treatment of traditional chemical kinetics but falls somewhat short an handling certain modern developments in the field during the last ten years. mentioned. These are more advanced topics, hut it does not seem justified to present MO theory in such detail without their inclusion.
electronic transitions in enones are treated quantitatively, but the chapter is otherwise disappointing. Chapter 9 covers mass spectroscopy, providing a reasonably good introduction to the basics of fragmentation pattern interpretation. Twelve spectral prohlems are gwen. The final chapter is a brief introductmn to Raman spectroscopy. As noted above, the appendices contain detailed answers to all problems, as well as two FORTRAN source listmgs. References to more advanced texts.. soectral comnilations, and original literature are given a t the end of each chapter. In summary, the strong point of this teat is its clear and up-to-date chapters on 1H and laC NMR spectroscopy, while chapters on MS and IR are more than adeauate..Am~le problems and their solutions are providkd. Inclusion of computer programs is a n m idea, hut their use will be somewhat limited. Overall, the text has a good mix of theory, instrumental concerns, and spectral interpretation, which should appeal to students and instructors. It probably will not appeal to practicing organic chemists or advanced students, largely because of the availability of more com~rehensivetexts such as that of
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Herschel Rabitz Princeton University Princeton. NJ 08540
Sourcebook On Food And Nutrition, Second Edition I.S. Scarpa, H. C. Kiefer, G. Garmon, and R. Tatum (Editors), Marquis Academic Media, Chicago. IL. 1980. 484 pp. Figs. and tables. 22 X 28.5 cm. $39.50.
The purpose of this volume is implied in the title. I t attempts t o hring together in a single volume a variety of reprints and some original contributions covering the complexity and range of current nutrition and food-related issues. The articles, ahout 100 in all, in 8 general categories, are summaries of current thought, governmental agency puhlications, and position papers of appropriate groups or associations. Some articles are extensively referenced, others have few or no references. Part 1, colorfully hut not informatively called "Setting the Table" includes a discussion of find& of the extent and effect of malnutrition on the American populace. The Report of the Senate Select Committee on Food and Nutrition entitled "Dietary Goals for the United States" is included, but a recent rebuttal, "Toward Healthful Diets," is not. Diets meeting the criteria of the dietary goals are outlined. This section also includes the benefit-risk concept of food technology, income effects on food spending, maximizing the consumer's food dollar, labeling, and cost considerations of convenience foods. Part 2, "Balancing the Nutrients," iden-
cular disease and an opposingopinion ahout dietary cholesterol are represented. The association between dietary salt and hypertension is described. Three areas of interaction between nutrition and cancer are delineated. Diabetes. hwerelvcemia and its treatment
Also prefient in this section are topical papers on caffeine, alcohol, drugs, food-drug interactions, and dental health. Part 6, "Bringing Food To The Table," examines concerns shout modern food technology: food additives, destruction of nutrients hy processing, food-borne disease, toxicological assessment of foods and environmental contaminants. Safe home food preparation and canning techniques are also detailed. Part 7, "Regulating Food Safety," identifies food laws and agencies charged with maintaining the law. Food labeling requirements are described. Federal programs to improve food availability t o families and children such as Food Stamp8 are outlined. In the last part, "Aligning the Professionals." the demand for reeistered dietitians is
gwen. The Sourcehook succeeds in organizing articles representative of the diversity of nutrition-related topics. In some instances, primarily in the previously unpublished materials, facts are not referenced, cholesterol 15 s a ~ dto have 24 carbons, and the hazards of being 10%overweight are exaggerated. The reliance on summary articles such as
section on UV spectroscopy. Richard P. Johnson Iowa State Universiw Arnes, IA 50011
The Foundations of Chemical Kinetics E. N. Yeremin, Mir Publishers, Moscow. 1979. 423 pp. Figs. and tables. 15 X 22 cm. $11.00.
This text covers the traditional areas of chemical kinetics a t an advanced undergraduate level. As a treatment of these topics, the hook is quite adequate although there are no prohlems and only a few references to current literature. The hook gives essentially no attention to the modern proliferating optical techniques of kinetic analysis, yet the teat does contain some interesting topics not found in typical kinetics hooks. In regard to the latter mint. there is material on the kinetics of &en flowine chemical svstems and
ters on statistical thermodynamics and kinetic theory. These topics, particularly the latter one, are relevant to kinetics, hut they could be skipped over if the students were already exposed to them id a traditional physical chemistry course. The book only gives light treatment to the fundamental theory of kinetics a t the microscopic atomic scale. In summary, the hook gives a solid
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Journal of Chemical Educatic
a short form of the U. S. ~ e ~ a r t m eof n tAgriculture nutrient composition tables are given. The National Nutrition Foundation's reports an safety, toxicity, and misuse of Vitamins A, C, D, and E and a consumer~oriented discussion of the use of vitamin supplements are provided. The currently recommended dietary levels of minerals and mineral functions are described. Part 3, "Spanning the Ages," includes nutritional concerns during infancy, childhood, adolescence, and aging. I t also discusses the importance of hreast-feeding, childhood ohesity, the paucity of datalinking food and childhood hyperactivity, anorexia nervosa, and the nutritional susceutibilitv of the aged. Topics related to obesity and treatment occupy Part 4, "Losing Pounds Sensihly." The efficacy of over-the-counter preparations sold for use in weight reduction is questioned. The behavior modification approach to long-term weight control is summarized and a registered dietitian analyzes the nutritional adequacy of eight popular diets. The hazards of the Iow-calorie protein diets are dampented and causes of deaths associated with liquid protein diets are presented. Other papers in this section concern consumer confusion about health or natural foods, vegetarianism, and the scientific status of fiber and disease. Part 5 examines nutrition links with disease. Cholesterol and its role in cardiovas-
issues. One wishes, for example, that Ancel Keys could comment on the health risks of
RoseAnn L. Shorey University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 78712
Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories Assembly of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, National Research Council, (Editors), National Academy Press, Washington DC., 1980. xii 285 pp. Figs. and tables. 21 X 27.5 cm.
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Because of the nature of this review, I have discussed its content with colleagues whom I consider to be expert in matters ~ e r t a i n i n eto chemical safetv and health. None disigreed, hut some suggested that my remarks were expressed with insufficient vigor. This could have been a n important hook, a milestone. With two exceptions, I find it to be neither original in content nor arrangement. This book presents information from many sources hut does not always identify the source adequately, if at all. It is not up to the (Continued on page A1081
