well as superficial.

book reviews The appendixes are good and give sum-

General Chemistry: Experiment
and Theory
Richard H. Eastman, Stanford Univer-
sity, Stanford, California. Holt, Rine-
hart, and Winston, Inc., New York,
+
1970. xxii 601 pp. Figs. and tables.
25.5 X 21.5cm. $12.95.
The initial response to t,his new text for
Editor: W. F. KIEFFER
College of Woostsr
Weonor, Ohio
I n the discussions, the solntions to the
exemplary problems are given in a rational
form and steady rat,e of growth. Some of
the problems a t the ends of the chapters
are labeled as to the pertinent chapter sec-
tion. This is especially vahable as a
teaching aid in assigning problems. The
problems which must he solved by logical,
"on-met,hemetical thinkine m e interestine~~"
~ ~
maries of some phenomena usually re-
served for physics but which are excellent
for comprehension of the text. The chief
objection is that the periodic table is put
in the appendix instead of printed inside
one of the covers. The student should out
i t out and glue i t into the cover. Chapter
12 is the most difficult chapter to wmpre-
hend but much can be omitted. The dia-
grams make amajor contribution to under-
standing Lhe ideas.
The size of the hook will be considered a.
disdvmtage by some. Few courses will
cover d l chapters, hut this is logic$ since
the teacher will modify the printed hook
from his own experience.
The overall view is that this text,book
will stimulate the above-average student
to think in depth and will challenge the
great majority of students to understand

t,he logic of chemical theory developed

general chemist,ry records the beauty, for- and challenging. More should he in- from experimental observations. While i t
mat, and green color of the book. The cluded in all text books. will be demanding, i t is within the stu-
art work is bath esthetically charming The selection of this text for use by dent's gmsp, and i t answers the major re-
and ehemicdly enlightening. On further chemistry majors is very logical, and other quirement of a good course--% demand for
study, i t is apparent that the text is a pm- scientists and eneineers will find that i t and acceptance of learning.
digions attempt to make chemistry excib provides x stepwise development of c h e w
ing, comprehensible, and logical. ical experimentation and theory. The GLORIAG. LYLE
Professor Eastman has devised an student need have had no previous chem- University qf New Hampshire
heuristic approach to the study of chemis- istry, hut he probably should have s. scien- Durham 03824
try which in challenging and rewarding. tific interest or a positivism toward
I t will appeal to the developing scientist of science. A liberal arts major who is
inquisitive mind, who will appreciate the antagonistic to soience will not he "turned
applications of chemistry to environmental on" by the hook (probably a vacuous hope
questions as well as find x challenge in test,- today), and pre-meds and other life
ing the theories of chemistry. sciences majors will find i t more relevant Science Restated. Physics and
The most outst,anding feature of thin than most of the current texts. Chemistry for the Non-Scientist
text is its new approach to t,he organiaa- Some of the excellent features me the Harold 0. Cassidy, Yale University.
tion of general chemistry. Atomic theory continued exploration of principles, e r Freeman, Cooper and Co., San Fran-
is delayed until the foundation is estah-
lished far its comprehension. This is so
pecially the gas laws and equilibria, the
introduction to photachemist,ry, and the
+
cisco, 1970. xii 526 pp. Figs., tables,
and appendices. 17.5 X 24 em.
novel that some teachers will find i t diffi- incorporation of organic molecules into t,he 88.75.
cult to accept, but the depth is so much text with their m p t m c e as normal c o w
greater that t,hey will he able to discuss pounds. This reviewer has s. negativistic This is an excellent book, one of the
idea- they have had t,o avoid in other h e attitude toward the optical activity rare kind that appear once in a decade, or
ginning courses. Derivation of the wave approach t,a organic chemistry a t this longer. I t is exactly what is needed if we
equations is discussed in a very logical level. The relatively few (35) pages of are to eKeetively meet tho proper demands
manner and minimizes the complex math- elegant discussion will reqnire a propor- of today to give an account of soience to
ematics, hut i t is not a topic for all stu- t,ionately greater percentage of study t,ime our non-science students. I recommend
dents. This can be easily omitted as can than other chapters unlcss one concen- it strongly for serious consideration as the
the thermodynamic3 without loss of com- trek5 only on the rancept of stereoisomer- text to use for those who have determined
prehension. The inq~dsitivestudent and ism. Since oreanic chemistrv is relat,ivelv that i t is preferable t o remark upon
discriminatin~professorwill he well-served easy to comprehend and very difficult tb physical science as a whole to nan-science
by this text. use, the survey approach is misleading s s students, as distinguished from those who
prefer to deal with the various sciences
separately.
I n Lhe preface, Professor Cassidy
-Reviewed in this issue indicates his intention to connect science
t o the student's life through h i percep
Richard H . Easlman, General Chemistry: Experiment and Theory. ..... A853 tions, enhancing his ability to transmute
experionoe into mental constructs by
Harold G . Cassidy, Science Restated. Physics and Chemistry for the symbolic transformations, to emphasize
Nan-Scientist.. ................................................ A853 a philosophical underst,anding of what the
student is doing as he connects his world
J . W . Dan Spronsen, The Periodic System of Chemiml Elements: A of experience to the ordered uoguitive
History of the First Hundred Years.. .............................. A856 world of scientific oonstructs and then
returns by his own volition t o apply the
Mildred D. Johnson, Problem Solving and Chemical Calculations. . . . . . . . . A856 resulls of that activity. I t is clear that
the author hns succeeded for any alert,
Peter O'D. Offenenhartz,Atomic and Molecular Orbital Theory. . . . . . . . . . . . . A860 reasonably intelligent student.
The strategy of the book is interesting.
William P. Jacks, Catalysis in Chemistry and Enzymology.. ........... A860 Professor Cassidy has selected "those
aspects of physics and chemistry that I
Joseph Needham, editor, The Chemistry of Life: Eight Lectures on the think will still have important influences
History of Biochemistry.. ....................................... A862 upon world cultrue twenty years or more
from now." Only the nerasary classical
New Volumes in Continuing Series. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A862 background is included; any other pro-
(Continued on page A856)

Volume 47, Number 12, December 1970 / A853

book reviews
fessor esn add, modify, or delete accord-
ing to his own conscience. The base is
now available.
The book begins with an overview,
frankly designed to be used by the student
both initially and five or ten years later,
which presents science in perspective.
Topicel content begins with the electron,
magnetism, and light. Special relativity
comes next fallowod by eloetromagnetio
rndintion awl quanta.
I t may seem to some that continuity is
lost by jumping from classical ideas on the
electron and magnetic phenomena t o
special relativity. On the contrary, there
is x thread which the author exploits suc-
cessfully; this can be presented to studcnts
if one follows Cassidy's lend. One of the
remarkable strengths of the hook is the
elear, conversxtioosl, and patient style
used, buttressed by extended and sophisti-
cated prior considerations by the author
before pen was put to paper. Examine
the book yourself to see how it is done.
The fourth part of the book is largely
chemical: an overall view of matter,
then atomic structure, properties, nuclear
phenomena, molecular properties, i'onc-
tions, and slruet,tlre. The last, part deals
vit,h probability, cybernetics, fields, uni-
versal laws, and some remarks on natural
philosophy. A useful appendix is svsil-
able, and the inside front and back covers
present s. general chronology ("anchor
points") of Western intellectual mile
stones, from Moses, Homer, and Py-
thxgoras t o Rutherford, Einstein, and
Bohr, and inch~dingDarwin and Mendel;
commonly used scientific symbols; and
an interesting (I disagree with it,) periodic
table.
However, the r e d flavor, and strength,
of the book daes not lie in a prosaic
enumeration of topics covered. Listen t o
these brief qnotations, selected a t random
(there is one on almost every page, and
often more than one, that could have been
presented): "we would like the power
inherent in the interphv of fact and theory
t o become evident," "he then did a most
ingenious thing; he put a tube. . .hetween
the poles of n. strong magnet," "the human
brain is a patterwforming organ," "as we
are making a model we (can) arrange it t o
suit our needs," "in one sense, Science is a
search for basic properties by which
phonomens can be classified," "reasoning
plus algebra. daes the job," "the wise
scientist is the cautious one: he keeps
in mind tho old aphorism 'seek simplicity
-and distrust it.'" Each of these quota-
tions is accompanied by topical discussion
on facts and principles. This is a hook
about science and its philosophy, related
t o reality.
The ilh~strations are profuse, and
pedagogical. The questions and exor-
cises me delightfully imaginative. Some
require loose translation from Fronch or
German into English; there is one on the
estimated numher of drug stores in t,he
United States, with a good pedagogical
point made as a consequence; n carnival
wheel (several feet in diameter, hump in
the center, rotating a n a vcrt,icnl axis)
gets into another; and there are also a
proper number of a more solemn nature,
on parabolic mirrors, threshold wave- pers and has passed on the contents and
his comments to the reader. I n addition
length for the photoelectric effect,, tuning
forks, hydrogen bands, equation balanc- to the expected material the author hss
ing, Le Chatelier principle, cis-trans included a veritable host of topics that
isomerism, to list a few. deal with the matter. The discovery of
This review is long enough; to go on isotopes and the important finding that the
furt,hcr would diminish some of your de- periodicity applies t,o atomic numbers
light when you look through your copy. rather than atomic weights eliminated
When you order your copy of this book, many of the difficulties that previously
also ask for the "Vade Mecnm"; this de- presented serious roadblocks. Among the
many topics discussed in depth me: the
lightful and unusnzl75 ppagc off-sctprinted
hooklct is a useful oxtension of tho re- theory of classifications; precursors and
marks in the preface and first chsptcr ofdiscoverers of the periodic system; pre-
the hook itself. Bobh arc loaded with diction of elements; deviations from the
tressurcs for professors and students, and
increase in atomic weight; the noble
the hook is well worth serious considera-gases; the place of the transition elements;
tion as a text for teaching the u s ~ f uwhole
l
lanthanides, actinides, t,he rare earths;
radioactivity and the system; limits of the
of physical science to non-science students.
periodic system, etc. Considerable atteri-
JAY A. YOUNG tion is given to the matter of the various
Auburn University proposed formq in bath two and three
Auburn, Alabama 56830 dimensions, and to the priority polemics.
I n short, the aubhor has spent a tremendous
amount of labor and study on this book
and he has given the chemical world an
outstanding treatise that should endme for
a long time. Every inorganic chemist
should have a copy readily rtvdilable to
read, reread, and ponder.
RALPHE. O I I S P ~ R
Uniuersit~,of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
The Periodic System of Chemical
Elements: A History of the problem Solving and Chemical
First Hundred Years Calculations
J. W. van Spronsn, Utrecht, The Mildred D. Johnson, City College of San
Netherlands. Elsevier Publishing Ca., Francisco, California. Narcourt, Brace
New York, 1969. xv +
368 pp. Figs. and World, Inc., New Yark, 1069. viii
and t,shles. 16 X 24 cm. X18. + 341 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X
23 cm. Softbound. $3.95.
One of the best ways t,o commemorate
the centenary oi an important scientific "How do you 'set up' this problem?''
event is to publish nn ootstandirrg hook "Once the problem is set up it's easy!"
about it,. This has been done in the How often instructors hear these com-
present instance by the eminent Dutch ments from students a t all levels. This
scientist and historian. The well known book is intended to teach the "setting up"
American authority on the history of of problems and it succeeds very well.
chemistry Aaron J. Ihde has stated in his StudenL5 are first taught to analyze the
Foreword: "It is appropriate t,hzt this problem carefully. Then they are led
book should he published in the centennial through a variety of problem-solving
year of the contributions of Mundeleev methods, starting with simple examples
and J. Lothar Meyer. I t will serve as the and advancingupward in difficulty. After
definitive study for many decades i n k the the approach to a problem has been dis-
future." cussed the hook zeroes in on such tools as
The author is definitely of the opinion unit and dimensional analysis, nlgehra re-
that the idea of the periodic system of the view, graphing, logarithms, and the de-
chemical elements was not the creation of velopment of m a t h e m s t i d functions
one or two men as is so often st,ated. from experimental dat,a.
Rather he views no less than six men as The second half of the book covers many
independent discoverers. The six are: categories of elementary chemistry prob-
Menddeev (Itussix), Meyer (Germany), lems using the attack methods presented
Newlands (England), de Chnntcourtois earlier. The mole method is emphasized
(France), Odling (England), IIinrichs wherever possible.
(Denmark-U.S.A.). Still other have Throughout, the problem are imagina-
pushed their own claim butwith little suc- tive and intriguing-such ils speculating
cess. I t is not feasible to present here the about males of elephants and the physical
basis for these claims hut the hook con- laws of the "snt,iuniverse" where water
tains all that most people will wish to flows uphill twice as fast as i t flows down-
know ahout the work of everybody that hill. The text is concise, simple and easy
has been involved, even to a lesser degree, to follow.
in this great systemat,iaation. Almost any college freshman or high
The type-size is somewhat smaller school senior could profit greatly by spend-
than usurtl hut is perfectly legible and this ing 8. few eveninm to maqter the idea? pre-
choice permits much more text to be pre- sented here.
sented without unduly increasing the size
of the volume. Each chapter is provided JANET
VANDOREN
with a long list of references to the litera- Collep of Woosler
ture and the author has obviously read Wooster, Ohio
and digested most of these books and pa- (Continued on page A860)