Choice Review

Karukstis and Van Hecke (Harvey Mudd College, California) have compiled a very significant collection of practical chemical facts. The descriptions are concise and necessitate a fair amount of supplemental material for beginning chemistry courses, but the book is quite readable and, for someone with a chemical background or someone willing to study, the book is a very useful reference tool. The book makes the misleading statement that pentane and hexane are normally gases at atmospheric pressure, even though these two substances are well-known liquid laboratory solvents with normal boiling points of 36.1 degrees C and 69 degrees C, respectively. The book ranges through such subjects as medicine, home settings, outer space, office settings, and the arts. Two major cases of possible danger are discussed with ammonia and bleach mixtures in the home and the health concern associated with the production of artificial fog and smoke in the performing arts. A bit more on the chemical dangers, both of poisoning and explosions, would be helpful, especially in the arts where chemical exposures are known to be a considerable threat to those working in the field. Keywords; references; relevant Web site addresses. A credible job in such a small volume. Undergraduates and up. P. R. Douville; Central Connecticut State University