BOOK REVIEWS Ilungarian) reveals t,hat the English transIntion m d d have beet! implaved hy having i t con.ected by s chemist whose mother tongue is E u ~ l i s h . T h e sentence structure is awkward in places and n few instances of actual mistranslation were noted. However, these are minor defeeLs and they we far overshadowed h y the merits of the hook. The prinling jah is filnt c1a.s and the c l o ~ ~ appearance Iy of some the figures douhlless slems from the fact the latter were copied from hooks printed wheu the lypogmpher's art was not highly developed. The book is filled with valuable information aud the author has pnt ehemifits in his debt, by making this connected md intel.est,ing aecmlnt available. Though the price may a t first glance seem rather high, lhe book ofiers mnoh that is of great value and is heartily recommended.
RALPH E. OESPER liniuewily of Cineinnali Cincinnati, Ohio Organic Chemistry
H a q Rakoff and Nonmzn C . Rose, both of Texas A. and h4. University, College Station. h'Iaemillm Go., Inc., New York, 1966. rii 881 pp. Figs. w d t,ables. 1 G X 23.5 cm. 511.Cl5.
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The text, is traditional in ihat it presents a fnnetional group approach allhough i t does so by way of wn i n k q a t e d oftering of the chemistry of represmhtive samples of the aliphatic, xlamnt.ic, and hetenxyclic compounds of the several groupings. The order of presentation of t he gnmps is a bit unusual. For example, acids and carhonyl eompo,~ndsare discussed i,efure t,he air* hols. The intrr,dnetory chapters are sure lo he st,imuIatirrg for (,hestudent who has a good bilckgronnd in general chemistry in that he is promptly amsidering the application of hu~damerilal, familiar prinaipleq in this new and rather awesome area. Tho anthorn are to he cc~mmended far their steady emphasis on principles, espeeinlly for their thwm~ghnessin calling attention to the import.ance of acid base concepts in the int,erpretatiun of organic reactions. hlolecr~lnr orbital descriptions are also emphmioed and the shldeltt gets an early introduction to mechanistic concepts. These o,ncepls nre used consistently and tho stndent working wil,!~this lest shodd became qni1.e frrmilixr wit,h the chmmoti mechanisms of organic chemist,ry. He will note that mechanisms are presented right after the facts, clearly lalreled as interpretations. There is s strong and well-illustrstcd prcsent,ation of stereoisomerism and of couformatianal analysis. The treat? ment of the organic cnmpunds of silicon and of phasphurr~sis more eslended than in similar texts. Synthet,ic p l y m e ~ n ,the carhnhydr~tes,and the prnteins mceive a thorongh treatment,. An inte~est,inp h y ~ i ologiei pwperties is sustained thrnughmlt the hook. There is somewhat less emph* sis on idrsrcd speelmseopy tlmn olle might expect and N X I R is barely me],(Conlimrerl m pngv A68)
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Journal o f Chemical Educafion
BOOK REVIEWS tioned, being referred to as a "new technique" which could he applied to the determination of the composition af ketoen01 mixtures. Each chapter ends with a. summary outline of the reactions considered and with a generous eolleetion of exercises. An appendix includes material on nomenclature and a collection of illustrative problems dealing with the numericd calculations of organic chemistry. This text is well written, is well produced with clear type, and is of comfortable size and weight for the student user. I t shodd meet the needs of 8. modern course in organic chemistry very nicely.
S ~ M U EE.LXAMERLING Bowdoin College Bmnsluick, Maine
Giant Molecules
Heman F. Mark, Polytechnic Instit,ute of Brooklyn R'ew York, and the Editors of Life. Time, Inc,, New York, 1966. 200 pp. Figures. 21.5 X 28 cm. $3.95. This book is &heseventeenth in a series of the Life Science Library and the first of the series to be directly related to chemistry. As such it beers the brunt of explaining to the series' hundreds of thousands of subscribers what chemisbry is all ahont,, as well as detailing the chronology of the many fascinating event,s which have gone into the area of polymer science and technoloev. Since the series is aimed orimar-
s. necessarily st~perficialway, rather successful in presenting the essentials of macromolecules and their applications to "better living!' Authored by Professor Herman Mark, among the first and foremost of modern polymer chemists, the hook e m be regarded as a legitimate detailing of the historical development of polymer science. The various chapters detail, in sequence, the atomic theory of matter, the history of synthetic and polymer chemistry with some emphasis on cellulose as a natural polymer, and finally discuss modern cornmercid polymers with a. prospectus for the future. The textud chapters are s~tpplemented by pictorial essays which display the eleganoe of glossy color one can expect from the Editors of Life. There are minor points in the presentation with which a chemist can find fault, e.g., in Chapter 3 t,he mixture of chron* logical presentation and modern day concepts becomes somewhat too intertwined so that the reader cannot be expected to tell past from present. There is also some anthropomorphic discussion of "carbon's grmping arms," but, such quibbling aside, this is a hook to he recommended for reading a t an early stage--even junior high school--or for polymer chemists a t a loss to explain their trade to the chemically uneducated.
(Continued on page A7.Y)
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Journal o f Chemical Education
