Basic Chemistry: A Problem-SolvingApproach
real molecules compared to objects with which the student is fa-
Jullen Gendell. West Publishing: 610 Opperman Dr., St.Paul,
MN 55164, 1993. xviii + 598 w.Figs. and tables. 22.2 x 26.2
cm.
This book is written for an introductory course and indudes
chanters on auantities and measurements. states of matter. reore-
3mtmg chernwal substances and reacrmns, ~onaecompounds and
covalent compounds, chemlral resctmns. aqueous aalutrons, and
gases.
The title accurately reflects the author's emphasis on problem-
salving skills. Chapter 3 outlines an approach that will be benefi-
cial to many students. Three of the stages in problem solving are
ones that are omitted too commonly from the typical tutorial: the
importance of starting with a physical picture of the problem to be
solved, the need to ask whether an answer is reasonable (if only
students would heed this advice!), and the reminder to mnsider
what was learned by salving the pmblem. The strategy is used in
the worked examples throughout the text. Unfortunately, it is not
used in the solutions toin-chapter exercises. Chapter 7 coven pro-
portionality and units. The extension of the strategy to more com-
plicated problems i s treated in Chapter 13, which covers
stoichiametry and heat flaw. Astudent who masters the strategies
demonstrated in this text will he well prepared for subsequent
chemistry (and other physical sciences) courses.
Students may find several structural aspects of the text useful.
Each chapter section hegins with a short list of learning goals,
which helps to divide the learning goals into smaller, more man-
ageable units than can be done with learning goals that encom-
pass a whole chapter. In addition to worked examples, there are
exercises distributed through the chapters. Rather than putting
the solutions to the exercises immediately after the exercise, the
detailed solutions are given a t the end of the chapter. The spatial
separation between exercise and solution may encourage students
to try the pmblem far themselves before turning to the solution.
Answers (without solutions1 to all end-of-chapter problems are
given in the back of the book. "Foeus on Applications" blocks are
interspersed through the text and cover practical aspects of chem-
istry and brief historical notes that students are likely to find in-
triguing.
Most of the text is accurate and presented logically and the
author appears to be sensitive to the need to define vocabulary
and concepts that may be unfamiliar to students. However, there
are some lapses. For example, in Chapter 6 the author makes the
valid point that space-filling models indicate both the shape and
some features of molecular size. I would have expected the aaom-
panying illustration to show models of small and large molecules.
Instead, there is one beaker containing several CPK models of
water molecules and a second beaker containing a single CPK
model of water. The point of the figure was last on the reviewer.
The author also missed the opportunity to mention that the 400-
mL beaker if filled with real water molecules would have can-
tained about loz5 water molecules! Even though the concept of
moles is not introduced until later in the text the author could
Reviewed in This Issue
Julian Gendell, Basic Chemistry: A Problem-Solving Approach
Steven S. Zumdahl, Introductory Chemistry: A Foundation, 2nd Ed.
14
William H. Brock, The Norton History of Chemistry
New Volumes in Continuing Series
ri
have introduced some feel for the exceedingly small dimensions of
miliar. A second example of a section that may confuse more than
it clarifies is the classification of reactions in Chapter 12.The ex-
amples in the "combination reaction"
and "single-replacement"
categories muld be viewed more usefully as redox processes, but
redox is not introduced until later in the chapter. There is little
advantage to the introduction of these categories. It also is not a
good generalization to say that the typical oxidation number of
Group 5Aatoms is -3. One might also question the use of the non-
IUPAC "Group 5A" notation. It would be clearer to refer simply to
the nitrogen group.
Overall, the book is clearly written and students are likely to
find the emphasis an "how-to" work problems helpful.
Sandra S. Eaton
University of Denver
Denver, CO 80208
lntroductory Chemistry: A Foundation, 2nd Ed.
Steven S. Zumdahl, 0.C. Heath and Company. Lexington. MA,
1993. xxii + 824 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.8 x 24.1 an.
If you liked the first edition of this text you will be pleased with
the second, because, in the words of the author, "We intentionally
Left most of the text unchanged in the semnd edition." In the sec-
ond edition more problems have been added and small periodic
table icons have heen introduced to help students identifiy the pe-
riodic table location of each element as it is discussed. This text
comes in three versions. Basic Chemistry, second edition, a paper-
back text, provides basic coverage of chemical concepts and appli-
cations through solution chemistry and h a s 15 chapters.
Introductory Chemistry second edition, a hardbound text, expands
the coverage to 19 chapters with the addtion of radioactivity and
nuclear enerw. Finallv. Zntraluetorv Chemistrv: A Foundation.
second edittan: a hardl;bund trxr, has 21 rhapt;rs wlth the finai
two rhapters provldtnl: a brief mtmdunion toorganic and bid@
cal chemistry. Thr first edittons of these texts were reviewed in
1992 r l t.
Liierature Cited
1. Brsun, R.D.J. Cham Educ.1992,69,AMI
Reviewer
Sandra S. Eaton A215
James E. Finholt A215
George B. Kauffman A216
A216
Volume 71 Number 8 August 1994 A213