what should be omitted. The most salient omission by the Zimmermans is spectroscopy. While t o a n organic chemist this will he an objectionable omission, their choice may indeed he valid for allied health fields except medical technology. The functional group approach is used; aliphatic and aromatic chemistry are integrated. For each functional group the classical set of topics is presented: structure and nomenclature, physical properties, preparations and reactions. Often a section on sources and u b w of hioIog1c~llvimportant n m p w n d i in that class is nddnl with -pffial attention t o toxicity. Mechanism and structure are heavily emphasized and very clearly presented; equations detailing mechanisms are placed in a box for clarity and tables are used to summarize reaction conditions. Reactions and syntheses are also emphasized. The problems are challenging but generally appear to be of not too great difficulty for the intended student body. Some problems are scattered through each chapter while an ahundanee of them appears a t the end of the chapters. Some chapters have worked out problems as exercises in strategic places in the text; these will certainly he beneficial to the students and more of them might well have heen included. Theoretical concepts are introduced as early as needed hut the authors intentionally repeat and expand on them as needed in later chapters; this is good pedagogy. An example is resonance which is introduced in Chapter 4 on dimes and polyenes, and which of course is repeated and amplified in the chapter on benzene. It is interesting to note some of the topics included in this text. Its modernity is indicated by inclusion of such topics as the Merrifield solid phase peptide synthesis, hydroboration, and the Corey-Posner reaction (coupling of organic halides with lithium dialkylcoppers); unfortunately Wurtz coupling is also presented. The chapter on o p t i d activity discusses, among other concepts, enantiomers. ehiralitv. and Fisher ~roiection . . formulna, hut omiri the H & S deaignatiuns. Conformatmns and Ncwman projrrr~msare introduced in Chnptrr'L un alkanrs. .Mrntion is made in appropriate places of environmental and energy problems. An instructor using this text for a one semester course will, I think, find it difficult to cover the whole book of nearly 6M1 pages; so some topicz or possibly chapters may have to he left for students to read on their own. It is probably publishers who influence authors to claim suitability of a text in allied health ehemistry for such divergent groups as premedical, biology, medical technology, and nursing students. Publishers, if not authors, need to he reminded that premedical, pharmacy, hiology, and now predental students are required t o take a full year course of organic chemistry. A thorough "short" text such as this one is too long and too difficult for most BS nursing programs. Yet there is a whole range of increasingly popular allied health programs for which the Zimmemans' text is highly suitable. The book is attractively printed with numerous excellent diagrams. (The printing on many pages of my copy is regrettably blurred.) This reviewer finds the hook apparently free of misprints. "Elements of Organic Chemistry" is an excellent text for a ~~~
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thorough one semester organic chemistry course. Mordecai Tmblow ShippensburgState College Shippensburg,PA 17257
total mastery and retention, a difficult goal to attain. Most instructors using this tent will want to he prepared to amplify and supplement inorder to help their studentsgain the needed understanding of basic physical ehemistry. As far as it goes this is a very fine text. Any instructor eonsiderine this text should care-
E. Kirk Roberts M;&ilebory College Mlbdlebury. Vermont 05753
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Physical Chemistry for the Life Sclences
James R. Barrante, Southern Connecticut State College. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1977. xiv 337 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.5 em.
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This text presents a gentle introduction to physical chemistry prepared for use in a one-semester course far students concentrating in biologically related fields. Its emphasis is on the traditional topics of classical physical ehemistry. The three laws of thermodynamics lead t o the introduction of the free energy and chemical potential functions which are then applied to systems of pure substances, solutions, and homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical equilibria. Particular emphasis is given t o ionic equilibria and to electrochemistry with general use being made of activities. One chapter is devoted t o chemical kinetics including examples of enzyme catalysis and two brief chapters deal with properties of macromolecules and photochemistry. Each chapter includes a few simple applications t o common situations observed in biological systems. Discussion of quantum ehemistry and molecular structure has been omitted entirely. In the preface the author declares that "every attempt has been made to keep the teat mathematically rigorous and yet delightfully understandable." He has in large measure succeeded. Certainly his writing style makes the text enjoyable to read, and only a rudimentary knowledge of differential and integral calculus is needed for the uninitiated reader to he able to follow all of the arguments. Whenever the rigorous development has been interrupted by the injection of a statement without proof the author tries a t least to establish the plausibility of the statement and, more often than not, a proof is provided a t the end of the chapter in a special topics section which assumes a somewhat stronger mathematical background. One of the most important features of any physical chemistry textbook is the selection of problems to be done hy the student. This text includes about 250 problems roughly half of which are supplied with answers. Instruetors are invited to request a manual of s o h tions to all problems. The difficulty of the problems is well matched to the level of presentation in the text. A significant fraction of the prohlems relate to hioehemieal systems. There is s generous supply of solved problems distrihuted through the body of the text. If this book has a weakness i t is that i t provides little more than the bare minimum of thermodynamics and kinetics with which any competent life scientist should have familiarity. This means that the students for whom this teat is designed need to strive for
Topics in Chemical Instrumentation-ll
Golen Ewing, Editor, University of Washington. American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1971.310pp. Figs. and tables. 22 X 28.5 cm. $12. When the first volume of "Topics in Chemical Instrumentation" was reviewed [J. CHEM. EDUC., 49, A317,1972], the reviewer recommended that succeeding volumes he published about every three years. By waiting six years, Volume I1 is nearly the same size as the original volume. The volumes have a very similar appearance and format although the Chemical Education Publishing Company published the original volume. The printings have both been done by photo-offset from reprints of the individual articles. The authors were offered an opportunity to add supplemental material, and 13 of 36 contributors of articles, or series of articles, did so. The articles have been arranged, not chronologically, hut by subject matter. It is stated in the foreword that "all articles from January 1970 through November 1975 are included." The February 1970 article "Pulse Polarography" by David E. Burge, and the March through June series of articles on "Fourier Transform Spectrometers" by Manfred J. D. Low are not in the second volume but are in the original. Professor Ewing draws from the expertise of recognized experts in academia and industry for this long-running (originated in 19591 series of articles. Anvone needine" an introduction to the theory or applications of a particular type of instrumentation, or contemplating the purchase of an instrument, would do well to consult "Topics in Chemical Instrumentation." Many articles are partieularly well suited as supplementary material far upper-level chemistry courses. The purchase price of this volume is reasonable. I t is certainly convenient and necessary to have "Topics in Chemical Instrumentation" consolidated into hook form for those who do not have access to the JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION. The fact that the JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION is reasonably priced, efficiently indexed, widely read and available, and the source for "Topics in Chemical Instrumentation" diminishes the need individuals will have for this hook, but i t certainly belongs in every technical library. Donald P. Olander Appalachian State University Boone. NC 28607
Volume 55, Number 6. June 1978 1 A275
