book reviews
Physical Chemistry: Laboratory Course
AModern
experiments the student would have to follow step by step directions, which was the very thing the original version aimed try follows Bastian and Hiskey; the imporat avoiding. On this basis, it seems that Hugh W . Salzberg, Jack I . Morrow, and tant paper by Reilley and Cre.wford is not the usefulness of this hook over the old Michoel E. Green, all of the City College mentioned. Although a treatment for version may actually turn out to be msrof the City University of New York, and multicomponent systems is outlined emginal in many eases. Stephen R . Cohen, New York State ploying matrices, it is restricted to the The hook is well-written, clearly takes Research Institute for Neurochemistry case where the numher of wavelengths the student's point of view. There is a and Drug Addiction, Ward's Island, equals the numher of components. The New York. Academic Press. Ina.. large numher of experiments, so that the manner in which errors can mushroom 528 pp: ~ i @ : instructor has s freedom of choice among, New irk, 1969.- xx through such asystem is not suggested, nor and indeed within, experiments, since and tables. 17 X 24.5 cm. $9.50. is the possibility of heating the game by many of them appear to he somewhat overdetermining the system. Chapter 5 longer than would be ordinarily completed The format of this laboratory text in is fairly traditional. Spectrofluorimetry in s typical laboratory session. The hook physical chemistry is rrtther different from is mentioned, hut instrumentation for this would also he suitable as a source of that ordinarily used. The authors divide is not described. Chapter 6 presents a methods and procedures in problem: the hook into two parts. In the first very thorough summrtry of statistical oriented physicd chemistry laboratories. part, which takes up about two-thirds of methods for handling photometrio data. the book, the authors discuss a large numThis chapter, unusual in such a hook, is EVILJ. SLOWINSKI her of the properties of systems which are quite good. Problems and suggested labMacalester College physicd chemists. Inoluded of interest to oratory experiments are found in appenSt. Paul, Minnesota is the theory pertinent to the property, dices. the methods and procedures commonly On balance, this is a good hook along used to determine it, snd the mathematitraditional lines. On the whole, it is clear cal relrttions used in calculating the and accurate. I t is in no sense so had Organic Reaction Mechanisms, 1968: property from experimental data. The that a reviewer can take m y pleasure in An Annual Survey Covering the second part of the hook contains 51 expericoncluding, as I did, that there is no place Literature Dded December 1967 through ments involving those properties, withvery for it in the modern American chemistry November 1968 brief directions for procedure and frequent curriculum. It does not relate to organic references haok to the first section for and physicd chemistry sufficiently to a t Edited by B. Capon, University of Glastheory and methods. Accompmying each tract teachers attempting to provide an gow, and C. W. Rees, University of experiment is a set of notes which suggest integrated undergraduate experience. It Leicester, Great Britain. Interscience useful techniques, possible pitfalls, and is too speciali~edto serve as the text for an Publishers (a division of John Wiley & added directions. undergraduate instrumental analysis Sons, Inc.), New York, 1969. xi The purpose of the authors in writing course, too shallow with regard to recent 583 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 the book in this way is clear. They a& developments in instrumentation to suffice em. $24.95. tempt to get the student to understand at the graduate level. I doubt that this This hook, the fourth in a continuing the experiment and background theory hook, for all its good qualities, will he used aeries, is divided into 14 chapters by differsufficiently well to he able to perform the much in American schools; I just don't see ent contributors. I n the earlier volumes experiment without having to he told every where it fits. of this series, the same chapter headings A. L. UNDERWOOD step. The information in the first section is mare than adequate for this purwere used, but the three editors apparently Emory University pose, but is not presented in such a way were the only contrihutors. All of the Atlanta, Georgia $0888 that the student can work in cookbook ten contrihutors to the present volume are fashion. For the most part this approach staff members of United Kingdom universities. The titles of the chapters are: should he relatively successful and goes s long way in making the book one to be Carbonium Ions, Nucleophilic Aliphatic recommended. Substitutions, Electrophilic Aliphatic SuhAtomic Absorption Spectroscopy. stitution, Elimination Reactions, AddiAlthough this is not called a second ASTM Special Technical Publication edition by the publisher, ahout two thirds tion Reactions, Nucleophilic Aromatic 443 of the contents appeared in "Laboratory Substitution, Electrophilic Aromatic SuhCourse in Physical Chemistry," by the stitution, Molecular Rearrangements, RadA symposium presented at the 71st first three authors. This version differs ical Reactions, Carhenes and Nitrenes, R e Annual Meeting of the ASTM. Avsilfrom the previous one in that it includes actions of Aldehydes and Ketones and able from the Americen Society for their Derivatives, Reactions of Acids and ahout 15 new experiments and discussions, Testing and Materials, 1916 Race St., their Derivatives, Photochemistry, Oxide essentially each of which requires rather Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103. vi tion and Reduction. There are two more complicated apparatus than was used 102 pp. Figs. and tshles. 15 X earlier; there are experiments on mass indices, the author and subject indices 23 cm. Softbound. $7. which cover the four volumes. spectrometry, differential thermal analysis, electron spin resonance, single crystal The style of writing is concise, with A. Walsh and T. C. Raim discuss the X-ray diffraction, and analog computer emphasis on the facts discovered and the physical and chemical aspects of atomic applications. The original experiments author's interpretation. Given the absorption in two introductory papers. were relatively simpler, involving m m y of amount and diversity of the material that C. L. Grant compares atomic absorption the clsssical experiments in physical must be covered, one does not expect the with other spectrochemicsl methods; L. chemistry, with relatively little emphasis detailed and critical evaluation of a L. Lewis compares it with other analytical on sophisticated apparatus. Chemical Rariews article. However, "the techniques. The other papers deal with The question this reviewer would raise Reporter" often indicates his judgement research on application of the technique is whether the hook is sufficiently imof the work as well as the original auto trace metals in seawater (P. G . Brewer, proved by the expansion to be worth the thor's conclusions. For example, on page D. W. Spencer, and C. L. Smith), cobalt effort and added cost. I t seems highly 187 "The Renorter sueeests that the ohin gold-plating solotions (J. P . Kapetsn), unlikely that most undergraduate labor* served soeeiesis the 3-Gdroxide addnet." arsenic in steels (U. T. Hill), and calcium tories in physical chemistry will have in high interference systems (W. F. available, except under very special cirUlrieh and J. Ramires-Munoz). Snecialcumstances, more than possibly one or two .." The stated aim of editors is to disof the instruments used in the new expericuss the more important papers and to list ments. Even if such equipment is ohthe others. The second aim is to provide the same information is available from a tainable, for a student to learn to operate a comprehensive coverage of the field, search of the textbook and research literait with any degree of skill would often r e rather than details of a few selected topics. ture. quire more time than is allowed; the The references indicate that journals in likely result being that in performing those WPK many languages have been consulted.
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A530 / Journal of Chemical Education
of chemistry in general, and of organic chemistry in particular, in a form intelligible to organic chemists and illustrated The reviewer's impression is that this by specific applications to problems of series provides a valuable senrice for the general interest." This reviewer quespracticing chemist. The information in tions whether this book can achieve its the important fields of organic reaction avowed purpose. mechanisms can be retrieved in a re& The first part of the book, in particular sanahly rapid way, with an indication of Chapters 1 and 2, and to a. lesser extent the scope of the field. The classific&tion Chapters 3 and 4, presents a formal disof the papers by the "Reporters" is much cussion of the mathematical quantum more helpful than the computer listings, or mechanics, and contains very few exthe less critical but more complete sumamples. I question whether many "ormaries of Chemical Abstracts. A study of ganic chemists" would have the math"Organic Reaction Mechanism" provides ematical background and the patience to a good starting point for a new research digest these chapters. area. The editors make no claim of an Chapters 5 and 6 formally discuss curezhaustive literature overage, but the rent methods of molecular quantum oumulative index may well approximate mechanics, with Chapter 5 dealing with such coverap in a. few more years. the perturbation approaches. A very I recommend this series for chemical brief 7th chapter deals with open shell libraries. The cost, which bas risen from system, correlation, and configuration 810 far the first volume to 524.95 for interaction. Again, few applications to Volume IV, is high but perhaps not prochemical system are presented. hibitive for personal libraries. At this point the tone of the text JOHN D. REINHEIMER changes completely and the following two chapters deal almost exclusively with College of Wooster chemistry and applications to chemical Wooster, Ohw problem and might be considered the The Molecular Orbital Theory meat of the book. A final brief chapter of Organic Chemistry on the inclusion of 0 electrons is almost an afterthought. Michael J . S. Dewa~, University of While I doubt that the book, as it Texas, Austin. McGraw-Hill Book stands, will lend ikelf as s textbook to 484 pp. Co., New York, 1969. xiv teach quantum chemistry to organic Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 om. chemists, or even to students of organic $16.50. chemistry, it contains a tremendous amount of extremely valuable material. "The purpose of this hook ir to pre>ent In the early pmts some very neat and connn nwmrnt uf the ninle~t~lnr orbital theory
book reviews
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cise formulstion~ of certain aspects of moleculsr orbital theory are presentedChapter 6 contains the first readable exposition of Professor Dewer's monumental work using the perturbation a p prosch. Chapters 8 and 9 contain a wealth of useful and important information, mostly chemical and much less of a quantum mechanical nature. Thus, it seems that the book is likely to serve well as a reference volume. Finally, it should be pointed out that the coverage of the literature through references is extremely limited and in ProI have fessor Dewar's own words inevitably given s. great deal of emphasis to the work of my own research group"; thus, up to 50 percent of the references me to Professor Dewar's own pqers.
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HANSH. JAFFB University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Vom WasserrtoR bls zu den Transuranen
P. R. Taube and J. I. Rudao, U.S.S.R. Translated into German by Paul Hziter, Leipzig, under supervision of G. Werner, Karl Marx Universitit, Leipzig, from the 4th (1967) Russian edition. VEB Fachhuchverlag, 1968, Leipsig, East Germany. 344 pp. Figs. and photographs. 12 X 19 em. 8.5 marks plus postage (= approx. $3.00). This exceptionally fine book is made up of 103 sections, each section or essay being
(Continued on page A632)
Volume 47, Number 8, August 1970
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A531
