on its computer-lab equipment. Once the student, or any user, has "learned" a word processor, he will resist using a new system to prepare his written materials unless a clear added-value will he obtained. Several students were given an orientation handout for EXP and were asked to prepare a report using this new word processor. The reference manual, quick reference care, and tutorial guide were available; these tools were referenced in the handout and were used eatensivelv- hv,the student reviewers. The -~~~ onr ienture which was appr~ciatedwas the ease with which mathematical exprersiuns and chemical equations could he produced, viewed, and moved about the document. There were no significant comments concerning simple text entry; the graphics capahility was not addressed. An individual's choice of word nrocessiue moernms - ~ - is "akin ~ to ~seleetine ~ ~ automobiles. ~ ~ clothing and rraidencrs;earh persm has his o m like*and dislikes, needsand wants. The identified negative qualities of EXP, a lack of menuing and of on-line help, can be measured against its positives, WYSIWYG equations and graphics and proportional type. The potential user of EXP will compare it to the competition; at the present time, the "standard" word processor is Wordperfect 5.1. This alternate program alsa permits equation entry and the incorporation of graphics into a document but it allows the viewing of the whole document only in a static print-preview window; however, because of other available features in Wordperfect, current users will probably not be induced to change word processors. If the potential user will require a significant degree of third party support to use a word processor, E X P may not be the best choice; a business-oriented word processor may he more appropriate. The potential user who is interested in a scienGfie word processor might wish to test E X P with the publisher's demo before he buvs it. A collection of EXP& e d fileswill b;uplr,aded toCnmpuirrve iur inclusion in the IBM lor!im under word processing. Thomas H. Richardson ~~
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T h e Elements John Emsley. Clarendon Press (Oxford University Press): New York. NY, 1989. vii 256 pp. Tables. 14.5 X 27.7 cm.
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T h e Elements. Thelr Orlgln, Abundance, a n d Dlstrlbutlon P. A. COX. Oxford Science Publications (Oxford Unlversity Press): New York, NY. 1989. viii 207 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.3 cm.
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In my seemingly endless search for books to use for supplementary material on descriptive chemistry, my eyes were drawn to
A112
Journal of Chemical Education
the titles of these two books. At first, I was confused by the appearance of two books essentially of the same title from the same publisher. Since I had seen notice of them in two different places, did I remember the names of the suthors correctly? Were there really two different books, or was my memory playing tricks on me? Answer: There really are two different books. I have trouble imagining two books with this title being more different. Both of them are well done, and potentially very useful in their own very distinct wavs. ~, Emrley'r book is essentially a book of tables. There is nothing in the way of text, save for a few pages at the beginning which outline what will be on the tables, and some information on sources and on conversion of units. The tables are packed with useful data for each of the elements, divided into four cateearies. These are Chemical Pronerlies rnatlrral sourced, uses, s i x , elertnmegativity, reduction potentials, oxidation stare%bond lenyths, etr.,, Ph,vrical Pmperties (density, melting and boiling points, lattice structure, thermodynamic properties, etc.), Nuclear Properties (key isotopes, NMR properties, etc.), and Electron Shell Properties (electronic configuration, ionization energies, lines in atomic spectrum, etc.). The discoverer, date of discovery, origin of name, natural abundance, and hialogical role are alsa given. Tables a t the end of the hook list the elements in rank order according to certain properties such as density, boiling point, date of discovery, and abundance. Whew! The amount of potentially useful data in this volume as a reference is almost overwhelming. I t certainly doesn't contain the total amount of data as in, say, Lange's Handbook or the CRC Handbook, but it's in amore condensed and convenient form. I'd recommend that everyone who ever needs data on the elements obtain a copy. Cox's book (which was briefly reviewed 67. A59 is nreviouslv in this Journal 1990. ~~~~. entirely different. It's a book of descriprrve chemistry, but not at all in thr vein that one might expect. I t was written by a British author for use by British first-year university students. I t fits into a gap which is very often left unfilled in chemistry major programs in this country-namely, that of nuclear chemistry. I would not describe it as a textbook in nuclear chemistry per se, however. I t is a blend of what I'd call nuclear chemistry, geochemistry, cosmoehemistry, and a little of what in this country would be called "traditional" descriptive inorganic chemistry. As such, the book almost defies description and makes it difficult to know how to use the hook in a typical course or curriculum. The book gives an introduction to the elements (discovery, periodic system, abundances), then goes into the cosmic origin of the elements by various processes which have operated since the "Big Bang". I t then discusses the processes by which the elements have been distributed in the cosmos and throughout the earth, including the distribution of isotopes. At no point is the nuclear physics, geology, or cosmology overwhelming. The author assumes no specialized knowledge on the reader's part. He has ~~
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veryskillfully blended background information with more advanced details. The book is full of diagrams, which graphically relate seemingly disparate properties and facilitate the recognition of trends in their relationships. Why is there no stable nucleus with mass number eight? What factors cantrol the distribution of elements in the crust, mantle, oceans, and atmosphere? How were the planets formed from the "dust" of the early universe? How can minerals usually thoueht of as insoluble in water he coneentrated in so-mlled hydrothermal deposits'? The anrwers to these and a myriad of other questions are presented here. As a perron whose last course in nuclear physics was over 20 years ago, and who has never had a formal course in astronomy, geology or mineralogy (although an amateur mineralogist), I had no trouble following the author's discussion at any point. The book is very easy toread and remarkably free from errors. (I found only five inconsequential typographical errors and no errors offact, in my opinion.) I now feel that I know muchmore about this field than I did before. His descriptions of how long-term radioisotope dating works (for example, for the dating of the very oldest rocks on earth), and of the shell structure of the nucleus are by far the clearest, most readable account of these subjects I have seen. The author has brought together information from a remarkable range of fields (chemistry, astronomy, cosmochemistry, geochemistry, nuclear physics, geology) to produce this hook. Two appendices give tables of elemental and isotouic abundances. extensive references are given, and the indrx is a good Isng-thfor thissize bwk. My only complaint is that the aurhur has chosen to omit the atomic numbers from nuclear symbols-a drawback to someone who hasn't yet memorized the atomic number of each of the elements (which, I suspect, is most of us!). There are also no chapter-end questions, which might limit its usefulness as a text. In summary, I would have to say that Cox's book would be a very g w d brief introduction for someone interested in this field. I would have no qualms about recommending it to an interested student. I t could also be used as a supplement for a descriptive chemistry course, or as a part of the text material for a course in nuclear chemistry or geochemistry. Emsley's hook is a good reference book, which would probably not be suitable as a text. These books are welldone, are inexpensive (under $20 in paperback), and they are certainly much more different than their titles! Alan J. Pribula Towson State University Baltimore, MD 21204
Titles of Interest
Computational Chemistry Uslng t h e P.C.
