Lab Partner & Lab Master Dave Masterman. P.O. Box 731. Jackson. WY 83001 Hardware: Components:
Level and Subject: Cwt:
Apple II. ProDos Compatible 1 disk, reference manual. tutorial Graphical Data Analysis 1 disk, reference Manual, Experimenter's Guide Lab Partner 8 Lab Master High School 8 College C3aphIcal Data Manipulation Lab Partner 599.00lLab Master 5149.00
Summary Ratlngs: Category Program Wcumenlatlm: ~ardwpyoocumenfah: Educallonal Value:
Excellent Excellent Excellent
The hasic program is the same for all three programs. Lab Partner has all of the program features of Lab Master without the direct interfacing capabilities. The advantages of the upgraded version include Apple Works style "help functions" as an option on eachof the menu-driven sections, loading of the complete program eliminating disk access time, and Apple ImageWriter printer options. The Experimenter's Guide provides 20+ experiments that make use of the program's graphic capabilities. I have not seen a program with more graphing capabilities. The graphing functions available start with simple linear functions and include log, natural log, exponential, and trig functions. Once the data are entered, the student can use the program to test different functions of the data graphically, and see the statistical results even if helahe doesn't understand how to calculate the statistics. Students no longer must first try a linear graph, then maybe a log-log graph until they get one that "looks" right.
The statistical analysis also gives the students immediate feedback on the sizes of errors in the data and a guide to "throwing out" data points. My students were excited about getting graphs from the computer and with the many functions were mare willing to try different relationships for their data. By testing some other possible relationships. I think that they havea better understanding of the experiment. I would recommend this program to anyone using a laboratory based approach with students finding relationships. If your idea of lab is to tell students the relationship and then direct them to verify it in lab, I don't think that you will get the full use of the program. The program is easy for students to use. With less than 10 min of direction students were testing relationships in ways that I have not seen before from high school students. The only complaint that I have is the limited number of printers that the program supports. The new version has added the ImageWriter along with the NEC and Epson. If you have a different printer, you could spend a lot of time and effort in trying the get printouts. Arlyn DeBruyckere Hutchinson High Schwl Robem Road
Hutchinson. MN 55353
The Top Fltty lndustrlal Chemlcals Raymond Chang and Wayne Tikkanen. Random House: New York, 1988. vi 191 pp. Figs. and tables. 18.8 X 23.4 cm. $8.00.
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T o a person who has heen stressing (to all those who would listen) the importance of descriptive chemistry (particularly descriptive Inorganic Chemistry) in introductory chemistry courses, the arrival of this book initially was a pleasant surprise. Readers of this Journal will likely recognize the name Raymond Chang as the author of a well-
--Reviewed in This Issue
received General Chemistry text, the third edition of which was reviewed here oreviously 11989,lX, A1021. While nor expkrtly stated, the work reviewed here would seem to be a compana,n/wpplrrnent to that larger work. The authors have gathered information together in one place about the 50 chemicals produced in the greatest quantity annually hy the US. chemical industry. The hook's 50 chapters average about three pages in length and include sections titled "Background," "Preparation," "Properties," "Uses," and "Production and Price". (A seven-page appendix titled "The Petroleum Industry," a second appendix giving production of these 50 chemicals in the years 198086, and a short (three-page) index round out the hook.) None of the information here is new: it is mostlv eathered from recent "Kev
source of the information, and I plan to use it as a personal reference hook for the various courses I teach. There is much to be learned here, for student and instructor alike. Very few of us in academia ever learn about the industrial processes for synthesizing and purifying common materials such as methanol, cumene, vinyl acetate, sodium carbonate, ammonium sulfate, or carbon black, nor do we learn (or teach) much about the most common uses of these materials in commercial applications. As a means of bridging this knowledge gap, this hook is an excellent idea. and I commend the authors far it. I do ha& some reservations about the book, however. My first reservation is a result of my own inability to figure out how to use the hook as anything other than a personal reference source. There is too much Organic Chemistry knowledge assumed to make this auseful student supplement far a General Chemistry course, and not enough detailed Organic Chemistry to make it truly useful for a student in Organic. My second reservation comes from the exeeutionofthe bookitself. Presumably in the (Continued on page A116)
Revlewar
Computer Learning Package Dave Masterman, Lab Partner & Lab Master
Arlyn DeBruyckere
A114
Alan J. Pribula
A114
George B. Kauffman
A116
George B. Kauffman
A116 A117 A118 A119
Books Raymond Chang and Wayne Tikkanen, The Top Fifty Industrial Chemicals Committee on the Conduct of Science. National Academy of Sciences, On Being a Scientist John Neu, editor, lsis Cumulative Bibliography 1976-1985 New Volumes in Continuing Series Titles of Interest Monographs
A114
Journal of Chemical Educatlon
interest of keeping the hook to a manageable size (and reasonable cost), the authors' style tends to he very terse-to the point (I believe) of short-changing some of the hook's potentially most important and useful aspects. In many of the chapters, the "Background" section could almost he omitted, since so little information is contained there. There is frequently very little in the way of historical infvrmat~on(date of first isol&on, discoverer, etc.). Some may agree with that, but I don't. The sections on "Preparation" and "Properties" are generally well-done. The sections on "Production and Price" could he better placed in an APpendix. ("Production" is already in Appendix 2-why not just add another column to the table there?) I'm not sure that numbers such as 25 billion pounds really mean much to most people, anyway-just that a lot of the material is produced. The section entitled "Uses" is often very short, often with onlythe briefest mention of the applications of these compounds. Most of the chapters. include a pie graph showing the uses of the compound under discussion, and often the narrative is not mueh more than arehash of the graph. The brevity of the "Uses" sections is, to me, the most serious shortcoming of this hook. I personally would have liked to read a lot more about the uses of these materials. The "Uses" section on "the world's most important industrial chemical" (the authors' description af sulfuric acid) is but nine lines of text and one chemical reaction. That's carrying brevity a bit far. The authors state that "[Ethylene oxide] is also used in the manufacture of ethanolamines, polymers, as a surfactant, and as a hospital sterilant" without saying what ethanolamines are, how they're made, or what they're used for, or what a surfactant is, or which polymers are made from it. Most frequently, the product's uses are stated simply without discussion, explanation, or amplification of any sort. I realize that this book was intended neither as a textbook on industrial chemistry nor as a complete discussion of the uses of every known chemical product. But consistently to stop where the authors have chosen to do so is tantalizing and often frustrating. A way out would have been to have extensive references to other sources, but that pathway was not taken either. (The hook does have extensive internal cross-refereneing, however.) Brevity to the paint of being misleading or incomplete is not a virtue. For example, the authors show the structures and give the names of the three xylene isomers but never mention which name goes with which structure. One of the uses for ethylene glycol is "as a solvent in products that help dissolve components." What does that mean? It is stated that "The largest use of phenol is in phenolic resins," hut a "phenolic resin'' is never described or identified in any way. The names propylene and ethylene are used, but the corresponding NPAC names are given short shrift. (Ethene is never even used as an alternate!) "Phthalate" is incorrectly used in place of "terephthalate" in four places on one page. Similar examples of oversimplification and incompleteness lit-
A116
Journal of Chemical Education
ter the hook. Viewed as a reference hook for instructors, one could possibly overlook these, but not if the book is intended for student use. The entire work has the look of one where high value was placed on brevity (and perhaps on a fast production schedule), with clarity and completeness of less importance. So. while I aoolaud the authors on a eood idea, I em u n a b l ~ todoso for their ererution of that idea. I can recommend [his work as a potentially useful brief reference book but would not do so as s book for general student use. Alan J. Pribula T o w n State University Baltimore. MD 21204
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On Belng a Sclentlst Committee on the Conduct of Science, National Acedemy of Sciences. National Academy Press: 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC, 1989. x 22 pp. 21.5 X 27.7 cm. $5.00 (single copy): $4.00 (2-9 copies); $2.50 (10 or more copies).
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According to Frank Press, President of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of the committee preparing it, "This booklet was written primarily for students who are beginning to do scientific research. I t seeks to describe someof the hssic features of a life in contemporary research and some of the personal and professional issues that researchers will encounter in their work. Traditionallv. .. voune . .. scientists have learned ahout the methods and values of scientific research from personal contact with more esperrenced scientists. and such interactions remain the best way for researchers to absorb what is still a largely tacit code of professional conduct". Recently, however, the increasing size of research teams and the accelerating pace of research have rendered such informal transmission of values insufficient and have made this booklets sine qua non far scientific novices. Press points out that, "the increasing social importance and public visibility of science also make it essential that beginning researchers know how important they are to safeguarding the integrity of the scientific enterorise." Yet Francisco J. Avala. Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences a t the University of California, Irvine, and chairman of the committee, emphasizes that the booklet is not "simply a reaction to the increasing publicity about instances of fraud, plagiarism, and other forms of scientific misconduct," although these are discussed. In view of the current rampant epidemic of antiscientific attitudes in general and chemophohia in particular, I hope that its high price (22.7$ per page, despite its subsidization hy a number of foundations and chemical companies) will not prevent its reaching the general public, who could certainly benefit from its lucid explanation of the nature of science as processas well as product and the limitations of seience and the orovisionsl nature of its findings. The booklet anrwrrs question? that are fundamental but usually neglected in courses such as: How much confidence must a researcher have in the results of a particular experiment before publishing a paper? How mueh of a contribution should a researcher or faculty adviser make before being listed as coauthor? How can scientists ~~~~~~
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avoid self-delusion in making observations? How should errors in papers be corrected? What should a researcher do who susnects a colleague of scientific misconduct? Among the topics discus~edare arientific method, treatment of data, the relation between hypotheses and observations, peer recognition and priority in discovery, replication and the openness of communication, scientific nroeress. human error. the scientist in soeikvyandoatent ~ . . ~orocedures. To he sure, these topics are dealt with in greater detail in specialized monographs, such as those listed in the hooklet's one-page bibliography, but rarely are they found in a general pamphlet, short enough to he read from cover to cover in an hour or two. Science is depicted throughout as a human endeavor with all its virtues and defeds; historical examples abound-from Galileo to "scientists who release their results directly to the public-for example, through a press conference" (Pons and Fleischmann are not mentioned by name). This booklet of practical advice was printed in a run of 140,M)Ocopies, the largest ever commissioned by the academy, which will distribute it initially to more than 120,000 graduate students, faculty members, professional associations, and others. Its contents will undouhtedly he used as a basis for discussion, debate, and seminars for graduate and postdoctoral students as well as undergraduates in universities and colleges throughout the country. In the past, our department has presented our graduating chemistry majors with a year's subscription to a scientific periodical. This booklet should make a gift of equal or even greater value. George 0. Kauffrnan California State University, Fresno ~
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lsls Curnulatlve Blbllography 1976-
1985 JohnNeu(Edit0r). G. K. Hall 8 Co.: Boston. MA. 1989. Volume 1: Persons and lnstltu587 pp. 21.5 X 27.8 cm. tions. xxiv $62.50 US/$75.00 F: Volume 2: Subjects. 911 pp. Periods and Civilizations. xvi 21.5 X 27.8 cm. $62.50 US/$75.00 F. An outstanding feature ofisis, an internationalreview founded in Belgium in 1912 by George Sarton, is its annual Critical Bibliography of the History of Science and I t s Cultural Influences. Beginning with 1971, Isis Cumulative Bibliographies have been appearing-first, for 1913-1965 (Withrow, M., Ed.; 5 "01s; Mansell: London, 19711984) and then for 1966-1975 (Neu, J., Ed.: 2 "01s; Mansell: London, 1980-1985). This second supplement to what is universally regarded as the definitive bibliography of the history of science covers Critical Bihliographies 101-110, which appeared in Isis during the years 19761985. With its comprehensive coverage of almost 1300journals and serials published worldwide, it forms an ideal complement to Chemical Abstracts for those of us researchers active in the history of science, chemistry, technology, alchemy and other pseudosciences, and chemical education. A number of its 39,169 citations, many of which contain brief descriptions, refer to articles published in the J. Chem. Edue. Each volume is available separately. Volume 1 (17,846 citations) cites works focusing on individuals and institutions,
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