This sort of error is annoying to students and their instructors and infuriating to authors and editors, who have spent many hours proofing, but does not result in serious harm except to authors' and publishers' pride. Students usually immediately recognize that something is wrong, and errors of this type can easily be corrected in the second printing. The other type of error is the one that was of concern in the survey and it is of concern here. Unfortunately, people tend to retain what they learn first even after they know that it is wrong. When writing, the most difficult part is obtaining correct information.
Nobody can be expert in all the areas touched on in modern general chemistry courses.
However, a perfect book is of no benefit to students, or to its author and publisher, if instructors do not adopt it. As a result, the quality of texts and other instructional materials is ultimately determined by you who select them. I would very much appreciate your suggestions for topics and speakers for this symposium and hope that you will be able to attend. Another way you can promote accuracy is by contacting the author if you notice an error in a text or other instructional materials that you are using or considering for adoption. If the error is one of scientific fact, please give a reference for your information.