reviews

achievements dependent on ehemistry. In addition, the authors not only describe the development of chemical processes and their importance in our everyday lives but also present the historieal development of how the need arose far the procedures. Flow dia- grams are used extensively to illustrate the production ofhigh vol- ume feed-stack chemicals, and numerous colored photos depict the actual production facilities. This text is appropriate for science and engineering majors who have a good background in the fun- damentals of chemistry and algebra.

Philip Hall University of Wisconsin Centers

Marshfield, WI 54449

Thermodynamics for Teachers: Basic Concepts Explained

J. J. MacDonald. Caledon Educational: 52 Crawford Dr., Glas- gow G 156TR, U.K.. 1994. 114pp. Figs. and tables. 2 1 . 7 ~ 29.8 cm. 19 pounds UKI20 pounds all others.

This text presents thermodynamics a t an elementary level. I t emphasizes a comptehensian of concepts, rather than the solving of problems. Many illustrative examples are worked out. So it could he useful as supplemental reading by undergraduate stu- dents and their teachers. For simplicity, the author starts with physical changes-a fall-

ing weight, a recoiling spring, an expanding gas. A mechanical interpretation introduces the free energy concept. Chemical proc- essesare considered later.

Details not found in conventional texts are developed. Thus in diseussine entroov. exoressions k lnW and k In n are both calcu- ... . lated for k w oarticles in an evenlv maded enerev level svstem. The ~ o l t z m a k distribution law isi&duced by Kitand the Max- well distribution law explained by assuming a law far the degen- eracy of each level.

However, same basic concepts are not well presented. Thus, while energy has mass, the Einstein equation E = mc2 does not imply that they are measures afthe same thing. The universedoes not possess an antiparticle for each particle. The term "merg" should not be introduced.

Tem~erature is described in some detail in a oostscriot. But work and heat are not well defined. Work can he 'dissioatkd in a ~~~~ ~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

process and so cause a rise in temperature, mimicking heat. The choice of the term reversible is not explained by the

author's argument. Infinite slowness does not ensure revers- ihility; a dissipative process may be carried out as slowly as one desires.

With respect to state functions, it should be pointed out thatp. V, and n are not generally suitable as independent variables for a pure suhstance, whereas p, T, and n would he. A reason for this limitation could be stated.

In his definitions of accessibility R and number W, the author assumes that the different microstates available are completely disjoint. In general this is not true. Furthermore, one couldjustify the form S = k In R by pointing out how different contributions to S and t o n combine.

In other texts, one can find alternative interpretations of en- tropy. The most insightful i s probably t h a t developed by Caratheodory.

Nevertheless, the many examples covered may make this text useful. An illustration is the treatment of photosynthesis.

George H. Duffey S o ~ t n Dakola Slate Un vers ty

Brookmgs. SD 57007

Titles of Interest

Math Survival Guide: Tips for Science Students Jeffrey R. Appling. Wiley: New York, NY. 1994. viii + 127 pp Figs, and tables. 20.4 x 25.2 cm. $18.95 PB.

A72 Journal of Chemical Education

Antoine Lavoisier: Science, Administration, and Revolution

Arihur Donovan. Blackwell: Oxford. UK, 1993. xv + 351 pp. lllus. 15.9 x 23.8 cm.

This biography, one of the Blackwell Science Biographies series of books, presents a comprehensive account of the great 18th-cen- tury French chemist and administrator, Antoine Lavoisier. Histo- rians of science know of Lavaisier as the leader of the chemical revolution and as one of the founders of modem chemistry. Stu- dents of the French Revolution know of him as an important fin- ancier and administrator in the final decades of the old regime and as the mast famous scientist to be guillotined during the Ter- ror. This volume devotes equal attention to Lavaisier's creation of his oxygen theory of combustion and to his efforts as a public ad- ministrator before and during the Revolution. Lavoisier was, by virtue of his achievements and the events in which he was in- volved, an important historieal figure. His biography illuminates bath the rise afmodern science and the history ofthe French Reva- lution. This hook provides the reader with an image of the man, his achievement, and the tumultuous age in which he lived.

The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide: A Jargon-Free Guide to the Chemicals of Everyday Life

John Emsiey W H. Freeman: New York. NY, 1994. xi + 347 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.3 x 24.3 cm. $24.95.

This hook is an attempt to deal with the misinformation that surrounds many of the controversial chemicals in daily life. I t ex- plains in accessible, nan-technical language the science behind suear and artificial sweeteners: cholesterol. animal fats. and fiber: oakkillers. and the risks asskiated withtakine dm&: olantiei

as sueh: perfume and alcohol. The book is for anyone, with or without a scientific background,

who has been worried, sometimes alarmed, by stories that suggest that these chemicals are dangerous, polluting, or unhealthy,

Symmetry: A Unifying Concept

lslvan Hargjnar and Magdolna Harg~nar She ler P ~ o l cat ons PO Box 279, Bol nas CA94924 1994 x v I + 222 pp Pnolos and s 21 9 A 26 5 cm 818 00 PB

Symmetry is one of those words occurring in everyday language that nearly everyone knows (yet perhaps cannot define), as well as one that has a precise technical meaning. This is a book that suc- cessfully attempts to bridge these two extremes in usage. The un- derlying theme of this book is the unification of diverse fields of knowledge via the subject of symmetry. I t is the author's aim that by providing a powerful unifying factor hetween seemingly dispa- rate fields of human endeavor, the concepts in the book will help readers train their eyes and minds to see new patterns and make new connections in the surrounding world.

Experimental Methods: An Introduction to the Analysis of Data

Les Kirkup. Wiley: New York, NY. 1994. xv + 216 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.3 x 22.9 cm. $24.95 PB.

This book is designed as a supplementary text for students be- ginning study in the physical sciences and engineering a t tertiary institutions. The text integrates topics of fundamental importance in these courses sueh as keeoine a labaratorv notebook. analvzine . .. . , - expenmental data. 3rd repon wrlt~ng. in sddltmn, it explmn-. how ro use sprmdihrrrs for the anal)sis and pre,cntatwn oid;lt.i.

American Chemists and Chemical Engineers, Volume 2

Wyndham D. Miles and Robert F: Gould. Gould Books: 20 For- est Brook Rd.. Guilford, CT 06437, 1994. ix + 365 pp. 16.3 x 24.3 cm. $20.00.