book reviews

troscoov and chromatoera~hv are taken UD . , . . . in the 23 pages that ronst~tute Chaptrr 33. After a b r ~ r t intrudurtwn 10 the electro- magnetic spectrum and s m w of the ternii- nology associated with spectrometry (e.g., molar extinction coefficient), a survey of in- frared spectroscopy la preirnwd, uith only a relatively brief discussum heing riven ro thr ultra\,iulrt-vls~hle rancr. Fullowine thr d m - cussion of the infrared, in which correlations between functional groups and absorption frequency are emphasized, a summary of nuclear magnetic resonance is presented which includes a discussion of the significance of the number, position, and intensity of nmr peaks, as well as the manifestations of spin- spin coupling. Electron paramagnetic reso- nance. mass soectrometrv. eas ohase chro- nmography, a'nd Inquid pha.~rrhnmnt~,,cra- phg are mt.ntioned in a paragraphdevoted to each.

These new chapters appear in bath of the available versions of the text. "College Chemistry" and "General Chemistry" are, in fact, identical through Chapter 33. Subse- quent chapters (34-36) in "College Chemis- try" deal with the ehemistry of the metals in the context of qualitative analysis, and are intended for use in courses in which this topic is integrated with general chemistry. "Gen- eral Chemistry" presents the chemistry of the metals according to periodic groups (Chap- ters 34-42).

Other changes whieh mark the Fifth edi- tion include the reorganization of certain chapters for the purpose of unifying concepts and their applications. For example, the chapters on ionic equilibria of weak electro- Iytrs, and aoluhiliry product, are n~ intn,- d u c d immedlntely after c hemival equilihri- um. Thw I-. in contrast tothe Fwrth edition in which the latter topic preceded the others bv 12 chaoters. The chanter on "Acids. Bases.

combined into one chapter, rather than two as had been the case previously. The chapter on "Colloids" has heen eliminated, with an abbreviated discussion of this subject ap- pearing in the chapter on "Solutions of Electrolytes."

An important addition to the supplemental material which accompanies the text is "Problems and Solutions for General and College Chemistry," by John H. Meiser, F. Keith Auk, and Henry F. Holtzclaw, Jr. This manual includes worked-out solutions for approximately 30% of the prohlems which appear in the text. Other offerings in the package include a study guide for the student, and an instructor's guide, both by Norman E. Griswold, and "Basic Laboratory Studies in College Chemistry," Fifth Edition, by Grace Hered, William H. Nebergall, and William Hered.

One of the strong features of this text is the extensive collection of exercises provided for the student. Over 1000 questions and 600 problems requiring numerical solutions are included (78 problems appear in the chapter

on ionic equilibria ofweak electrolytes alone). Answers are provided in the text for all nu- merical problems. The level of the problems issimilar to that found in the Fourth edition, and will provide good experience for the student who attempts them.

The fact that "College Chemistry" has appeared in four earlier editions is indicative of the appeal of this text. The Fifth edition should also appeal to those who seek a good, substantial text for general chemistry. The current edition will be easily recognized by its unique cover illustration, which must he a "first" of some sort for general chemistry textbook covers.

T. Cassen University of Nonh Carolina at Charlone

Chsrloite, Nonh Carolina 26223

Problem Solving for Chemistry

Edward I. Peters, West Valley College. W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1976. xiii + 326 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 25cm. $6.

"Problem Solving for Chemistry" is an auto-tutorial text for general chemistry stu- dents, and it uses the dimensional analysis or unit conversion or factor-label problem solving approach. The objectives of Dr. Pe- ter's text are to show the student how to solve ehemistry problems and to help the student understand the method used without the assistance of the teacher. These two objec- tives can he readily accomplished with this text.

The book is broken up into 17 chapters, an appendix, and an index. Chapter 1 is a needed chapter exploring and demonstrating the dimensional analysis problem solving ap- proach. The other 16 chapters cover all the major areas of chemistry with the exception of nuclear chemistry and chemical kinetics. These 17 chapters all have numerous proh- lems with detailed worked out solutions below each problem. Also, a t the end of each chapter is a separate problem set, and both the answers and solutions are given for one- half of these problems. The appendix con- tains a mathematical review reaction, and numerous tables as well as the solutions to ane-half of the end ofthe chapter problems. A section on significant figures is included in Chapter 2, hut it should have been placed at the beginning of the chapter or in Chapter 1 in order to emphasize it more.

The second edition differs from the first in that a nan-calculus introduction to thermo- dynamics has been added before the equi- librium and redax chapters; more problems witheompletesalutions-notjustanswers- have been added; oxidation potentials were replaced with reduction potentials; a section on sienifieant fieures was added: and the SI system IS emph;ts~zrd

Overall, thii i i an cucrllrnt problem mlwng text for general cherni,try studrntr and 11 is very highly recommended as a supplemental workbook by the reviewer. Its only serious drawback is the lack of ~roblems in the nu- clear ehemistry and -chemical kinetics areas.

Jeffrey A. Hurlbut Metropoiitan State College

Denver. Colorado 80204

Physlcal Sclence with Modern Applications

Meluin Merken, Worcester State College. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1976. xv + 699 pp. Figs. and tables. 18.5 X 27 cm. $15.95, hardcover.

The main emphasis of the text centers on ohvsics. This oart 1 rate as verv eood. The . . . .. topigs f d o u in a loglrsl manner, incorpo- raring astroaon)y inru physic> very neatly.

The chemi4ry purtiun tends ro be a little weaker, not covering such topics as the gas- eous state and buffers. However, what is covered is clear and readable.

Geology which is covered in one chapter, is simply an overview, but sufficient.

Sample problems throughout the text are worked out in a step by step fashion and the explanations are clear. The strong point of the hook, though, I feel, is the use of the visual illustrations, which I rate as excellent-they bring points home.

The writing style flows easy, and, coupled with the printing format (too much or crowded orintine scares the nonscience stu- ~ ~~

dent,, lradc to very goud readability. Theonly ncgatwe pnrt that I hnvr fnund is

the hook'^^ lenz~h wrsus content From my experience, the average nonscience student will he able to thoroughly cover only about 400-450 pages during the year. Hence, 1 feel that chapters 1-14, plus chapters 23 and 24 would require two semesters for adequate coverage for the nonscience major, thus leaving the ehemistry and geology sections out in the cold. Any faster pace would lead to superficial coverage or topics being left out. However, I just do not know what the author could do about shortening the book and still give adequate topic coverage.

All in all, I like the book, and if used, I would probably resort to skipping selected topics, rather than watering down.

John W. Alcock Depanment of Chemistry and Physical

Science, Quinnipiac College. Hamden. Connecficut 065 18

Biochemistry. 2nd Edition

Albert L. Lehninger, The Johns Hopkins llniversitv. School of Medicine. Worth -~~~ ~~~~ . , Publishers, Inc., New Yark, 1975. xxiii + 1104 pp. Figs. and tables. 28.5 X 20 cm. $22.95.

With its appearance in 1970, the first edi- tion of this book set a standard of excellence in the field of general biochemistry textbooks. It seems likelv that the second edition will ~~ ~~

w&n thi. distinrriun. The overall organ,- mlion remuills the SamP: the four parts :me: mdrculnr compcments, catabulism and the generation of metabolic energy, hiosynthesis and the utilization of energy, and the molec- ular basis of information transfer.

The strengths of this book remain largely the ones oointed out bv Sable in his review ~ ~ . I l i t ts J w ~ r n a l . \'<,I. I d , p. A28d-A2!3tl (197111 $11 the first rditlun. The urir~ng is crcellent. I he h190k can br read by the human srudcnr. The newer areas of biochemistry are de- scribed clearly but undogmatically. The use of spaee-filling models or electron micro-

(Continued on page A388)

A386 / Journal of Chemical Education

book reviews

graphs in parallel with their structural for- mulas or interpretive drawings is particularly effective. Most importantly, and in spite of the apparently irresistible urge to enlarge virtually every chapter in the book, Lehnin- ger has maintained a coherent point of view and has retained his title as the Will Durant of Biochemistry.

At this point it should be noted that the first printing of the second edition has nu- merous errors of all sorts most of which were corrected in the second printing and are noted on a flyer from the publisher. The comments below are based on the amended second printing.

The most obvious change in the book is that it has increased in weight from 1.9 kg (8133 p.) to 2.3 kg (1104 p.). This has come ahout largely hecause of the author's efforts to keep those rapidly developing areas of biochemistry as current as possible and he has generally done this quite well. Further, he has added two new chapters ("Biochemical Aspects of Hormone Action" and "Organ Interrelationships in the Metabolism of Mammals") in an attempt, largely successful, t c~ integrate what has been covered in the two main sections on metabolism. To this end the short section on the shifts in metabolism brought about bvstarvation seemed rieht on . ~~ .~~ ~ "~ ~

(he &:grk. A n t n c x p ~ n h l ral~lvor R ntrnrs I K ~ , w i r l ~ w n w wh,~ l r l r thr varl~cr index was inadequate, but it contributes 11 extra pages.

A number of clear-cut improvements have

tors are treated together in a single chapter; the treatment of catabolic and anabolic pathways is now very complete; the number and breadth of problems has been increased; and the number of figures have been made clearer by the use of multicolored lines. As the author pointedly notes in the preface, the chemical equations are now fully balanced. Finally, the treatment of enzyme mechanisms has heen somewhat expanded and more thmoughly treated.

Lest the readers feel this review was writ- ten hy a pale little manlwaman from Worth, some deficiencies might be noted. This book, along with most others, does not, in my opinion, contain a sufficient treatment of the Nernst equation to allow the student to un- derstand the relationship between free energy changes and changes in reduction potentials. The equation A G O = -nFAEo is dropped apparently fram un high. (Unfortunately, on p. 515 the superscript zero and prime have been omitted from JG.1 Thesecond part of the chapter on "Biwmergetics Principles and the,ATP Cycle" still seems much too long- winded. Several of these points might be made mare briefly and cogently following the treatment of metabolism. It is curious that in no commonly used textbook of biochemistry, including this one, is there anything but a cursory treatment of the problem of how re- ducing power (NADPH) is formed in heter- otrophs. Surely, this is, from a chemical viewpoint, as fundamental a question as how ATP is formed. The most one ever gets is a few lines following the treatment of the pentose phosphate pathway and little or no mention of other pathways.

Two errors whiih may be worth noting are: lreen made in the second edition: the eofac- Table 8-4 lists several values as free energies

of activation which are really Arrhenius energies of activation, and the Ramaehan- dran plot (p. 133) does not show the fully extended polypeptide chain as being an al- lowed conformation.

Whereas we used the first edition in a one

simply overawed many of the average-ability students. We have found it the best book for the one-year introductory course in bio- chemistry a t the senior and graduate level. Overall the second edition of "Biochemistry" seems a remarkable one-man tour de force.

Ouanlitative Problems in the Biochemical Science, Second Edition

REX Mont~ornery and Charles A. Swenson, University of Iowa. W. H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco, 1976. xi + 370 pp. Figs. and tables. 15 X 23.5 em. $5.95, soft.

Beginnin6 cuursei in biorhmu;try rrnd us ernphasiae in dewriprive ternla th~nmazing discwrrirs of recent yi l r s . The cxrltmp dr- veloprnents in biochemistry that the student so enjoys in his reading are, of course, a direct result of the biochemical sciences becoming more precise and quantitative. However, most textbooks of a general nature do not emphasize the development of the quanti- tative aspects of experimental biochemistry as well as they do the descriptive elements. The authors of "Quantitative Problems in the Biochemical Sciences" believe that it is in- creasingly important for beginning students to grasp the quantitative aspects of the subject in addition to the descriptive ele- ments. Their book is directed toward assist- ing the student and instructor in gaining proficiency in dealing with quantitative problems in biochemistry.

The book is designed tosupplement stan- dard textbooks by providing reviews of mathematical operations that most texts do not cover and by offering large numbers of problems of a wide range in type and diffi- culty. The problems are divided into two categories, Type A and Type B. Type A ~roblems are more likely to lend themselves to a direct application of mathematical ex- pressions developed within a particular chapter. Type B problems often are drawn from direct experimental observations and might require a certain degree of manipula- tion of data before the final solution. Answers are provided for Type A problems, but un- fortunately not for Type B. The Type B problems in particular cover a variety of ap- ~lications of the biochemical sciences and should be interesting to medical students and physiologists as well as biochemists.

The Second Edition differs fram the first primarily in that a greater selection of prob- lems is provided. This should make the Sec- ond Edition more attractive to medical stu- dents and graduate students, especially those who wish to gain experience in drawingcon- clusions from raw data.

The hook is divided into three parts. Rec-

A388 / Journal of Chemical Education