Notes on Molecular Orbital Calculations
John D. Robwts, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. W. A. Benjamin, Inc., New York, 1961. ix 156 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 em. $4.95.
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BOOK
REVIEWS
Physical Methods in Chemical Analysis. Volume 4
Edited by IValtalter G. Berl, Applied Phy~ics Laboratory, Johne Hopkins University, Silver Spring, Maryland. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1961. viii 476 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cnl. $16.
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h stated in the preface, "This volume. . . deals exclusively with separation methods. . . . The aim of the individual chapters is to review the theory and practical aspects of the various techniques, to indicate their range of application in the analytical laboratory, and to explain the scientific foundation upon which they are built." The section titles and authors, in succession, folloa: Dialysis (C. W. Csrr); Separations with Molecular Sieves (T. L. Thomas and R. L. Maya); Separation with Foams (w.Rieman, 111, and R. Smgent); Analytical Applications of Inclusion Compounds (M. Bar6n); Separation of Gases and Liquids by Thermal Diffusion (G. Dickel); and Solvent Extraction (F. A. van Metzsch). The reviewer would have preferred consistency in these titles. There are extensive lists of references at the ends of the chapters. In some cases they are not consistently stated and there
-Reviewed
is not always conformity to the practice of Chemical Abstracts. In general, in the space available the variow authors have done very well in achieving the stated objectives of the book. The chapters are not equally detailed, but neither are the techniques equally important in chemical analysis. Thus far, methods employing ion exchange or solvent extraction seem of most importance in analytical work. There is a wealth of practical information in some cases, as in the section for solvent extraction. The reviewer is moved to make two comments about separations. Whenever they are necessary in analyzing polycomponent ~ystems,the processee, whatever they are, alwayys precede measurement of desired constituents. Thus, the material in Volume 4 of this treatise logically should have been in Volume 1. Also, unless another volume is planned, important kinds of separations have been omitted, although Chromatographic Analysis was included in Volume 2 and Distilhtion and Gas Chromatography in Volume 3. For the material covered, this should be a valuable reference work for teachers, advanced students, and researchers. M. G. MELLON Purdue University Lafayette, Indiana
in this Issue
Walter G. Berl, editor, Physical Methods in Chemical Analysis. Volume 4 John D. Robwts. Notes on Molecular Orbital Calculations Nicholas D. Cheronis, editor, Submiemgram Experimentation Alezander R. Surrey, Name Reactions in Organic Chemistry William F. Ehrel, editor, Smith's College Chemistry
The strength and the weakness of this book both lie in its straightforwardness and its limited objectives. I t aims to teach the student (presumably a first year graduate student or senior undergraduate) how to make "zeroth order" molecular orbital calculations. It will succeed in this for most students who work their way through the numerous examples and problems. This is no mean aohievement and is not always reached by students exposed to much more elaborate training. The book makes no attempt to offer a real intraduotion to quantum mechanics. It will probably serve best as a supple rnentary book in a. course on chemical bond theory. It will also be very helpful to the chemist who has had a sound introduction to the principles of quantum mechanics, but who lacks the details of this particular type of calculation. In two ways thia book might be considerably improved without materially increasing its scope or size. The eection on group theory could usefully consider symmetry operations other than rotation about a two-fold axis. Some of the most interesting predictions of simple theory involve molecules having multi-fold aymmetry axes. A simple set of directions for the uee of the more complicated character tables has appeared (C. G. Swain and W. R. Thoraon, J . Ovg. Chem., 24, 1989 [1959]) and something like it would be helpful in this book. The other useful addition would be a method for 6nding the roots of a secular determinant by diagonalizing it. The method of minors, whichis deecrihed, is not readily adaptable to digital computing machines This hook was photoreproduced from typed copy and suffers somewhat from the lack of a variety of type faces. It $80 has more than the usual number of typographical errors. These difficult i a do not seriously impair its usefulness, however. Its price is rather high for the amount of material it contains. (It would probably not occupy over 100 conventional hook pages.) On the other hand the person who wants to learn what this book teaches will find it a powerful aid and well worthits cost. MAURICEM. KREEVOY Univemity of Minnesota Minneapolis
Eugene A. Carpovich and Vera V . Ca~povieh,Russian-English Dictionary John C . Bevingto~~, Radical Polymerization Takeru Higuehi :~ndEinm Brochmann-Hamsen, editors, Pharmaceutical Analysis
Robert F. Rolsten, Iodide Metals and Metal Iodides J . P . Harlnett, E. R. G. Eeked, H . S . Mieklay, and R. L. Pigford, editors, Recent
Advances in Heat and Mass Transfer Sheldon S . L . Chang, Synthesis of Optimum Control Systems Fmd H . Rhodes, Technical Report Writing Donald H. Menzel, Howard Mum,fwd Junes, and Lyle G. Boyd, Writing a Technical Paper Rutherford B r i s , The Optimal Dosign of Chemioal Reactors: A Study in Dynamic Programming
Edited by Nicholas D. Cheronis, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. Interscience Puhlishem, Inc., 1961. Miehrochemical Journal Symposium Series, Volume 1. viii 351 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $10.75.
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This book should convince all who rquestion the place of analytical chemVolume 39, Number 6, June 1962
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istry in the ever-changing chemistry curriculum of the current importance of analytical chemistry. The contributors discuss quantitative analysis of amounts in the range of lo-' grams, and less; in some cases, the amounts treated consist of only a few molecules. Clearly, we cannot now treat these matters in detail in an undergraduate course in analytical chemistry; but as more information is made available, these topica will be discussed in any curriculum which pretends to he up to date. This book marks a. milestone in our progress. Every professor of chemistry will profit from a glance at its contents, and many will find their interest sufficiently stimulated to read every ward. It appears to this reviewer to be the first significant indication of an important topic that will soon he famed upon us, demanding inclusion in our teaching. In his preface, the editor states that "the discussions. . .will aid those working in the [field] and provide guideposts to those entering it." He has assessed accurately. Details are not given, except briefly; but the remarkable things that can be done are described by the contributors. A complete list is beyond the scope of this review, but by way of examples: Using the photosynthetic flagellate, Ezlgelena granlis, as a "microbiologioal transducer-amplifier," the trace of vitamin BIr in a fingerprint can be messured; using luminous bacteria, individual molecules of oxygen can, almost, be counted; single fiber electrophoresis is now a crude technique, electrophoresis in thin films on polished glass can detect, and measure, as little as pg (picogram, 10-'= gram) of some cations; melting points of 0.1 ng (nanogram, gram) of material can be measured 1 or 2°C; quantitative evalwithin uations of impurities in material assayed a t 99.9999999% purity can be carried out; X-ray diffraction patterns of 10 ng of material are now possible; gas chromatographic separstion, and estimation of the quantities, can be performed on 0.1 ng of petroleum ether. The hook itself is an exeeptiondly well-edited version of a conference by twenty-nine invited pitrtioipants, May 15 to 18, 1960, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council and the U. S. Army Chemical Corps. Eighteen papers were presented, and the discussions which follow have been transcribed following each paper. This book should be in the library of every college, and students from the freshman level up should be encouraged to study its contents. The references cited a t the end of each paper will lead advanced students further into topios which interest them. A companion volume on miorochemical techniques is promised, and this should he helpful to those who wish to pursue finer details. Dr. Henry Eyring summarized the contributions, "I have never attended a more exciting symposium. Each talk in turn has been provocative." It must have indeed been stimulating, and
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326
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Journal of Chemical Education
99.9999999% of thia stimulation has come through in the printed pages.
JAY A. Y o u ~ o King's College Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyluania
Name Reactions in Organic Chemistry
Alezander R. Surrey, Sterling-Wmthrop Research Institute, Rensselrter, New York. 2nd ed. Academic Press, Inc., 278 pp. New York, 1961. x Figures. 16 X 23.5 cm. $8.
In summary, apart from the interesting biographical notes, there is comparatively little informstion in this hook which is not easily found elsewhere in leading textbooks and reviews or in standard reference works on synthetic organic chemistry. Judged on this basis, and also in view of the purposely limited number of reactions treated, this volume can he recommended only with reservation.
ALBERTW. B U R G S T A H ~ R The University of Kansas Lawrence
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For brevity and simplicity the t i m e honored preotioe among chemists of citing various organic reactions and procedures simply by the names of the workers who discovered or developed them has much to recommend itself. Still, without additional generic defining terms, it is a device which can slso be confusing as well as annoying, and for this reason a book of this type probably has considerable appeal for a wide circle of readers, especially among graduate students. In fact, at least two other similar compilations, both more extensive in coverage hut leas encompassing in detail (and also lacking the biographical entries which distinguish the present volume), have appeared recently: "Name Index of Organic Reactions," 2nd Edition, by J. E. Gowan and T. S. Wheeler (Longmans, 1960, reviewed by L. 0. Smith in .I. CHEM.Eouc., 38, 588 :1961]) and "Namenrcaktionen der organisohen Chemie," by H. Kraucb and W. Kunz (Alfred Hiithig, Heidelberg, 1961). ..\ppm~i~w~rdy fmy-live per vrut lnn!?r than the, first wlirion pul~lisl.cd ir. 1954. this "n.viur.d : a d ~nlrirgccl"zerond edirim of Dr. Surrey% book discusses about 130 organic "name" reactions, from the "Arndt-Eistort Synthesis" to the "WurtzFittig Reaction." For perspective and interesting historical background, each entry begins with a short biographical sketch of the "name" author or authors. This is fallowed by a brief description of the reaction and the conditions involved in its use, along with a rksumk of its scope and oertain of its limitations. For manv of the reactions, mechanistic interpretations are s,lm provided, togpther with some mention of applioations in synthetic work. Finally, a short list of leading references, especially to more recent papers, is included with each entry. Although a different selection of reactions might be preferred (cf. review of the first edition by F. G. Bordwell, J. CKEM. EDUC.,32, 339 [19551), those presented here constitute on the whole a rather useful and widely applied group. On the other hand, though readably written, this book is by no means an authoritative or critioal account of the material it covers, nor is it always a reliable guide to the literature. For example, the mechanism shown on page 207 for the Reissert (aldehyde synthesis) reaction is no longer considered correct; in fact, the currently accepted meohanism is contained in one of the references cited. In addition, the reference lists are frequently marred by miaspelled or incomplete citations of authors' names or initials.
Smith's College Chemistry
Edited by William F. Ehret, New York University. 7th ed. Appleton-CenturyCrafts, Inc., Xew York, 1960. viii 944 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.5 X 24 cm. $7.75.
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The latest edition of this ndl-knonn text has been rewritten and reorganized to modernize its approach. This has involved earlier introduction of atomic structure, treatment of theoretical concepts in the first half of the text and a study of the elements by periodic groups in the second half, and specialized topics (electrochemistry, organic chemistry, transmutation) st the end of the book. This arrangement permits students to undertake qualitative andysis in the laboratory during the latter half of the course. Much greater emphasis has been placed upon the correlation between chemical properties and atomic structure. Many new illustrations stress the structural features of atoms, molecules, and crystals. There is 8. plentiful supply of exercises accompanying each chapter, many of them numeriertl. Some of these have answers included. The appendix includes lop: tables and s. section on significant figures. Each major subdivision of a chapter has been given a section number to permit assignment of specific sections, thus enhancing the flexibility of the text. Some chapters have summary or review sections. The reviewer aould have preferred that the sections on Rate of Reaction be included with the chapter on Chemical Equilibrium instead of with Hydrogen, and that the Liquid State be discussed in s chapter separate from Tater and Hydrogen Peroxide. The text is well written and its format is pleasing. For an otherwise modern approach, perhaps too much emphasis is placed on the la^ of conservation of mass, combining and multiple proportions, etc. While these eonrepta are of historical importance, they heoome rather obvious in the light of our present knosledge of the atom. Considering the recent column on textbook errors (J. CHEM.EDEC., 38, 480 [1961]) the interpretation of the paddlewheel Crookes tube (p. 44) should be revised or removed. Otherwise, the treatment of atomic structure is excellent. Oxidation-reduction receives its deserved emphasis throughout the hook. (Continued on page A494)
