The elements of chemistry. The elements of chemistry in the laboratory

Nov 1, 1970 - The elements of chemistry. The elements of chemistry in the laboratory (Eblin, Lawrence P.) R. K. Birdwhistell. J. Chem. Educ. , 1970, 4...
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book reviews mntter, of the rrs~&rmstio~,of one fmm of mxrter inlo others. This text follors the rvide1.t ,rend and seems to fl~untthe divorce of descriptive chemistry from the study of the basic principles of the science. The principles of chemistry are explained in the first twenty chapters with little reference to the properties of specific elements or compounds; descriptive chemistry is presented in the last five chapters. Chapter 3, Chemical Periodicity, has almost no reference to chemical properties. Chapter 12, on Solids, describes the struoture of crystals but fails to correlate structure with properties. Why should the chemist be concerned with crystal struoture unless it is to explain the variability among crystalline solids, in hardness, malleability, melting point, ability to conduct electricity, and other properties? The author does suggest that the "professor.. .may wish to intermesh Chapters 21-25 [reactions] with the others" and "to use selected topics in each chapter and delete the rest" and that "a judicious choice of topics and order of presentation will permit the use of this text in courses having different degrees of rigor and sequences of topical coverage!' The explanation of principles is rtccurate, thorough, and usually lucid. The student should he able to follow the re* soning and adapt it to his own use. Exceptions are some of the more sophisticeted theories, such as the wave mechanical treatment of atomic and molecular orbitals, crystal field theory and ligand field theory. I doubt thst many freshmen will learn enough from the exposition of these theories to enable them to apply their knowledge to new problems, although the explanations might serve as a review for students alreedy familiar with the theories. WALTER B. KEIGRTON Swa~thmoreCollege Sw~lhmore,Pennsylvania Inorganic and Physical Chemistry: An Integrated Approach

R. S . Lowrie, Oxford School, and H . J. C. Campbell-Ferguson, Malvern College, England. Pergamon Press, Ino., New 368 pp. Figs. and York, 1969. xiii tables. 19.5 X 25.5 cm. $5.50.

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The authors of this book have in mind a presentation for A-level in the British scheme of education whioh might correspond roughly with su American first year college course for selected chemistry majors. Aside from a. few British word spellings there are relatively few other matters of style thst give i t s distinctively British flavor so that the book should be quite amenable to use outside the British system. By "an integrated spprosch" the authors have in mind the presentation of a variety of topics usually identified with classical physical chemistry followed in the latter part of the book by a. discussion of some inorganic chemistry topics. The first 17 chapters or nearly 60% of the text deal with such topics as energy levels and bonds, structure, molecular motion,

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Journal o f Chemical Educofion

enthdpy, equilibria hoth homogeneous and heterogeneous, free energy, surfaces, and reaction rates. In the remaining 9 chapters the topies include hydrogen, acids, halogens, groups IV, V, and VI elements, the S block metals, the B metals, and the transition met&. Although the authors disclaim any attempt to present a comprehensive descriptive account of inorganic chemistry they do present a good deal of informdon in tabular and graphical form. In particular there are some excellent charts which organize the relationship among typical compounds of an element as a function of oxidation number. Throughout the discussions relatively little mathematies is used. Thus no reference is made to a Boltamsn distribution in discussions of energy levels, molecular motion, or reaction rates. There is, in the chapter on reaction rates, a plat of kinetic energy as a function of the number of molecules. Unfortunately the plot is more nearly one for distribution of molecular speed rather than energy. Sufficient calculus is used on one page to derive first order and second order rate laws. A good many of the problems call for discursive rather than mathemrttical answers. In an attempt to assess the nature of the integration between the physical and the inorganic parts, the reviewer tried to judge the extent to which material in the earlier chapters formed a. basis for discussing the inorganic chemistry of the latter chapters. The chapter on acids presents a good many equilibrium constants but makes no mention of AH, AG, or AS. In the chapter on transition metals no equilibrium constant data. are presented although there are values for AH and cell potentials given in charts. By and large where thcrmodynamio data are given there islittle aid provided toward their interpretation. Group V elements m e discussed in Chapter 23 where one finds a few AH values, four equilibrium constants, no AG values, no spectral data, a few bond energies and radii, a few orbits1 ' diagrams but no molecular orbits1 diagrams, and no reaction rate data. I t would seem that integration is not much emphasized in the book but readers may differin their taste for integration. There are some difficulties with the mi$ ing. Chapter 9 is entitled Enthalpy but the title word appears only once in the body of the chapter and all other references are to heat or energy. Hess' law is attributed t o energy conservation rather than to the fact that H is a. state function and such things as volume and entropy that are not conserved have properties quite analogous to Hess' law. In the chapter on equilibrium there is s. fairly direct implication that rhornbic and monoclinic sulfur can he in equilibrium a t 25°C which is certainly not observed. The authors discuss LeChstelier's principle as if it were s consequence of the equilibrium state rather than part of the definition of equilibrium. In the chapter on acids i t is claimed that d l Brensted acids are necessarily Lewis acids without mentioning that a substance like HCL is not easily fitted into the Lewis scheme of substances. Throughout the book there are indications of the need for more care. Thus

paragraphs are often rather aimless. For example, on page 5 a paragraph begins to relate atomic volume to periodicity and ends up emphasiaing the importance of Avogedro's number. Misspelled words and poorly set type are much more common than in m y other textbook this reviewer has seen in recent vears. The authors are urged to register a complaint with their publisher.

E. STRONG LAURENCE Earlham College Richmond, Indiana The Elements of Chemistry

Lawrmce P. Eblin, Ohio University, Athens. 2nd ed. Harcourt, Brace, and World, Inc., New York, 1970. xvii 492 pp. Figs. and tables. 17 X 24 cm. $9.95.

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The Elements of Chemistry in the Laboratory

L a w a c e P . Eblin, Ohio University, Athens. 2nd ed. Harcourt, Brace, and World, Inc., New York, 1970. viii 178 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23 cm. Softbound. $3.95.

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The previous edition of this text wss re42, 522 (1965). viewed in TFIIS JOURNAL, While the type, figures, tables, and other mechanical details of this text have been improved andmore topics have been added, the objections to the first edition still remain. This book is a series of statements, par* graphs, and "New Words" connected by "Examples" and "Exercises" which do not give the introductory students insight into the science of chemistry. The manual is a collection of 31 experiments which can he used for the laboratory program to accompany the text, "The Elements of Chemistry!' The appendixes include simple directions for preparing all materials needed for the various experiments. This should he an aid to the management of the lshomtory.

R. K. B ~ D W ~ ~ S T E L L University of West F l d a Pasaeola. Flm'da Quantitative Analytical Chemistry: VoIume 1, Introduction to Principles. Volume 2, Shalt lntr~durtionto Practice

H . A . Flaschka and P . E. Sturrock, hoth of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, and A. J. Barnard, Jr., J. T. Baker Chemicd Co. Barnes and Noble, Inc., New York, 1969. Figs. and tahles. 17 X 24 cm. Vol. 1, xiii 595 pp. 290 Softbound. $5.95. Yol. 2, ix pp. Softbound. $2.95.

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These two paperback volumes, available separately, have two distinct objectives. Volume I, in the authors' words, is "primarily organized for use in courses for, students not majoring in chemistry," The companion volume is intended as an independent laboratory manual m d contains hoth classical and instrumental experiments in chemical malysis, The first volume surveys most of the (Catinued a page A790)