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Review of Chemistry for Engineering Students, 2nd Edition Francisco J. Rey Losada* Escola de Enxeñería Industríal, Universidade de Vigo, Torrecedeira 86, 36208 Vigo, Spain the covalent model only!). It is necessary to state the difference between the two questions: the existence of unions (fact), and the explanation of why these unions occur (chemical bond models). Other minor issues such as the consideration of the metallic bonding model in Chapter 8 (after Chapter 7, Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure) can be better afforded when differences between intermolecular and intramolecular interactions are considered. The last “mistake” concerns chemical equilibrium. I cannot understand why many authors introduce the concept of chemical equilibrium after chemical kinetics, when it can be considered more easily starting with thermodynamic concepts, as Gibbs energy. When a chemical equilibrium is reached in a system, ΔG = 0 (providing T and P are constants, of course), and a constant relation between the concentration/activities/ pressures of both reagents and products is obtained (the equilibrium constant). It is not necessary to introduce any constraints on the behavior of the system (reactions orders equal to one), and thus, chemical equilibrium flows “spontaneously”. In fact, the authors outlined this possibility in the last paragraphs of Chapter 10 (Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics), but inexplicably, they do not develop it further. The book also contains many example problems embedded in the text, which facilitate the understanding of the theory. Additionally, a significant number of problems and exercises are provided; a general summary and key terms are also included in the end of chapters. This is one of the few books that correctly explains why the arguments of logarithmic expressions (or exponentials) are always dimensionless, something not easily understood by students. Another important feature is the possibility to acquire one or several chapters of the book as an electronic edition, which lowers the price of the textbook without decreasing quality. Online OWL electronic homework access is also available. In short, I like the book. The authors present a correct balance between concepts, theory, and mathematics, which makes it very suitable for any student (and teacher) of an introductory engineering course.
Chemistry for Engineering Students, 2nd Edition by Lawrence S. Brown and Thomas A. Holme. Brooks/Cole: Belmont, CA, 2011. 608 pp. ISBN: 978-1439047910 (hardcover). $202.99.
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he authors of Chemistry for Engineering Students, 2nd edition indicate that this book is primarily designed to be used in a chemistry course for beginning engineering students. The book could be easily used in any introductory course directed to engineers (not only chemical) around the world. In fact, I think that this is one of the better chemistry books written for this introductory level, if not the best. Of course, I strongly recommend it.
Cover image provided by Brooks/Cole and reproduced with permission.
All books contain “mistakes”, and some are present here, too; these must be carefully explained to the students. I will refer only to the most important three, although, depending on the course, some others could be added to the list. The introduction of the concept of the mole is problematic. The mole is one of the most interesting topics from a macroscopic, quantitative point of view. Despite extensive discussions (many of them in this Journal), the mole represents only a number, and so must be explained to the students. There are moles of stars, moles of dollars, and moles of atoms and molecules. In a chemical reaction, one or more atoms or molecules react to form other molecules (microscopic), an equivalent number of moles also react in a macroscopic system. Therefore, a fixed mass of atoms and molecules react in the same way. If we can help our engineering students to understand this, the concept of a mole will not be one of the more problematic in the chemistry teaching process. A second concern is the discussion of chemical bonding. We all know of the existence of molecules, created by the “union” of atoms; the process is termed “chemical bonding”. The chemical bond is classified as ionic, covalent, or metallic. But these are only models to explain specific characteristics of those unions (in fact all chemical bonding can be explained by using © 2012 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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Published: July 11, 2012 1100
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed300416s | J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 1100−1100
