Anyone familiar nith the 5th Editiun of "I'hss~cal Chwnistry" uould t . ~ d fen changes In the lnt~at rrmitm The m m substmt~al

rect, requiring only minor adjustments (e.g., Na confieuration on oaee 15 iswmne) and is . .. ~ P . ~ ~ ~ ~

a f ~ n e rud firr arhirvm,: the secondary level organic rhcm~rrry pduratirm tmmu.ated by the author.

Robert Watson North Central High School

Indianapolis. IN

T h e Structure and Properties 01 Solids: An Introduction to Matertals Science

Bruce Chalmers, John Wiley a Sons. Inc., Somerset, NJ. 1982. vii + 155 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 24 cm. $21.95.

This little book presentp, in a very ele- mentary and qualitative fashion, the funda- mental phenomena and problems of materi- als science. The first half describes atomic and electronic structure a t the level of an old-fashioned freshman chemistry course, provides brief discussions of insulators, metals, and semiconductors and of magnetic, optical, and thermal properties. The second half of the book is devoted to mechanical behavior and mechanisms by which materials fail or are strengthened-elasticity, plastic deformation, strengthening, wear, abrasion, and corrosion. Each topic is illustrated by pictures representing behavior at the atomic level and by practical examples. The audience for this book is presumably the beginning engineering student. Far a chemistry student this hook would eive a tantalizine elimose ,... , r t r t o rhc m;~in ~ m , I ~ l t r n ~ c.1 nliitrr~nl; aon,ce. hut 11 miters f r m being extwmch e i e n ~ n . tarv, evwrially in nIAtter* iuch a- rhcmw;,l- bonding, crystal structure, and chemical re- activity. For a junior- or senior-level course in solid state chemistry or materials science this book is far too sketchy and qualitative. As additiunal backeround readine for the chemist wishing to get an overall impression of the problems and terminology of materials science, it makes pleasant and not too taxing reading. The writing is clear but not always elegant. The price of $21.95 seems exorbitant for a book of 155 6 X 9-inch pages.

A. Navrotskv Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ 85281

Physical Chemistry, Sixth Edition Robeii A. Alberty. John Wiley 8 Sons, InC., Somerset, NJ. 1983. viii + 824 pp. Figs. and tables. 17 X 24 cm. $29.95.

This is the 14th edition of a text that was initiated by Frederick Getman in 1927 as "Outlines of Theoretical Chemistry." The intervening editions were prepared, either singly or jointly by Getman, Farrington Daniels, and Robert A. Alberty. One could hardly ask for a better chronicle of the changes in the content and ap~roach of the undergraduate physical chemistry course

changes are the addition of more problems and some expansion of the material on quantum chemistry. The content description of the 5th Edition ( t h ~ s Journal, 57, A106 (1980)) is also applicable to the 6th Edition. The hook is divided into four sections; ther- modynamics, quantum chemistry, chemical dynamics, and structures. A chapter on sta- tistical mechanics is included in the quantum chemistry section, and with the exception of this chapter, the thermodynamics and quantum chemistry sections are self-con- tained and could be presented in any order. This edition is about a hundred pages longer than its immediate precursor, but the in- creased size is mainly due to a larger type font.

I t is refreshing to find an author who resists the temptation to "update" a book by in- creasing the amount of material in successive editions of a texthaok. Dr. Alberty is not to- tally immune to the siren call of modernity. Less than 300 words are devoted to a de- scription of Fourier Transform NMR Spec- troscopy. Any instructor who opts to include this topic would not find this brief discussion very useful. The concepts of microstates and distrihutions have been completely elimi- nated, and only the canonical ensemble is discussed. The necessarily brief treatment of statistical thermodynamics is thereby made more abstract and a greater burden is placed on the instructor.

Although I have used this text periodically for nearly 30 years, I have never been totally satisfied with it, nor with enyother text. My attitude is not exceptional in this regard. The undergraduate physical chemistry course is essentially a survey course that contains mare material than can be treated adequately in the time normally available. Nu text can 3atisfy the broad spectrum of instructors, :ach with a d~fferent attitude toward the or- ganization and emphasis in the course. The mdiferation of texts in print a t any time at- !ests to this diversitv. The streneth of the

.he large number of problems that are itraightforward tests of concept mastery, ,ather than of the subtle type that impress .he instructor but confuse the student. Pre- ~ious editions have been widely used and .here is no reason to believe that the 6th Sdition will be received less favorably.

Leslie S. Forster University of Arizona

Tucson. AZ 85721

A350 Journal of Chemical Education