Programmed Instruction in Chemistry A summary review
A primary feature of programmed indtruction is that information needed by the student is presented in an order which is most helpful to him, particularly if he is a beginning student in the field. Comprehensive knowledge of any topic is ordered in textbooks in terms that are appropriate to the subject, rather than to the student; it is clear therefore that programmed instruction should be an adjunct, a supplement, for beginners. Programmed instruction cannot replace textbooks and reference hooks in collegiate education.' A second important feature of good programmed instruction is that it shows the student how to put two or more ideas or facts together itnd thereby generate a unifying principle or illustrate an obscure point. Poor programmed instruction, on the other hand, overemphasizes a so-called stimulus-reward technique, leaving the student little opportunity to contribute to his own instruction. Poor programmed instruction teaches drill material (the valences and symbols of the elements, rote problem-solving, etc.), while good programmed instruction skims lightly over such drill material and emphasizes principles and ideas (the relation of vapor pressure to boiling point, equilibrium as a dynamic phenomenon, the use of the mole as a number, eto.). Because good programmed instruction can teach principles, and does so by paying close attention to the details underlying these principles (ultimately helping the student to put the matter together himself), it often usurps the traditional function of the professor, who may prefer to illuminate a principle by using other underlying details or by considering them from a differentpoint of view. As a supplement to the text, programmed instruction can be used by assigning specific material to selected students who need help in a specific area, or by assigning material on certain topics to the entire class. Much class time can be saved in this way. It is not necessary today to explain details about the slide rule, or elementary stoichiometry, or simple gas law problems, or organic nomenclature, or other topies epvered by the programmed instruction reviewed helow. Some good programmed instruction in chemistry includes small tests before each topic so that the student can determine for himself whether he already knows the material, and after the topic so that he can determine whether he has mastered it. 'Professors who really want to learn about Programmed in~truotion should prepare their awn materials. See THIS JOUANAL,40, 11 ff. !1@63): also a review of two books on the struetion of proprams, 40, 500 (1963).
Other good programmed material contains such evalut~tion within the program as part of the discussion. Briefly, programmed instmotion that has been written to instruct will have these pre-and pose tests, while that written to clarify willnot have them. All programmed instruction is characterized by development in steps so slow and simple that they may seem to be insulting when examined by a professor or advanced student. This quality is inherent in the method; the slow and easy steps, properly and carefully organized, are the ingredient which makes programmed instruction especially valuable to the average or helaw average student who does not know how to spend his study time most usefdly with an ordinary text. Programmed instrwtion h ~ qalso been criticized as expensive, es~eciallysince it is only supplemental material. If it is true that mast industrious students who have difficulty are ineffective in studying because they do not know how to learn the textbook material by asking themselves questions as they read, and if it is true that good programmed instruction sets an example that can be followed, so that the beginning student ran develop this skill, then it is also true that supplemental programmed instruction is well worth the expense. Reviews of the pertinent programmed instruction materials currently available in academic chemistry and related snbjects are presented below. A serious attempt has been made to include every pertinent published or soon-to-be-published item; however, some may not have been known to the author. Suggestions for a future summarizing article will be welcomed. Authors of the programmed instructions cited were asked to cheek the reviews for accurate reporting of the content of their works: I wish to acknowledge here their helpful cooperation. In summary, the programs providing broadest coverage of college level introductory chemistry are those by Barrow el al. and by Young. Other specific areas covered are equilibrium hy Carnell and Reusch, gas laws by Day, and acids and bases by Christensen. Sackheim presents introductory MO theory. Four programs deal with organic nomenclature--those by Banks, Benfey, Rundquist, and Traynham. At a level more appropriate for high school, the broadest coverage is that by Powell. Ford and Sackheim treat gas laws. Roberts teaches exponential n o t e tion and slide rule use.
College Level
Programmed Supplements for General Chemistry. Volume I
Gordon M . Barmw, M . E. Kenney, J . D . Lassila, R. L. Ldlle, itnd W . E. Thompsa, Case Institute of Technology Cleveland, Ohio. W. A. Benjamin, 123 double New Ymk, 1963. xiii 23.5 cm. 52.95. pages. 16
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Three broad topics are developed: stoichiometry based upon an understanding of the significance of the mole, the electronic structure of atoms and i t s consequences as seen in introductory molecular orbital ideas, and the gas laws. The first and last topics emphasize mathematical applications by treatment of typical problem. The section on electronic structure begins with energy levels, developing the ususl s, p, d, and j natations, and then describes the shapes of simple molecules by considering electron sharing and the shapes of orbitals.
Programmed Supplements for General Chemistry. Volume 2
Gordon M . Barrow, M . E. Kenney, J . D. Lassila, R. L. Little, and W . R. Thompson, Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland. Ohio. W. A. Beniamin. 141 &xible New ~ o r k ,1963. xv pages. 16 X 23.5 em. $2.95.
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JAY A. YOUNG King's College Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
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This volume includes a. discussion of five topics. These begin with thermachemistry, including Hess' laws and hand energies and emphasizing problem work. Next, the notion of concentration is defined in terms of molality and mole fraction. Using this basis, colligative properties as developed from Raoult's law are discussed; and after a treatment of the BHnsted-Lowry ideas, the stoichiometry of acid-base reactions is described. The third topic is a study of redox equation balancing. Following this, equilibrium problems are considered from a mathematical viewpoint; these include hamogeneons gas equilibria, solubility product and common ion effect, and the ionization of weak electrolytes. The last topic. reaction rates, discusses the effect of concentration upon the rate (for various orders of reaction) and the determination of a rate equation from laboratory data.
Volume 43, Number 5, May 1 9 6 6
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Chemical Concepts Jay A. Young, King's College, WilkesBarre, Pa. Prentice-Hall, Englewood 152 pp. Cliffs, N. J., 1963. xiv 15 X 22.5 cm. 52.95.
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Selected Principles of Chemistry Jay A. Young, King's College. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: 1963. xiv 161 pp. 15 X 22.5 em. $2.95.
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Liquids and Solutions
tion of equivalents and normality, including titration as the useful example, concludes this book. A fourth programed instruction book by the same author is scheduled for publication under the title "Arithmetical Operations." This hook describes the metric system briefly, and after a look a t exponential notation and the mechanics of multiplying, dividing, adding and suhtracting, uses this by applying it to significant figures. Logarithms are defined by the student as he works through the next section, and then applies this knowledge to bis own construction of a slide role, by which process he learns how to use the slide rule without recourse to a mechanical set of directions.
J a y A. Young, King's College. King's College Press, Wilkes-Bitrre, Pa., 1962. xii 100pp. 14 X 21 cm. $1.
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Arithmetical Operations Jay A. Young, King's College. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J., in press (scheduled for 1966). These programmed instructions emphasize the mathematical aspects of the topics, developing the discussion from laboratory data or familiar analogy, as appropriate. Students are encouraged to take notes as they read, as though they were listening to a classroom dimmion. "Chemical Concepts" defines the mole as a number, in a drill-like program. After defining the meaning of a symbol (in terms of its mole connotation) formulas are discussed as chemical expressions of "per cent" composition, followed by oxidation number as a mnemonic device. Non-redox equations are bdanoed (based on the mole concept) and stoichiometry is next explained, again using the mole. Pressure as an intensive parameter is defined, followed by a description of the mechanics of setting and reading a Fortin barometer. The gas laws are presented in the final sections, based an P V = nRT which has been "derived" from empirical data. "Selected Principles" begins by balancing redox equations, using changes in oxidation number. Electrolysis follows, as an application of redox, with Faraday Law problems. A second application of redox considers emf from the battery as a source and sink for electrons, through the operation and principles of a potentiometer, to the Nernst equation. Equilibrium is presented in terms of an agitated set of ping pong balls in a turbulent air stream, in two compartments separated by a low partition, This model is also used to examine Le Chatelier's principle, and, later, rates of reaction, with emphasis upon energy of activation. A brief treatment of order of reaction concludes this book. "Liquids and Solutions" defines vapor pressure in terms of dynamic equilibrium, and applies this notion to the boiling of pure liquids. After introducing concentration BS an inten~ive parameter (molar and formal concentrations are discussed) the colligative properties of solutions are described in terms of vapor pressure and concentration. A descrip-
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lourno1 of Chemicol Education
Molecular Equilibrium
P . H.Carnell and R. N . Reuach, Albion College, Albion, Michigan. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1963. viii 217pp. 18 X 25.5 em. $2.25.
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This is a thorough introduction to the idea of molecular (not ionic) equilibrium, including many appropriate ancillary concepts, for example, spontaniety as related to the relative magnitudes of enthalpy and entropy changes, catalysis, the activated complex, and others. Nothing of importance for a beginner's understanding of molecular equilibrium is omitted. Part 1, with eleven sections, develops the law of chemical equilibrium ntnl cxnminm the mnthemnticnl irruprr~ics f Part 2, w t h twelve arctiorrs, considers the im~licatimsofI.? Chnwlicr'ii Principle, again*emPhasising the methods used to solve typical problems. Each section begins with a pretest (answers in the hsek); programmed review questions are provided a t intervals for the preceding five or six sections. Eleven problems in part 3, with programmed development of the answers, provides a find summary.
Body Fluids and the Acid-Base Balance
Haluor N . Christensen. W . B. Saunders, 506 pp. Philadelphia, 1964. xi 18.5 X 25.5 em. $6.50.
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The publisher's blurb urges use of this book as a. primary tezt in medical school. If programmed instruction is useful to students a t the graduate level, it could mean that they have not yet learned to be students or that those of us who taught them as premeds did not do as goad a job as we should have. Or it could mean that the undergraduate emphasis upon the topics treated here is simply inadequate when applied to the needs of the student in medical school. Still, one would think that the same topics presented discursively in a smaller, tightly written monograph would serve the same purpose more effectively. These criticisms aside, this book has a strong biochemical flavor. Part 1 of this book is discussed separately below as "pH and Dissociation." The other six parts are concerned with inorganio ion metabolism and the physialogio maintenance of neutrality. These consider intra and extracellular and nonskeletal aspects of sodium and chloride ions; potassium ions; edcium and phosphate ions; hemoglobin and oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, cyanosis, and other aspects of gas tramport; organic anion catabolism, conversion of ammonium ion to urea, and related metabolic and respiratory aspects of neutrality regulation; and renal correction of neutrality through excretion of phosphate, ammonium ion, and other mechanisms.
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Kinetic Theory of Gases Jesse H.Day, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. Fearon, San Francisco, 1963. 27 pp.; Part 11, iv 44 Part I , iii pp. 14 X 21 om. $0.50, each part.
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This is the published version of the first programmed instruction material prepared for chemistry students. It is an intrinsic (scrambled book) program. Part I, using the English system of meesurement, demonstrates the kinetic basis for C h d e s ' Law and the reasonable basis for the concept of 0°K. Part I1 treats those moving point molecules in a (cubicd) box, developing the equation, nMuz/3 = nRT. By calculating the root meansquare velocity as a function of temperature, Graham's Law and Avogadro's theory are shown as s. consequence.
pH and Dissociation H a h r N . Christensen. 2nd ed. W. B. Smnders, Philadelphia, 1964. ix 107 pp. 18.5 X 25.5 em. 52.25.
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This is a separate edition of Part 1 of "Body Fluids and the Acid-Base Balance," reviewed above. I t is clearly suitable for undergrsduates, particularly biology majors and premed students. Special attention is called to the preface far the first edition, pages v-vii in this edition; these statements demanstr~te a. clear understanding of programmed instruction with realistic comments on it,s use by the student and his professor as an instruetianal tool. This book emphasiees titintion curves, the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, and buffers, applying the B r 0 sted-Lowrv definition extensivelv. After
discusses these systems, each in a separatesection: HCOI-, HBCOI;phosphoric acid and its ions; NH4+, NHr; amino acids, including the isoelectric point; and peptides. Ionic strength m d the equilibrium "constant" based upon eoncentrations as distinguished from the true thermodynamic equilibrium constant are considered briefly. All in all, this programmed supplement would be helpful to many chemistry majors by demonstrating to them the fundamental utility of a titration curve and its applications.
Atomic and Molecular Orbitals Geo~geSackheim. Stipes, Champaign,
Illinois, 1965. iii 27.5 cm. $1.40.
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66 pp. 21 X
This is intended primarily for a first year college coune, or perhaps as a supplement to organic chemistry. It presents a straightforward discussion of atomic orbitals and rtn introduction to molecular orbitds, with a brief treatment of bonding, nan-bonding, and anti-bonding orbitals. Many examples are used to develop an elementary understanding.
of numerous classes of organic compounds particularly including several not covered in the program (e.g., wid anhydrides, amides, ethers, sulfonio acids, fused ring systems, and heterocyclics). The Greek alphabet and Greek and Latin numerical prefixes are listed. The bibliography on chemical nomenclature will be helpful to ambitious students.
Organic Chemirlry: Nomenclature Naming Organic Compounds
James E. Banks, USAF Academy, Colarado Springs, Colorado. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, in press (scheduled for Spring 1966). Approx. 150 pp. Approx. $3.50. An intrinsic program (discussions followed by multiple choice answers, each of which is further discussed, or dismissed). Here and there a little descriptive organic chemistry is mentioned, but this is primarily a book about organic nomenclsr ture, with the common systems mentioned and the IUPAC system emphasized. It begins with the aliphaties, ending with a very brief list of somesimplerring systems. I n between are the expected systems: alicvclic: aromatic: alkvl hslides: the
amides, amino acids, and sulfur compounds; then natural products, carbohydrates (and asymmetry), peptides, proteins, and fats. This is the mast complete programmed instruction on organic nomenclature known to this reviewer.
The Names and Slructures of Organic Compounds
0.Theodore Bafey, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana. John Wiley & Sons, New York, in press (scheduled for early 1966). Approx. 100 pp. Approx. 53. This hook develops the rules for nomenclature by a critique of the older (normal, iso, etc.) systems, leading into the IUPAC system. These are considered: alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, dienes, and simple cyclics; alkyl halides, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids, followed by esters, then aromatic compounds. The concluding chapters treat calculation of formal charges, electronic formulas, and resonance. Two reviews of the material are presented-ne by eonsidering the nomenclature of the isomers of six, and higher, carbon alcohols; the other as a set of questions on the details in each of the 16 chapters. An appendix tabulates IUPAC names of n-alkanes (C, to CU), and the common and IUPAC names of typical members
Olaf Runpist, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota. Burgess Publishing 85 pp. Co., Minneapolis, 1965. iii 21 X 27 em. $2.75.
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Organic Chemistry: Remrtions I Olaf Runputit, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota. Burgess Publishing Ca., Minneapolis, 1965. iii 80 pp. 21 X 27 om. $2.75.
Organic Chemical Nomenclatura
James G . Traynham, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. PrenticeHall Publishing Co., Englewood Cliffs, N. J., in press (scheduled for 1966). This program, based upon current IUPAC practice, places nearly equal emphasis upon subst~tutiveand functional class (common) nomenclature. It emphasizes paper and pencil practice. The usual topics are treated: alkanes and derivatives, alkenes and alkynes similarly, componnds with functional groupsalcohols, ethers, carboxylic acids, a l d e hydes, ketones, amines, aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, reaction intermediates (carhoninm ions, free radicals, carbanions, methylenes), and bridged hydrocarbon systems. This work is distinguished by its informal style and the direct no-nonsense exposition of the material. Students who find programmed instruction helpful probably will be particnlady pleased with this exposition.
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These programs are distinguished by the masterful use of a single technique: information is presented in a statement, and a. series of questions following each statement demonstrates to the student whether he has comprehended the introductory implications of the statement. There are about 60 wch statements in each book. This could tom out to be a deadening, drill-like exercise, but the questions, particularly in the Reactions book, are challenging. I n both books, the level is typical of the instruction in an introductory organic course. The Nomenclature book treats hydrocarbons, including saturated and nnsaturated aliphatics, aromatic, bicyclic, and spiro compounds, for almost half the total pages. Alcohols, ethers, epoxides, acids and acid derivatives, amines, aldehydes, and ketones are each briefly treated. A set of more than 150 review questions completes the book. Both common and IUPAC names are presented. The Reactions book includes addition reactions, to alkenes and alkynes; oxidation of hydrocarbons; substitution of aromatic hydrocarbons, and derivatives; typical reactions of alcohols, alkyl and aryl halides, Grignard reagents, ethers, carboxylic acids, acid halides, amides, and esters with organic and with inorganic reactants. There are 82 review questions, in three subsets. The last group emphafiises organic qualitative analysis. The author reports another book in preparation, "Organio Chemistry: Reactions 11," from the same publisher, probably early in 1966. This programed instruction will include sterwehemistry, sulfonic acids, diazonium salts, phenols, aldehydes, and ketones. About onethird of this hook will cover name rem-
sis upon the accepted mechanism sequences. -
W o t e added in proof: T i m book has been issued: the price is $3.
Basic Electronics Alezander Schure (project director). McGraw-Hill Book Co.. New York. -, 1964. xi 416 pp:, index. 18 X 25 cm. $3.95.
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This hook is addressed to the apt high school graduate who wishes to improve his competence by developing s. useful and industrially applicable knowledge. An elementary knowledge of electronics is clearly necessary to the chemist, who should know something about what goes on inside those "black boxes!' This book is not addressed to the specifics a chemistry major will want to know about, and it is not academic in tone. But it can be assigned for a study, as an extra nicety, especiltlly when the currioulum is too crowded to permit a. formal course in which basic electronics is taught. The book treats emisaim from heated filaments, from diodes to pentodes (describing tube characteristics). These are used to develop the discussion of amplifiers (audio to radio-frequency), cathode followers, oscillators, modulation, power sup~ l i e s and . heterodvne action. Summaries ~and self-tests are placed a t the~endof 19 of the 23 chapters.
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Quick Calculus Daniel Kleppner and N o m n Ramey. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1965. vii 294 pp., index. 15 X 22.5 cm. 52.25.
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For the average chemistry major, the title might better be "Not so very slow calculus," but this is to be expected. This book is highly recommended to the stndent who is troubled in physical chemistry because he never quite mastered the calculus prerequisite. It would he most effective if used by such students before their deficiency became too evident halfway through the physical chemistry course. The hook is profusely filled with problems emphasizing teohniques Volume 43, Number 5, May 1966
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and applications rather than theory. It presents the elementary techniques of differential and integral edculus, preceded by a hrief survey of algebra and trigonometry. The final chapter reviews the previous discnssions. Enough theory is displayed in an appendix to please mathematicians who recognize that the ptrrpose of this hook is to help students use ealcr~lusin science or economics or medical-flavored courses.
High School Level Chemical Symbols Virginia P . Powell. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1965. 31 pp. 15 X 22.5 cm. $0.63. Chemical Formulas and Names Vi~oinia P . Powell. Prentice-Hall. ~ n i l e w o o dCliffs, N. J., 1965. 62 pp: 15 X 22.5 cm. $0.68. Molecular Weight Calculations Virginia P . Powell. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1965. 48 pp. 15 X 22.5 cm. $0.68. Weight and Volume Relationships Virginia P . Powell. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs. N. J., 1965. 38 pp. 15 X 22.5 cm. $0.68. Balancing Chemical Equations Virginia P . Pouell. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1965. 69 pp. 15 X 22.5 cm. $0.68.
gram molecule, and mole are defined as synonymous, with examples. Empirical formulas m e calculated from per cent eomnosition. I n '.\Yei&~.LMI \'chmc l ~ t ~ l ~ ~ i t , the molt. i-, d+fwd a * 1l.e r.uutlrc.r, ti. 1'1 X lll?~,a d typic .A ~ ~ , d ~ i ~ , r prol~ltm~s tx~ric are solved using this concept, hut by using a scheme of number srrangement reminiscent of the now disparaged proportion method. Some reactions with gsseous reagents or products are used as examples, hut in these cases, the temperature and pressure are implicitly held constant, often under "STP". "Balancing Chemical Equations" is exactly this. I t begins with reactions in which there is no change in oxidation state, through net ionic reactions, the determination of oxidation number. redox reactions (by the half-equation method), and ends with the "hdancing" of nnelear equations.
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Gases: Kinetic-Molecular Theory of Gases Rende G. Ford. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1963. ii f 40 pp. 20.5 X 27.5 cm. $0.96.
How To Use a Slide Rule George Saekheim. Harper and Row, New York, 1964. 83 pp. 21 X 27.5 cm. $1.20.
Gases: Gas Laws Ren6e G. Ford. Holt, Rinehart and 69 Winston, New York, 1962. ii pp. 20.5 X 27.5 cm. $0.96.
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Both these programs are likely to he more useful to high school students than to firsbyear college students. "Gases: Kinetic-Molecular Theory of Gases" develops a qualitative picture of the kinetic molecular theory and then uses it to account for the facts summarized in Boyle's, Charles', and Dalton's (Partial Pressure) Laws. The behavior of real ideal gas, px;ci is rwnp3rcd to rhat of xn.1 t l , e d c v ~ : ~ t ~ u n . ~idwlit). f r o n ~ a.wt.!rrctl for i n the ilsllnl SHY, Ihllgh qil3litili\Tl\.. A snmmary section relates these topics to an interestingly developed distinction between law (summary of facts) and theory (explication). "Gases: Gas Law,? is slightly mare demanding; the three fitmiliar gas laws are applied to problems, first separately (for example, Vr = Vi X large over small pressure ratio, or the reciprocal if applicable) and then "combined," both pressure and temperature variations; then Dalton's partial pressure is applied to this oombined idea, now involving the collection of a gas over water. The equation PV = nRT is not mentioned.
This group of programs is available as a set of five far $3.20. "Chemical Symbols" discusses the symhols of the common elements, inserting here and there a hit of interesting elementary descriptivechemistry. Regard for the student is evident, for exam~lein the caution concerning pdssible codusion between manganese and magnesium. (Sodium is incorrectly implied as having been known to the Romans-natrium was not their word for sodium.) This is not a drill program; the necessary drill to memoriae the symbols is recommended as a separate activity to the student. "Chemied Formulas and Names" is an extensive development of the formulas and names of the commoner inorganic compounds, also involving the use of valence. The Stock nomenclature is used, with a hrief mention of -nus and -ic ss archaic, hut necessary to know about. Exponential Notation "NIolecular Weight Calculations" heEugene Roberts. W. H. Freeman, San gins with simple dimensional analysis, Francisco, 1962. 31 pp. 15 X 22.5 then significant figures are defined and cm. $0.25. rules for their proper use explained. Formula weights and molecular weights Slide Rule (distinguished in terms of covalent versus ionic compounds) are treated, then the Eugene Roberts. W. H. Freeman, San concept of 1 ) ~ remf, whiA~i, upplied tr, Francisco, 1962. 64 pp. 15 X 22.5 r.,lml;~rionuf per < v r t t ~cmpteitioufrom om. $0.40. tltr fm~ullnuf a c o ~ n r ~ m ~ l.:~~onmli%l d. These two programs were originally notation is described, and Ahgadro's developed for use as s~~pplementary number identified. The gram atom,
278 / Journal of Chemical Educafion
material in the CHEM Study project. However, they are well suited far any high school student of chemistry and could be used without apology in first courses although oyear ~ l college ~ ~ ~ ~chemistry ~ " they are rather slowly paced. I know of no programs on these two topics that. are better suited for their intended audience. The style of exposition is particolarly clear and friendly. "Exponentid Notation" defines the title term and then uses this means of numerical expression in aseries of examples to teaoh the student how to handle the decimal point, to multiply and divide, to extract square roots, and to add and subtract. "Slide Rule" first thoroughly explains how to read the scales that will be used later in the program, and then, by examples, describes multiplication, division, and the extraction of square root. Well illustrated, with photographs and diagrams of sc&s slone and of the movable center piece in various positions with respect to the fixed scale?.
The Gar Laws George Sackheim. Harper snd Row, New York, 1964. 56 pp. 21 X 27.5 cm. $1.20. Naming Inorganic Compounds George Sackheim. Harper and Row, New York, 1964. 79 pp. 21 X 27.5 cm. $1.20. Naming Simple Hydrocarbons George Sackheirn. Harper and Row, New York, 1964. 57 pp. 21 X 27.5 cm. $1.20. "How To Use a Slide Rule" begins with scale reading, then treats multiplication and division, squares and square roots, cubes and cube roots, and proportions. "The Gas Laws" presents Charles', Boyle's, and Dalton's Partial Pressure L a w e f i r s t separately, then in various combinations. Numerous example prohlems are considered, and solved by the type solution: V I = Vj X (large over small pressure or temperature, or both, or small over large, if appropriate). The Kelvin temperature scsle is denoted as the "Absolute" scale in this book; Centigrade is used instead of Celsius. Names of the common inorganic compounds are discussed in "Naming Inorganic Compounds" usinq the Stock nomenclature, with -ous and -ic mentioned as perhaps required by "your teacher." Familiarity with valence or oxidation number is a prerequisite for this book. I n "Naming Simple Hydrocarbons," first only the straight chain isomers of the homologous hydrocarbons are named; alefins and acetylenes are named next; and then hranched ohain hydrocarbons are named using the IUPAC system. Olefinic and acetylenic isomers are named in the concluding section.
