all age8 in areas of the biochemical ssiences have undoubtedly experienced t,he frustrations of restudying quantitative citations of Irving's work, f t u n which the aspects of our subject matter by returning cutxmt formulation (with N- and S-metal to undergraduate bext books. We may bonding) stems. Yet in n brief discussion have forgotten how to determine the of tho formation of zinc dithiaon%teelseantilog of 3.6020, t,he yalne of R, ionic where, they refer to the bonding of metal strength equations, the concept of ento sulfur as m e of the primary steps. tropy, the specific activity of pure carbonPerhaps it is not, entirely fair to expect, 14, or the graphics of competitive and nona 1037-page hook to be a treatise rather competitive inhibition of enzyme activity. than a monograph. I t is after all a iribute These and many other aspects of the l o the imporlance of these fields and to the quantitative treatment of biochemical intense, widespread interest they generate data are outlined in this relatively small i t , the scientific community to note ahat, book. even the almost three t,hausand references The thirteen chapters are organized into employed here could be augmented by an three sections. The first contains chapequal mtmber before tho topics could be tera on logarithms, algebraic equations, considered to be exhaustively treated. I t stat,istical methods, and stoichiometrical is n book that will he well-worn by d l the problems. All bhose quantitative aspects research groups working in these fields. normally expected in s biochemistry I t is deplorable that their publishers laboratory manual, including treatments practieallv guarantee that gmdoate stxof thermodynamics and enzyme kinetics denbs, whom the nulhors consider an imare found in the second part. Spectroportant segmeut of their audience, will be photometly and radiochemistry are predeprived of pemonal copies of this book. sented in the find section. Each chapter concludes wit,h t,wo sets of questions for H ~ R FREI~KR Y bhe student, with detailed solutions given University of Arizona for the first set only. This is 8.11 obvious Tucson bonus, as it allows t,he book to he osed as a Quantitative Problems in the text as well as areference book. Biochemical Sciences The authors think of this book as a companion text, covering subject matter Rez Montgomery and Charles A . Swenson, that. is supplemental to t,hat presented in both of University of Iowa, Iowa. City. beginning graduate level courses. Most W. H. Freeman and Co., Sen Francisco, d of the material h, this book s h o ~ ~ lhave 1969. xiii 308pp. Figs. and tables. been treated in undergraduate courses in 15.5 X 23.5 em. Softhonnd. $2.95. mathematics, physics, or analytical and physical chemistry, so from this viewpoint, Graduate and postgraduate students of
book reviews
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A138
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Journal o f Chemical Education
it is a reference and remedial study book. In either case, the unique variety of quantitative tools discussed and the effective and precise methods of presentation make the book a very vduable addition to any biochemically oriented laboratory or c l a w room bookshelf.
W. BERNLOHR ROBERT Universitg of Minnesota Minneapolis Problems in Organic Reaction Mechanisms
F . 31'. Menger, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Appleton-Century121 pp Crafts, New Yark, 1969. vii Figs. and tables. 18.5 X 25.5 cm. Softbound $2.95.
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This inexpensive book consists of fifty-five reactions involving a great variety of types for which the stndent is to wo1.k out suitable mechanisms. Few of the problems can be solved simply by inspection. The student can check his answers against the answers provided. Far the first twenty answers detailed remarks are given while for the last thirtyfive, the mechanisms are presented without comment. In addition, a lit,erature reference from which the reaction and/or reaction meehsnism wits taken is given for each problem. This book is not. designed for the beginning organic stndent to use as he progresses throogh his fin1 organic course.
(Continued on page A1411
book reviews I h r i n g ihc second semester r r q~mrtevof s. beginning coorse, the het.ter students ronld profit from ntudy of this book. The undorgl.ndnnte st,udent enrolled in an advanced organic rourse or the graduate student n d ~ oneeds additional drill in devising reasonable mechanisms for organic reactions will he the prime benefactolr;. Thmc minor typographical error.%iproblem 47, answe1.s 1 and 4 ) mere noted which the alert reader oan correct.
strong field ~ ~ g i m e sand , the conseqiwlt assignment of spectra. Tho last chapler (Fmt,het. Aspects) of this short hook treats covalency efferts, hand shapes and intensit,ies, and the spectra of a iew non-octnhedral complexes. Though no attempt is made t o bl.ing students ilp to the level of current problems in the field, this is g l d ~ ably a. r ~ s e i dsnpplementary text,.
own merits. Though rooted in the "Lexikon," a much larger and comprehensive work, many items included in the four volrtmes have been omitted, such as bioernnhieal and industrial technical data.
ogy, laws and regularities and other simiInr ideas. The volume is intended to be of R I C H . \ ~L. D C.LRLIN use not only to proiessional chemists and Zinivelailj, of Illinois at students but also ta those enmeed .. ., in Chicago Circle pharmacy, physics, chemical dealers, and Chicago, Illinois fiDf380 the like. In all, about 6300 items are treated in L. W. I I A Y N T : ~ Riimppr Chemischer Worterbuch this book. Some are covered in a line or The College of Woosler two, olhers deservedly are discossed over Pl'ooster, Ohio Erhard Ohlein, Frankfurt am Main, several pages. The material is all np-toFranckh'sche Verlagshandlmrg, 7000 Electronic Spectra of Transition Metal date; about .50yo of the items do not apStuttgart 1, West Germany, 1969. 0x7 Complexes: An Introductory Text pear in the 6th edition of the "Lexikon." pp. (double column). Figs. and tables. The printed sources have been searched 17.3 X 24.5 cm. D M 110 (= $27.50). D. Szdton, Simon Fraser University, with care and almost 14,000 references lo Brit,ish Colombia, Canada. McGrawthe literature are provided, some as recent, Hill Book Co., London, 1968. viii as 1968. The book represents xn immense 208 pp. Figs. and tables. 15 X 22.5 em. $8.50. tion of this 4-vdume chemical eneyclope dia was reviewed here (44, A666, (1967)). This is a conventional int.l.od1w3ion to The editor of the "Chemical Ilictiona~y" prnvided they are able to &ad Gerrnmt: the mthject a t hand, xpparently written being reviewed here also completed the I t is interestmg tn note thhl pmctieally primarily for Bribish and Enropean all enlries give the English equivalent of Lexikon after Riimpp's death and attached sludenta. I t wodd easily f i t into the adthe latter's name to the present work not the key word and as an additiond convancod ~ m d e r g r a d ~ ~ aprogram lc a t ml venienre la the Americatl and English Ameriran college or o~liverxilp. The t,ext, only as fitting memorial but also because an effort has been made t o m e the eharrenders an Index is appended, a featnre in mostly non-mathemntieal, wilh an exthat will be appreciated especially when acteristic thorough style of Riimpp. tensive i n t r o d t d o n to atomic energy the ordinary hilingual dictionaries are However i t must be stressed that the lcvels and symmetry. nlost of bhe intel; found wanting. "Dictionsry" is not. merely a supplement, est centers on octahedral complexes, with The meaty volume is highly recamor abridgment of the "Lexikon" hiit an due &tention being paid to eriergy level mended as a reference book, even to those independent work, well able to stand on its diagrams in the weak, intermediate, and (Conlinu~don page A 148)
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Volume 47, Number 2, February 1970
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A 141
