Elements of General a n d Blologlcal Chemistry, Seventh Edltlon John R. Holum. Wilev: New York.. NY.. 1987. xix 556 pp. ~ i i sand . tabies. 21.6 x 25.6 cm. $37.25.
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An understanding of the fundamental concepta of chemistry is e~scntislto any lcvel of study of the molecular basis oilife.'l'he first eight chapters of this text give a concise overview of the concepts of general chemistry. Emphasis is placed on those concepts that are most directly related to the chemistry of biological processes. For instance, in the chaoter on acid-base chemistrv the bicnrhmate/carl,onate t d f e r is used to iilustrate huller systems and ir discussed in connectam with its impurtancc in acid-base balance in the blood. Both the chapters in organic and those in biochemistry are practically oriented so that oniy the chemistry of those they functional groups' found in biological molecules. Small mono- or di-functional biochemical molerules are discussed first bcfore complex polvmers such as DNA, or proteins are even mentioned. The text has been updated over the previous edition in a number of chapters. An interesting example is the Special Topic on Lipoprotein Complexes, Cholesterol, and Heart Disease. The diagram of the transport of cholesterol and triacvlelvcerols is an example of several inatanrex in the text where out%mding art wurk make$ the text more palatable to students. The chapters in the text are compactly organized and lend themselves very well to a one-term course. The author's position that chemical concepts play an important role in our daily livine is dearlv broueht out in the selection of photographs for the text.This isrcpecially true fur the chapter cover picture- and their captions.
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Considering that the text is aimed a t a specific audience, namely the health care professionals, the author has been successful in retaining the most essential topics in both general, organic and biochemistry. I t is a tough task to decide what to include in a one-term course. There is temptation to cover too much or else to water dawn. This is not the case with this text. Muriel B. Bishop Clemson University Clemson. SC 29631
Organic Chemlstry K. Peter C. VoNhardt. W. H. Freeman: New York, NY, 1987. xxii 1274 pp. Figs. and tables. 20.9 X 26.1 cm. $49.95.
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Vollhardt's Organic Chemistry is a traditional functional group approach t o the twosemester course required for science majors. I t is not, however, an ordinary one. It is a fairlv readable text usine" sound didactic nrincioles. A number of nedaeoeical .... featureswt this bonk apart from i t s nmtemporaries and many of them are desrrihed by the author in the beginning of the text. A number of traditional characteristics are exceptionally well done. For example, the text begins with a strong, comprehcnsive review of the principles of general chemistw which leads easilv into the concents of ivbridization as anglied to oreanic ehemistry. The concept of functional g&ps and the names of the basic groups are introduced early and used in the problems before the student encounters spectroscopy. There is an unusually good general introduction to basic thermodynamics and kinetics early in the text. The book also emphasizes IUPAC nomenclature and only introduces common names when those names are "firmly entrenched in the literature". Many necessary
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skills such as nomenclature, designation of chiral centers as R or S, and drawing chair conformations of substituted cyclohexanes are presented as a numerical list of clear and concise steps. However, there is no eamparable clear and concise Listing of the relative stabilities of carhocations or free radicals. Each chanter ends with summaries of the reactwnv mtnrdured and the important concepts covered. There are exercrvs with in the chapter and problems a t the end of each chapter which clearly relate to the textual material. Answers to all the exercises are found a t the back of the book; answers to the problems are in a separate workbook. All of these characteristics indicate a strong intent to make the book "student oriented". Four features deserving special attention are (1) the use of color, (2) the introduction of ancillary material, (3) authenticity, and (4) organization. The text makes exeeptiona1 use of color with as many as four colors used on the same page. Color is used not only artistically but also didactically. Students are instructed about the significance of the colors that are then used to code additional information into drawings. This is particularly beneficial in displaying mechanisms, explaining nomenclature, and demonstrating chirality and hybridization. Even the periodic charts (which are not identical) inside the front and back covers of the book are filled with extra information in colarcoded f o m . The text is also enriched by "boxes" which contain relevant sunolementary material that encourages thestuderlt to realize the widespread importance of organic chemistry. This materlnl is succinct, current, readable, and set apart from the text. Not only are the reactions and ancillary material current, but also the author promises that they have been checked in the literature for authenticity (references are not provided). The organization, however, is some-
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Reviewed In This Issue Reviewer
Books John R. Holum, Elements of General and Biological Chemistry, Seventh Edition
Muriel B. Bishop
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K. Peter C. Vollhardt, Organic Chemistry
Linda L. Munchausen
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G.H.
Ram K. Sharma
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James G. Traynham, Essays on t h e History of Organic Chemistry
George B.
Joseph 6.Dence and Dennis J. Diestler, Intermediate Physical Chemistry Stationary Properties of Chemical Systems
Gloria Dimoplon
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H. J. Arnikar, Essentials of Nuclear Chemistry, Second Edition
H. E. Suess
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Charles P. Poole, Jr. and Horacio A. Farach, Theory Resonance, Second Edition
Edward A. Boudreaux
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Taylor, Organic Chemistry for Students of Biology and Medicine, Third Edition
of Magnetic
Kauffman
Titles of Interest
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Volume 65
Number 7
July 1 9 8 8
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A strength of the book is its emphasis on many examples of organic compounds of biochemical interest. Of importance in biochemistry, the discussion of pH and pK and the effect of hydrogen bond on physical properties is well presented. The treatment what unusual. Spectroscopy is introduced of stereochemical aspects of enzymatic reacalong with the first functional group for tions and ~rochirslitv , is excellent. The which that type of spectroscopy is most imchapter on physioloyi~allya c t i w romportant rather than as separate, isolated puunds nicely complements the hinrhemml chapters. All four of the major forms of oremphasis uf thp hook. The expcmtmn ofthe ganic spectroscopy are covered (ultraviolet, subject matter is generally clear. infrared. nuclear mametic resonance. and " The decision of the author t o defer the maaasoectmscoovl. This mav allow the stu~~... introduction to stereochemistry and reaedent to assimilate more fully one form of tion mechanism; e.g., nucleophilic substituspectroscopy before learning another. On tion and electrophilie addition, to the midthe other hand, the order in which chapters dle of the book is pedagogically questionoccur also deserves same serious attention. able. Aspects of stereochemistry a n d Benzene and electrophilic aromatic substireaction mechanism introduced early and tution are presented near the end of the elaborated in later chapters as necessary book, after carbonyl functional groups, and would have helped in correlating diverse substituted benzenes are not oresented unphenomenon and making organic chemistry I t ma;~be disadvan- ~ more interesting til nft,er carhohvdrates. , ~ to the student. . The treattngenus co save aromatic rhen~istr) for so ment of resonance theory is somewhat curlate a posltion in the text, sinrr many labsow so that itsusein exolainine the orienteoratory courses emphasize differences in retion in elertrophiiic a~~mnt~c'substituriun activity between aliphatic and aromatic dues not directly follow from the theory precompounds as a means of functional group sented enrlipr. One drawback of the book is identification. Carboxylic acids and phenols the absence of worked-out examples and may be a classic example. Further, lack of end-of-chapter problems with answers that knowledge about such compounds as phenol can he very useful to a student for indepenmay contribute t o some laboratory safety dent study and far . nreoaring . .for examinaproblems. In addition, this organization tions. makes i t necessary to present reactions such The book would be useful for a one-seas Friedel-Crafts acylation in the synthesis mester course in organic chemistry for of aromatic ketones and to explain stability health science and paramedical students. of aromatic ions and radicals before the stuRam K. Sharma dent has been given sufficient information Eastern New Mexico University on benzene and its derivatives. It may be Ponales. NM 88130 because of this oreanizatian. that I feel that " the hook grows less readable as itprogresses. I t is possible, however, that these diffieulties can be overcome by an instructor selectE s s a y s on t h e Hlstory of Organlc ing tocover the chapters in a different order Chemistry from that presented. In conclusion, this textbook is worthy of James G. Traynham. Editor. Louisiana State University Press: Baton Rouge, LA. consideration for adoption as the textbook 1987. ix 145 pp. Figs. 15.0 X 22.7 cm. in a technical level, two-semester course or as a reference hook. $25.00. Linda L. Munchausen Oepsnmenl ot Chamlolry and Physlcs This interesting volume, an outgrowth o l Solnneastern Lou slana Unwerr fy the lGth annual I.SV Mardi Cras Sympohammond. -A 70402 aium on Organic Chrmiury, held in 1984. provides anextensive look a t some of the major issues in the development of organic chemistry during the 19th and 20th centuries while simultaneouslv demonstratine Organlc Chemlstry lor Students 01 " the continuity of the discipline and gi\,ing a Bialaov a n d Medlclne. Thlrd Edltion fresh perspective on present discawrws. G. H. Taylor. Wiley: New York, NY, 1987. Cmalstmg of eight essays hy prominpnt ncn. ix 352 pp. Tables. 13.7 X 21.7 cm. demic authorities on a diverse range of top$29.95. ics, the book shows how various aspects of ~
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elsewhere in the literature, has stimulated a lively, continuing controversy among histarians of chemistry. "From Molecular Morphologyto Universal Dissymmetry" (17 pp.) by StephenF. Mason and"TheEarly History and Development of Conformational Analysis" (24 pp., the longest essay) by 0. Bertrend Ramsay deal with important stereochemical concepts. "A New Science and a New Profession: Sugar Chemistry in Louisiana, 1885-1895" (17 pp.) by John A. Heitmann considers the emergence of a scientific and technical infrastructure as crucial t o the development of the late 19th-century Louisiana sugar industry. "The Development of a Scientific Communitv: Phvsiesl Oreanic Chemistrv in the r ~ n i t e i s t a k s 1, 9 2 ~ 1 9 5 1I19 ~ ' pp by Leon Gurtler d~scussesthe emergence in this country uf the correlation between organic reactions and molecular structure. "The Familiar and the Systematic: A Century of Contention in Organic Chemical Nomenclature" (13 pp.) by James G. Traynham provides insights into the ways that emphases and influences shift as chemists engage in the development of a field. Last, hut not least, "Chemage: A Compendium of Chemical Trivia" (10 pp., the shortest essay) by Jack H. Stocker concludes the volume on a humorous, light-hearted note with a collection of amusing items on chemistry, old and new, most accumulated from the original literature during the past three decades. George 6. Kauffman California State University. Fresno Frasno. CA 93740
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According t o the author, the texthwk is designed for students of biology and medicine who have some prior acquaintance with organic chemistry. The book starts with a brief discussion of atomic and molecular structure and then proceeds through the preparation and properties of hydrocarbans, alkyl halides, alcohols, phenols, m i n e s , aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids in the next 10 chapters. Stereochemistry and aspects of reaction mechanisms are discussed next followed by the chemistry of biochemically important classes of eompounds-keto acids, carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, nueleic acids, lipidsin succeeding chapters.
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Journal
of Chemical Education
organic chemistry emerged, developed, and provoked controversy. It illustrates the dynamics of today's research in the history of chemistry, and i t is highly recommended to chemists, historians, or persons desiring to know more about this fascinating field. "Convention Versus Ontology in Nineteenth-Century Organic Chemistry" (20 pp.) by Alan J. Rocke discusses the different, sometimes contending styles of thought among organic chemists of this period. "The Unknown KekulB" (14 pp.) by John H. Wotiz and Susanna Rudofsky examines the myths that have evolved around one of the founders of structural organic chemistry. The authors' debunking of KekulB's alleged dream of the benzene ring, treated here and
Intermediate Physical Chemistry Slallonary Properiies of Chemlcal Systems Joseoh B. Dence and Dennis J. Diestier. wile;: New York. NY. 1987. xi^+ 344 pp. Figs and tables. 16.5 X 23.9 cm. $37.50. lnrerrnediore Ph)ricol Chernistr) by Joseph B.l)enre and Dennisd. Diertler is writ ten fur students who have completed the traditional one-year undergraduate course in physical chemistry. The text is designed t o bridge the gap between undergraduate and graduate level courses in physical chemistrv and mav be used as the basis for a onesemester course for advanced undereraduates or beginning graduate students. The principles of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics are presented in more depth than is generally found in introductory texts, but without the arduousness typically encountered in advanced texts. Careful study of this book will reward students with Ia deeoer understandine " of the aoolication of quantum and stntistical mechanim t o pht. nomena of chemlrnl interest and will provideexcellent preparation for graduate level courses. As stated in the preface, the authors focus mainly on the "quantitativemicroscopic understanding of the stationary properties of chemical systems". After a concise review of the essential features of classical mechanics in Chapter I, the authors set forth the principles oi quanrunI mechamrs in Chnprar 2. ~~~~
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