Abstract
MANY years ago, the plan of teaching chemistry, or rather, of exercising the mind in chemical matters, by means of problems and answers, was very fashionable. Nowadays it seems to have fallen into disuse, except perhaps in schools, although the method was a good one which enabled the student to fix reactions and principles on his mind without making undue calls on his memory. Of course, much depends on the kind of problem selected and the manner in which it is treated, but if too much chemical arithmetic is avoided, and the problem chosen involves some theoretical principle which appeals to the mind, a great deal of useful knowledge can be imparted, often from an unusual viewpoint. M. Jean Duval has applied the method to a number of cases and has produced a book which should appeal to students generally. Both inorganic and organic problems are chosen, many of them being of surprising ingenuity. The French is so easy to understand and is so clearly expressed that many English students would do well to add this book to their library.
Le problème de chimie: recueil de problèmes inédits avec leurs solutions à l'usage de la Classe de mathématiques spéciales des candidats au S.P.C.N., au M.P.C., au Baccalauréat (M.E.), aux Grandes Écoles et à divers concours. Lois générales, métallöides, chimie organique.
Par Jean Duval. Pp. 116. (Paris: Albert Blanchard, 1926.) 10 francs.
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[Book Reviews]. Nature 118, 691 (1926). https://doi.org/10.1038/118691c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/118691c0