book reviews try than any other chapter. Chapter 14 relates the Dast accomplishments and present status of the Corps of Engineers. The final section. Part V. is c o m ~ w e dof chapters 15 and 16 whichdiseusispeeifically the role of the news media and environmental news coverage. The preface states that the purpose of the book is t o present the various viewpoints expressed a t the conference because the broader utility of these views may help others understand man in his environment. The book serves this purpose well, hut is of little value t o the chemist or chemistry teacher who is interested in the chemical aspects of environmental problems. Since these papers were presented to enhance the understanding of representatives of the news media, it is not surprising that they have very little chemical content and do not suffice as chemical reference material. The hook will acquaint the reader with the social, philosophical, political, economic, governmental, and industrial viewpoints on environmental problems. Regarding environmental education with a chemical flavor, it might be used as supplementary reading material. i ~ i n gT. Glover Oak R a p Associated Un~VersdIles Oak R a p , Tennessee 37830
Some of the illustrations also appeared t o be of p m r artistic quality. Particularly obvious in this respect was the illustration of page 171 showing the equilibrium between undissolved and dissolved sodium and chloride ions. In the illustration of the blast furnace on page 245 the chemical equations are hardly visible on the dark green background. The text may appeal to those instructors who prefer more descriptive ehemistry than that found in many of the eontemporary introductory chemistry texts. I t was this reviewer's impression that the text included more descriptive chemistry than was appropriate for a text of this type. In spite of attempts to modernize the text, such as the introduction of a chapter on environmental chemistry, the text appears to be somewhat outdated. In the chapter of acids and bases, far example, the BronstedLowry theory of acids and bases is introduced in the "fine print" while no mention is made of the Lewis acid and base theory. This reviewer felt that there was little about the book that would appeal to a ehemistry teacher seeking to present a modern approach to the study of chemistry. However, for those seeking a more traditional introductory text for a one-semester course, the book may be worth reviewing.
which supplement the text quite well. The authors rely quite heavily on Scientific American articles for suggested reading and supply a n ample number of listings a t the end of each chapter. I would like to see more journal listings, especially in areas such as enzymes and protein synthesis, and listings which are more current. Areas which I feel could be improved are protein synthesis and biochemistry of drugs and drug action. A laboratory book entitled "Experiments in Organic and Biochemistry" is also available. It provides a wide variety of experiments that can he performed with a limited budget and still get the job done. I would recommend this text for students in the health fields such as nursing and medical technology and also for students of the liberal arts who care to learn about chemistry relating t o life and the world about them. The laboratory manual would also be an asset since it offers a diverse choice of experiments with s minimum of budget breaking reagents and equipment and yet has a lot to offer t o the student who would like to observe first hand that the textbook theory actually works. As one would expect in a textbook of this nature, its value is chiefly as a teaching tool and has little t o offer the researcher or graduate student.
Paul L. Coak Albion College Albbn Michigan 49224
Wiilmm E . Meredith Ashland Collep Ashhnd, Ohn 44805
Essentials of Organic and Biochemistry General Chemistry Arthur L. Williams, Harland D. Embree, and Harold J Debey, California State University, San Jose. AddisonWesley Publishing Company, Reading, Massachusetts, 1974. xxi 387 pp. Figs. and tables. 17 X 24 em.
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This text is designed t o he used in a onesemester or one-quarter ehemistry course for students without any previous background in chemistry. The format is very traditional. Following two introductory chapters on methods of measurement and fundamental concepts on chemistry are chapters on the structure of matter, Periodic Table, chemical bonds, and chemical equations. Three chapters of descriptive chemistry on oxygen, hydrogen, and water follow. Chapters on solutian, acids and bases, aqueous equilibrium, and colloids comprise the middle portion of the text. After two chapters on the atmosphere, and properties of gases, several more chapters of descriptive chemistry of the halogens, non-metals, and metals are detailed. The concluding chapters include the topics of nuclear chemistry, organic compounds, biochemistry. and environmental chemistry. Our initial impression after scanning the text was that the publishers had selected a size of type that was too small for easy readability. Furthermore, the lines of type are compressed together, a factor which also made reading more difficult. Some of the paragraphs in "fine print" almost require magnification. A558 1 Journal of Chemical Education
Donald J. Burton and Joseph I. Routh, University of Iowa. W. B. Saunders Company, West Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1974. ix 408 pp. Figs. and tables. 18 X 26.5 cm.
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This is a textbook for a one semester course to introduce the principles of organic and biochemistry t o students who have had a one or two semester course in general chemistry. At the beginning of each chapter a list of the objectives of the chapter is presented. These objectives are met in a rather concise and easily understandable manner. A special effort is made to enable the student to become mare acquainted with topical subjects. This is especially true in the discussion of natural gas and petroleum which is presented in the chapter entitled, Hydrocarbons. Drawings are presented in each chapter which aid the student in understanding the mechanism of the reactions discussed. At the end of each c h a ~ t e there r is a series of auestions to he k v r r c d toy the s t u d e m A r:rrnphnton tex, entitled "Student'* {iuidr tc, Kacentinls "I Orgnntc and B~uchernistry" supplrmentj each chapter and provides the answers to the questions. I believe this to be a valuable tool if used properly by the student. The text not only covers the essentials of organic and biochemistry but also attempts to cover some basic physiology in the last two chapters. While this coverage appears enormous, I helieve that the authors do a good job in attempting to convey their message t o persons who may never take another ehemistry course. Each chapter has a generous number of figures and drawings
DNA Synthesis Arthur Karnbeg, Stanford University. W. H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco, California, 1974. ia 399 pp. Figs. and tables. 18 X 25.5 cm. $18.
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This book is an excellent summary of the information available on DNA synthesis as of about mid-1974 written by the past and still master of the subject. I t should prove to be very useful as a basic text in graduate courses concerned with the biochemistry of DNA and as a reference in many a research laboratory. The title is a bit over-modest in that the material is not restricted to DNA synthesis a t the chromosomal and viral levels, but ineludes a chapter each on the structure and fundion of DNA, the biosynthesis of purine and ovrimidine nucleotides. the RNA polymerad&, and the chemical s;nthesis of genes. These chapters add breadth and perspective to the book; however they are not presented in the same loving detail which characterizes the seven chapters an the main theme-the biochemistry of the DNA polymerases. This central core of the book includes two chapters primarily devoted to the Eseherichin eoli DNA polymerase I, one on other bacterial and phage-induced polymerases, one on the eukaryotic cell polymerases, a chapter on the details of replication of DNA (mostly in E. eoli), another on the replication of the DNA viruses, and one on the processes of repair, recombination, and restridion.
As might well be expected, the major emphasis throughout the book is that which has characterized Kornherg's research activities for the past 20 years or so; i.e., the approach is that of the nucleic acid enzymologist and the prime suhject is DNA polymerase I. Workers who utilize the basically genetic approach to investigate biochemical problems are likely to feel that contributions to our knowledge of DNA synthesis derived from the study of viral and bacterial mutants have not received the depth of coverage which is their due. The general format used by the author is the introduction of each subject with a short historical review which leads to a concise summary of the important facts. This is then followed by detailed enamination of the experiments which yielded those facts. The book is well-illustrated with excellent figures and contains numerous tables summarizing data from many sources. This feature greatly facilitates the understanding of the relationships of the various enzyme systems, their differences and similarities. The writing is clear and straightforward. Accordingly, from the standpoint both of content and of presentation, this is an excellent book. James L. Fairley Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan 48824
The Path to the Double Hellx
Robert Olby, University of Leeds, Scotland. University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington, 1975. xxiii 510 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 24 cm. $23.50.
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In his preface, Robert Olby suggests that "The Path to the Double Helix" will provide the scientist, sociologist, and historian a reference work with a broad, eomprehensive view of "the whole intellectual and institutional movement in experimental biology which has yielded a physical and ehemical account of the gene." This view is described by science historian Olby in five sections. The first, From Colloidal Particles to Long-Chain Molecules describes the origin of the concept of macromolecules in the 19th century t o a detailed account of Astbury's studies in Leeds on keratin. The second and third sections, Nucleic Acids and the Nature of Hereditary Material and Bacterial Transformation, its Nature and Implications, emphasize a number of biochemical concepts established during the first half of the 20th century. The second section includes discussions on the tetranucleotide hypothesis as supported by Steudel and Levene, the nucleopratein theory of the gene, Garrod's remarkable insights into inborn errors of metabolism, Beadle and Tatum's classical studies on Neurospora, and the work on TMV by Stanley, Cohen, and others. The third section on bacterial transformation describes the outstanding work of Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty, whieh with typical uncanny in-
sight Andrh Baivin aptly described a t the time as "revolutionary." This was followed by the finding of Vendrely that different individuals of the same species have equal amounts of DNA per cell and that it is reduced t o one-half this amount during the formation of germ cells. The development of paper chromatography then provided Chareaffs laboratow with the necessarv technique to ~ C C I I T R determine I ~ ~ hose rati
