book reviews

students without prior preparation in cal- culus and physical chemistry are serious ones. In general, he has succeeded in pre- senting a large number of instrumental techniques and separations in an under- standable manner. The treatments are necessarily brief and lack depth. In the opinion of this reviewer instructors will not find this a satisfactory text.

David J. Curran Universjfy 01 Massachusetts

Amherst, Massachusetts, 01002

A Freshman Chemlsiry Laboratory Manual

Buddhodeu Sen, Louisiana State Uni- versity, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Burgess Publishing Company, Minneapolis, Min- nesota, 1914. Figs. and tables. vi + 146 pp. 28 X 22 em. $5.00.

This manual has been designed for stu- dents who are not majoring in chemistry hut have had high school algebra and at least one semester of general chemistry. The exneriments were initiallv written as ~ ~~

~ .~ short hand~uts and later rompiled into a manual According to the author the fur- mat provides rubrtnntial seupc fur teaching by graduate assistants.

In Chapter l 'the author points out the two basic differences between this and other laboratory manuals. First, this manu- al contains very few figures. Second, topics such as "glass work, weighing, common lah- oratory operations, equipment, etc." are not included. According to the author stu- dents seldom read such topics because "this material is boring to read, although it is essential for intelligent work in the laho- ratory." The author indicates that the fig- ures are to be replaced hy overhead projec- tion transparencies, and the topics such as glass work are to he covered by the instruc- tor during lectures with "liberal" use of ~rojeetion transparencies and film loops.

The obvious question arises as to how these materials are to he ohtained. The su- thor notes that "excellent film loops are now available;" so these would have to be purchased. Regarding the transparencies the author indicates in the Preface that he has prepared many overhead transparen- cies to accompany the lectures and experi- ments, hnt no mention is mndp ccmcernlng their nvailabdity The same holds true far "A Gtride t u the instrucrorr." Another con- fusing point is that the author says nothing whatsoever about anv slides. which are fre- quently referred to through<;ut the manual. It is unfortunew that ihts infcmnatim i i not clearly stated in che Preface o r Chapter 1.

The remaining chapters of the manual include first-day instructions (Chap. 2), theory of measurement and statistical and- ysis of experimental data (Chap. 31, the an- alytical halance (Chap. 41, and the experi- ments, which are divided into two groups. Group I experiments (Chaps. 5-15) include measurements, determination of density, solubility, melting paint, and boiling point, an optional experiment on phase equilihri- um, identification of unknowns by physical properties, determination of atomic weight

and molecular weight, purification of a chemical substance by recrystallization, ionization constant and pH, acid-base ti- tration, determination of solubility product of Ca(OH)z, and a Daniel1 cell experiment. Group I1 experiments (Chap. 16) cover the qualitative analysis of some common inor- ganic cations and include the chloride, basic benzoate, fluoride, hydroxide, and soluble groups.

Many manuals an the market today con- tain as many as twice the numher of erper- iments found in this manual. However, al- though the selection is limited, the experi- ments provide some interesting work. The student is encouraged to analyze the prace- dures and to suggesk changes. Report sheets for all experiments are included in the manual, hut there are no tables of data or other addenda.

The section on statistical analysis of ex- perimental data is unusually long and m- volved for general chemistry students. In addition, i t was noted that melting points andlor boiling points are measured by the student in four of the experiments, which seems to be an unusual emphasis on these techniques in a freshman level course. Also, three of the experiments suggest the use of benzene, the toxic effects of which are now well-known (see this Journal, 51, 426, (1974)). Clerical errors such as skilful, per- ioxide, Ca(OH)2, and Fig. 3 for Fig. 3.3 were observed, hut these are not overly abundant.

In my opinion this is a highly persond- ized manual designed for s specialized sit- uation. ~ d o ~ t i o i will necessarily depend on individual preference regarding the use of lectures and visual aids to sunnlement . . the manual.

Wilma K. Meckshoth me O m State Univendy

New* Campus Newark Ohio 43055

The Interpretation of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectra. A Programmed Introduction

E. J. Haws, The Polytechnic, R. R. Hill, The Open University, and D. J. Mow- thorpe, The Polytechnic. Heyden & Sons, Inc., London, 1913. xii + 180 pp. 15.5 X 23 em. $6.90.

The hook contains sir chapters entitled Basic Principles, Chemical Shift and Inte- gration, Spin-Spin Coupling, Complex (Second Order) Spectra, Temperature De- pendent Spectra and Geminal Non-Equiv- alence, and Problems. Each chapter opens with sections called Aims, New Terms and Prior Knowledge, Objectives, Introduction, and Multiple Choice Test, and ends with sections named Revision Summary, Ques- tions, and Further Reading. The references to further reading are quite specific, some- timeseven to the paragraph.

The overall format of the programmed sections is that of a short paragraph fol- lowed by specific questions whose answers lie a bit further on. As the authors state in the Preface, they have "avoided very short frames, that is to say, frames of law intel- lectual content." A person who completes the book should have an understanding of proton nmr spectroscopy comparable to

that which can he had from the chapter in Dyer or the one in Silverstein, Bassler, and Morrill.

I think it is unfortunate that the au- thors have classified the chemical shifi nan- equivalence of diastereotopic protons or methyl p u p s as examples of magnetic non-eauivalence (n. 143). esneeiallv when .. . the concept of magnetic equivalence was correctly introduced (p. 110).

Addison Auit Cornell College

Mt. Vernon. Iowa 52314

Reactivity, Mechanism and Structure in Polymer Chemistry

A. D. Jenkins, University of Sussex, and A. Ledwith, University of Liverpool, Edi- tors. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave- nue, New York 10016, 1974. Figures and Tables. xvii + 613 pp. 16 X 23.5 cm $37.50

The hwk's name is somewhat broader than the actual coverage given since it deals almost entirely with the topics of vinyl monomers (and polymers thereof) and chain processes. Nevertheless it repre- sents a much needed summary on the state of knowledge in the relationships he- tween reactivity, mechanism, and struc- ture in "vinyl" polymer chemistry. The approach to "relate the hehaviour of the important reactive intermediates in poly- merization processes to that displayed by the same entities in the wider compass of general chemical reactions" and to avoid unnecessary dichotomy between polymer chemistry and "traditional" organic chem- istry, thermodynamics and kinetics is highly commended and (generally) suc- cessful. The use of contributors active in the par t i~ular areas enables an accurate, current (to literature of 1971 ta early 1973 depending on chapter) coverage of the par- ticular topics.

The book assumes a graduate level grasp of thermodynamics and kinetics and appears to he best used by one already having general contact with polymer chemistry. Academic-wise it might he uti- lized as a companion text in a year's course in Organic Mechanisms or in a sep- arate graduate level topics course. It is generally written so it can be easily, un- derstandably, and rapidly read (with the above in mind). It is a well-edited hook with little of the overlap which often exists in hooks written by a number of people.

Particularly goad coverage is made af the complex and often conflicting (views and apparent experimental results) topic of polymerization by complex organame- t a l k derivatives. Important, hut often not covered topics, such as the Patterns treat- ment for reactivity of radicals, organome- t a l k derivatives of transition metals as initiators and complexes of radicals with salts, are included. Certain chapters (such as Chapters 8, Carbonium Ions, and 10, Carbanions) are largely "typical" organic chemistry, but serve as necessary intro- ductions to following chapters which apply those topics to polymer chemistry. The chapter covering the interaction of

A358 / Journal of Chemical Education