoided "gimmickry" and paced the textWto give readers a sense of intellectual growth". The structure of the text was proposed to help the reader recognize that chemistry can he subdivided into five major areas: Part I. Matter and reactions, Part 11. Atoms, molecules and ions, Part 111. Rates and equilihrium, Part IV. The elements, and Part V. Organic. The selection of topics is done in an acceptable fashion with thermochemistry following chemical equations, stoichiometry, and gases. The second part is a comprehensive study of the atom, honding (VSEPRT, HO, MO) and molecular structure. The author has used kinetics as the vehicle to develop equilibrium and acidbase chemistry and climaxed the discussion of equilibria with entropy and free energy. He states that he introduces a "new and powerful idea capable of explaining everything that has gone before" (perhaps some adventurous author will develop solutions and equilibria with thermodynamics rather than end with it!) Descriotive chemistrv is studiedin part lv'withadetailed lookatihe elements via their structure and theirs, p, or d-block location on the periodic table. This is concluded with organic that merges into biochemistry. This structure consists of 24 chapters, two
-Reviewed
appendixes, a very complete glosspy, answers to odd-numbered problems and an index. There is also a listing directly after the T - 0 4 of all the worked examples in the text. The text is infused with a very large number of beautifully done multicolored pictures, figures, and illustrations. The text uses unit analysis and conversion factors and generally adheres to S.I. convention although older hut still widely seen units such as cc, cal, OC, mol. wt. and atmospheres appear. Equations use appropriate lahels for solids, liquids, gases, and aqueous forms. The format of each chapter consists of an overview, explanations, and illustrations followed by s summary including key terms and many exercises. The end-of-chapter exercises have been written to make the reader think about the concepts just encountered. The exercises are of sufficient rigor and depth to test the reader thoroughly. The approach is largely quantitative requiring a mathematical background up to the calculus. The text has been thoroughly reviewed and prepared toeliminate substantive error. The reviewer did not attempt to work exercises to determine correctness or completeness. It would appear that the text does provide for the development of an enthusiasm for chemistry and an attitude of understanding of chemical principles. This text will he a strong contender in the market place of general chemistry and may approach the widespread popularity and usage of Atkin's physical chemistry text. Neil R. Coley Chabot College Hayward. CA 94545
Organlc Chemlstry, Fourth Edltlon T. W. Graham Solomons. Wiley: New York. NY. 1988. xxvi 1186 pp. Figs. and tables. 17.8 X 26.1 cm. $51.50.
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from the third edition. The emohasis continues to he on functional groups and descriptive chemistry ar in the previous editions. Although the most common mechanisms are explained, physical-organic treatment is not emphasized, except as needed. The organization of the text is among the best for the functional group approach. Cydoalkanes are covered along with alkanes, alcohols with ethers, and alkenes with alkynes. Polar groups and ionic reactions are discussed early in the text, and free-radical reactions are treated at about the right level (without heingoveremphasized). Several reactions receive excellent treatment: hydrohoration, oxymercuration, Diels-Alder, permanganate oxidation, organo euprates, silylation, Wittig ylids, and Friedel-Crafts. Other reactions which receive good treatment are Grignard, Sandmeyer, nucleophilic substitution and electrophilic suhstitution of aromatics. Of special note is the coverage of organometallies. This area is discussed under several headings other than Grianard: snecial tonics coverage of lithium enoiates a& transition metal catalysis are well done introductarv units. even if the" are not eomprehensxrblaome bpecral met& are not covered: cadmium and thallium reagents are not mentioned, e.g.). Other good features of the text are the explanation and use of valence bond resonance form rules ("electron-pushing" conventions), a topic which is often not explained well in many competitor texts. The use of pK, to evaluate basicity is handled well. HOMO-LUMO theory is introduced in several places in the text (U.V-Vis spectroscopy, aromaticity, DiebAlder reaction) hut is not actually employed in orbital symmetry processes except as a special topic at the end of the volume. The author has added more problems to many of the chapters (for the fourth edition) in an attemot to orovide a wider ranee of d~ffaulry.This feature is not yet a strong pornt, however. The treatment of IR and NMR spectroscopy also needs more devel-
The fourth edition extends'the evolution of this text hut is not radically different
(Continued on page A183
in This Issue
P. W. AMns. General Chemistry T. W. Graham Solomons, Organic Chemistry, Fourth Edition Ian MNs, Tomislav Cvltas, Klaus Homann, Nikola Kalley, and Kozo Kuchitsu, Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry New Volumes in Continuing Series
Reviewer Neil R. Cooley Jerome A. Roth Robert D. Freeman
Volume 66
A187 A187 A188 A188
Number 7
July 1989
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quantities and operations;
5. [4 pp.] table of fundamental physical
opment, especially in the area of problems and examples. The special topic on introduction to mass spectrometry is, however, quite good. Stereochemistry is treated in several different chapters and is introduced quite early. Even so, relatively few examples are used to explain the application of some of these difficult concepts, especially under cycloalkane stereochemistry. As with the previous editions, theauthor's writing style is brief and concise. However, the text is about the same length as most of the competitors in this field, not including the life sciences and special topics chapters a t the end of the text. Multiple colors are used extensively. While this can be effective with some tonics..the usaee here often seems superfluous and even annoying. The index is adequate, unless one wishes to l w k up a particular compound.
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Jerome A. Roth Northern Michigan Universny Marquelie. Mi 49855
(IuanlRles, U n l b and Symbols In Physical Chemistry Prepared forgublication by Ian Mlfls. T* mislav Cvltas, Klaus Homann, Nlkola KaC lay, andKozo Kuchiisu. Blackwell Scientific Publications: Palo ARo. CA, 1988. ix 134 pp. 19.3 X 28 cm. $32.50. A 25% discount is available for affiliate members of IUPAC.
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constants, from the 1986 revision by the CODATA Task Group on Fundamental Constants; 6. [I6 pp.] tables of (a) properties of particles (electron, proton, ete.), (b) the 1985 Standard Atomic Weights, (c) properties of the individual nuclides (mass, abundance, nuclear spin, etc.); 7. 120 pp.] discussion of, and tables for, conversion of units, including esu, emu, Gaussian, and atomic units systems; 8. [I6 pp.] references, alphabetical index to all symbols used in the book and tables for conversion of pressure and energy units. Many scientists, rugged individualists that they are, are disinclined to refer to a book such as this when the need for a symbol/~nit/~uantity arises, preferring to generate their awn, more or less de nouo. I urge them to take a different approach to this book. Theraison d'etre of QUS is efficiency in exchange of information, presumably also one of the goals of authors, teachers, and students. A chemist can save a lot of tune by consulting this hook and thereby taking advantage of the merged wisdom of a large number of talented people who, over the past century, have thought long and hard ahout these matters. By following the recommendations, the chemist maximizes the likelihood that hisher notation and nomenclature are understood by chemists worldwide; furthermore, with rare exception, the recommendations in QUS are in accord with similar recommendations by IUPAP (Physics) and I S 0 (International Standards Organization), which should aid communication across disciplines-if everyone uses the recommendations. Nevertheless. the chemist -r m decide not to follow the recommendations if that seems necessarylappropriate to thespecificcase. QUS contains recommendatiooa nut edicts; IUPAC has nu"Knforcement Squad". In spite of my strong recommendation of QUS, there are some deficiencies. In several places, particularly in the Electrochemistry subsection, the supplementary text does not have the lucid, unambiguous quality that this type of b w k demands. In the Table of Physical Quantities, under the heading SZ unit, the coherent SI unit (e.g., mol/m3) is always given, the argument being that this is the one and only SI unit for a given quantity; it becomes clear only after diligent search (p. 63) that decimal multiples and suhmultiples of the coherent SI units (e.g., malldm3, mol/L, mmolImL) are also perfectly acceptable under this set of recommendations. Lastly, there is one recommendation that I consider to be a horrendous mistake; unfortunately, it is of considerable importance to chemists. QUS recommends that the ''true" thermodynamic equilibrium constant be represented by either Ke or K. The opinion of many (mast?) thermodynamicists is: K, undecorated by suh/superscript, is correct, but it can be ambiguous; only the context tells one whether the author really meant K, or if helshe forgot to add a subscript m, p, e, ete.; given the conventional meaning of the standard-state superscript (a meaning widely accepted for a t least 60 "ears)... Ke is simnlv . . wrone- or.. a t best, grossly misleading. My advice: Buy the hook, use it routinely, and ignore their Ke. ~~
This book, QUS, should he on the desk of every chemistry teacher in the world and of every chemistry major, graduate and undergraduate. It contains "everything you ever wanted to know" about physical quantities, symbols, and units (SI and others). In one sense, this new "Green Book" (to use the IUPAC vernacular) isa successor toManual of Symbols and Terminology for Physicochemical Quantities and Units, produced by NPAC's Physical Chemistry Division in three editions (1969,1973,1979). However, the greatly expanded coverage of the 1988 version (e.g., 134 pages vs. 40) justifies the new title and consideration as a new publication. QUS has eight major sections: 1. [lo pp.] general discussion of physical quantities and quantity calculus; 2. [50 pp.] the heart of the book: Tables of Physical Quantities, with 15 convenient subsections (Spectroscopy, General Chemistry, Electrochemistry, etc.), which give the name, symbol, definition, and SI unit for each physical quantity; 3. [lo pp.] definitions and symbols for units. most of which are strictly SI from the International committee and Bureau for Weiehts and Measures (CII'M. RIPMJ,kt new recommendanaris for atomic units, wtdely used m quantum merhanncal ralculationr, are included; 4. [8 pp.] symbols for mathematical
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Journal of Chemical Education
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Robert D. Freeman OkiahDma State University Stillwater. OK 74078
