arbitrarily treats same topics from freshman chemistry hut omits others. I t is not clear whether this information is assumed or whether it is to be covered in a later course. The structures of several boron hydrides, for example, are presented, and brief mention is made of three-center, twa-electron bonding. But neither the preparation nor reactions of any of these molecules is presented, nor is the discussion of bonding adequate. An entire chapter (40 pp) is devoted to a discussion of the concept of hard and soft acids and bases and its applications to such topics as the solubility of halides and chalcogenides, the qualitative analysis scheme for metal ions, redox chemistry, and the geochemical classification and differentiation of the elements. A variety of common or expected topics is treated. This includes VSEPR, the halides, nitrides and sulfides of the elements, and nomenclature. But this baok is for the adventurous: for example, in the midst of all this descriptive chemistry, there is a chapter of laboratory experiments! They are all concerned with subjects presented earlier and include some reactions of cations, of 0x0 anions, of anions with cations, and so on. (Reference is made to the. experiments in the text at the appropriate point to carry them out.) The book is well-written and, a t a total length of 461 pages, is a sensible size. Richard L. Carlin University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL 60680 Dynamlc Models In Blochamistry Daniel E. Atkinson, Steven G. Clarke, Douglas C. Rees, and David S. Barkley. BenjaminlCummings: Menlo Park. CA, 1987. xii 347 pp. 21.5 X 28cm. $20.20 PB.
+
Dynamic Models in Biochemistry is a fresh new idea in problem books. I t utilizes the power of the simple spreadsheet to perform the "what i P kind of situation. The problems are well done. The "experiments" generally are centered around a single idea. Briefly, the seven chapters are devoted to the major problem types encountered in an introductory course in biochemistry. Chapters 1and 2 lead the student through the basic procedures to set up an uncomplicated spreadsheet, including duplicating formulas. I t does not require anything like the power of a Lotus 1-2-3. I have used it with Perfect Calc on a Kaypro I1 (CP/M 2.2), and Zen Calc and PC-Calc (MS-DOS 2.X and 3 . X ) on the PC compatihles. The ability to display a simple histogram (a "bar graph" with asterisks) or a graph would be helpful, but not needed. Each spreadsheet has its own little quirks, but each works well with this set of problems. Chapter 3 deals with acid-base equilibria and buffers. Some might feel that these topics are dealt with rather briefly, considering the extensive treatment given to metabolism. Chapter 4 is an extended treatment of enzyme kinetics. Their derivation of the Michaelis constant is unconventional. They in-
A170
Journal of Chemical Education
clude the equilibrium between enzyme-substrate and enzyme-product complexes, making three equilibria instead of the usual two. They distinguish between the original Michaelis and Menten derivation and the Briggs-Haldane derivation, and, of course, their own. Chapter 5 concerns metabolic pathways in general, i.e., sequential steps. Here they come back toequilibrium, and especially enzyme kinetics, redox, and energy. Chapter 6 concerns membrane transport, passive and active. Chapter 7 is called "Structure and Stability of Maeromoleeules". This opens up the topics of bond angles, rotation, and other "advanced" topics. "The book is designed for students taking a first course in biochemistry" (preface). My own students have two semesters of organic and one of quant hefore coming to biochemistry. For such students the material is pitched about right. With one exception: The mathematical derivations are overly brief, or nonexistent. Occasionally, one is reminded of the old tale of the math hook (or physics?? or PChem??) where the author in giving a derivation, comes to a crucial, difficult step, and then says, "And by a trivial suhstitution and rearrangement, one obtains.. Far the stndent there are derivations that will need considerable amplification by the professor. For me, indeed, several derivations would have been clarified had a few more details been given! In particular, additional material could well "flesh out" their derivation of Michaelis-Menten, especially since it is not that found in any of the half-dozen or so introductory texts I consulted (Bohinski, R a m , Devlin, Zubay, Wood-Wilson et a]., Conn and Stumpf et al., Stryer, Clark and Switzer). In the same vein, it is frequent that the spreadsheet set-ups, as they are given, seem like so much magic ("Mathemagic"!). They really are not, generally, hut a few more words of explanation would make the book so much more useful. These models are well worked out with a sample set of values printed beside the formula set-up. I t is not always obvious why the formulas appear as they do, or where they come from. Usually, the "why" begins to come through as one does the problems, but "where they came from" may remain obscure. Sometimes unexplained abbreviations are used. On the other hand, I applaud the authors for using natural logs instead of base 10 logs. Answers are given to all the problems in the back of the hook. There are a few typographical errors, but they are more annoying than serious. Another minor annoyance is that calories are used instead of joules. I found the book "fun" to work through, and I trust students will find it fun, too. I t is an excellent new approach. The student who does all the problems (or even most) will learn much, learning by doing. J a m e s D. Wheeler Rockhurst College Kansas City. MO 64110
the Fire Protection Research Institute of the Tokyo Fire Department and later in the Department of Reaction Chemistry, University of Tokyo, are top world authorities on fires from chemical spills caused by earthquakes, and consequent test methods for determining Safety of Reactiue Chemicals. The "explo" word stem must appear over a thousand times in this English translation, and "test" may be a close second. This 404-page summary of their comprehensive experiences with accident reports (from the 1921 Oppau and 1947 Texas City disasters, the 1923 Kanto earthquake, on to schoolroom accidents since 1969), with test methods, and with internationally famous testing centers, makes this the leading computer-age reference on "the systemization of safety knowledge" (p. 21). Yoshida has admirably met his objective "to introduce and explain methods of evaluating the hazard potentials of reactive and unstable substances in an effort to minimize the occurrence of accidents due to the energy release of these materials" (p. 21). I know of no finer training text "for making people realize the horror of chemical fires" (p. 218). In this central concern of the chemical world, Yoshida and his coauthors (M. Tsmura, M. Itoh, M. Arai, and H. Onchi) have pioneered in the development of a computer program (REITP2) for the estimation and evaluation of extreme hazards like hypergolic mixtures-the cause of life-threatening and property-damaging conflagrations. These data lines alone, abridged for binary combinations (pp. 44-45], would justify a new revision of that chapter's first reference, the NFPA Manual of Harordom Chemical Reactions, No. 491M (p. 66). The comprehensive coverage is briefly evident with these chapter titles: 1. Fire and Explosion Hazards of Reactive Chemicals; 2. Evaluation of Energy Hazard; 3. Calculations to Predict Heat of Reaction, Explosion, Deflagration, and Exothermic Decomposition; 4. Standard Tests far Reactive Substances; 5. Screening Tests (low-cost, low-hazard preliminaries); 6. Comprehensive Evaluation; I. Activities of Safety Organizations in Different Countries; 8. Emergency Response Systems for Hazardous Goods; and 9. Countermeasures in Earthquakes for Reactive Chemicals (for all near and far from the San Andreas fault!). Appendix 1lists 301 inorganic heats of formation, usefully ordered for engineers by kilocalories per gram, along with traditional kcal/mol values. Appendix 2 gives many related Group Values in kcal/mol. This guide to chemical safety is recommended to all academic and industrial chemistry and chemical engineering departments. Students could get a basic training just by making their own "Index to Chemical Substances"; they also will find many other educational values in this first publication of Elsevier's new "Industrial Safety Series." William J. Wiswesser ~ ~ USDA, ARS. Fort Cehick Bldg. 1301, Frederick. MO 21701
Safety 01 Reactlve Chemicals Tadao Yoshida. Elsevier: New York. NY, 1987. xiv+404pp. 16 X 24cm. $102.25.
Hazards In The Chemical Laboratory, Fourth Edltlon L. Bretherick. Royal Society of Chemistry: 604 pp. London, England, 1986. xiii Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 21.6 cm. $54.00.
."
Tadao Yoshida and his associates. first in
~
+
-
-
~
