APRIL, 1952
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THE USE OF COLLEGE CHEMISTRY TEXTS, 1951-52 DOUGLAS O. NICHOLSON Fisher Scientific Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
WHILE a complete survey of chemistry textbooks currently in use in all colleges and universities is possible, last-minute changes in adoptions, changes in teaching staff, changes in course content, and unintentional failure to submit requested information all contribute to makmg such an absolute survey quite impractical. In an effort to ascertain the tentative adoptions in the basic undergraduate courses in college chemistry, staff members of approximately 40 schools were personally interviewed, while another 80 were questioned by mail. No attempt was made to select schools by geographical location, total student enrollment, or size of the respective chemistry department staffs. This survey included certain of our larger and better known chemistry departments as well as some which are not so prominent. Information obtained from nine Canadian schools is included in the study. Although it is quite possible that results obtained from a sampling of 200-300 schools would show considerable differences from those obtained in this study, it is believed that the summary of these data exhibits trends of interest t o the average chemistry Gen&al chemistry TOW schools Total different texts Most frequent text % Cases
104 34 Pauling 17/104, 16%
2nd most frequent text % Cases 3rd most frequent text
% Cases Author on acbool staff Use of semimicro
teacher. (Staff members of chemistry departments not included in this study have shown a high degree of accord with the summary when given an opportunity to review it.) The table contains a summary of data obtained in this study. Although reports were obtained from 122 schools, information for certain courses was incomplete, and certain of the smaller schools do not offer physical chemistry. These facts account for the variation in number of schools reporting data for each of the courses. Attention is called t o the trend toward semimicro techniques in the general and elementary organic courses, while the qualitative analytical course is showing virtually complete conversion. (In this respect it was of interest to note that one school has recently reverted from semimicro to macro techniques in the qualitative analysis Course offered.) It is also interesting t o note that certain of the more popular texts in general chemistry have been recently published. I n the analytical and physical chemistry fields the more popular texts are those which have been available for several years, but have been brought up to date by periodic revisions.
Qualitat
