摘要:

Review of Books Ionic Liquids. Ed. by D. INMAN and D. G. LOVERING. (Plenum Press, New York, 1981). Pp. x + 450. Price $49.50. In the foreword and preface, the point is made that aqueous electrolyte chemistry and molten salt chemistry have developed largely in isolation from each other, and that it would benefit practitioners in each field if they were made aware of work in the other. In June 1978 the Editors, with others, organised a conference in Oxford on ‘ Highly Concentrated Solutions and Molten Salts’, with the same aim of cross-fertilisation. Two other meetings took place in 1978: the EUCHEM meeting on Molten Salts in Lysekil, Sweden, and the Second International Symposium on Molten Salts in Pittsburgh, USA. The chapters in this book were solicited from contributors to these three meetings.To paraphrase the old adage about horses and water: it is possible to publish a series of articles written by specialists in different fields, but it does not follow that by so doing one will achieve a synthesis of the subject matter. Furthermore, the technique of rounding up lecture notes at the end of a conference is a well-known, facile route to book production, beloved by publishers and editors. This reviewer therefore approached his task in a skeptical frame of mind. He is happy to report that his doubts were unjustified. This is a very good book, and, after reading it one is left with a clear impression of the unity of the subject, ‘Ionic Liquids’. In many of the chapters, the authors consider the variation of properties as the water content of the system is varied between the logical limits.There are 20 chapters; in 15 or 16 of them the variation of water content is specifically considered. Water changes its role from that of an ionising solvent at one extreme to that of a reactive solute, exhibiting interesting acid-base and redox properties, at the other. The chapters show considerable variation in length and in the type of coverage which they offer. Some are short, and contain a few, well-made points about the authors’ recent research with secondary detail omitted. This structure reflects the style to be aimed for in a successful presentation at a conference. Two excellent chapters in this vein are those by J. E. Enderby on the structure of hydration complexes and by I. M. Hodge and C.A. Angel1 on relaxation studies in hydrous liquids. Other chapters are much longer and are more in the nature of review articles, with 200 or so references. I was particularly impressed by those by R. Combes on the solution chemistry of water in melts and by P. G. Zambonin and others on hydrogen in ionic liquids; both contain authoritative accounts of the development of these subjects in which the respective authors have made substantial contributions. These are the outstanding chapters ; all the others are of a good standard, and the topics discussed cover an impressively wide range. The book is nicely printed on good quality paper. The diagrams are well drawn, and I did not notice a single printing error. At $49.50 ($59.40 outside US.) for 450 pages it is good value, and it deserves to take its place alongside Janz, Blander, Sundheim and Mamantov on the bookshelves of all those interested in ionic liquids.B. CLEAVER Received 1 1 th December, 198 1 The Chemistry of Soil Processes. Ed. by D. J. GREENLAND and M. H. B. HAYES (Wiley, Chichester, 1981). Pp. xiii+714. Price &36. This book is a companion to a previous volume (1978) by the same editors, entitled The Chemistry of Soii Components. Together, they aim to provide a comprehensive up-to-date coverage of soil chemistry for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in soil science and related environmental fields; as such, they would fulfill a real need. The chapters have been written by authors who have mostly been active in research in the 31453146 REVIEWS OF BOOKS fields they cover, and the contents accordingly reflect well the areas of most rapid advance and high current interest in soil chemistry.Surface chemistry forms a major part of both volumes, both because of its intrinsic importance for soil adsorption phenomena, and because of the new insights given by spectroscopic and diffraction probes into the mechanisms involved. The previous volume dealt with soil surfaces and their interaction with water and electrolytes, while this volume continues the theme with chapters on cation exchange, anion sorption and a very long (1 80 page) chapter on the methodology and results from studies on adsorption of organic molecules on clays and soil organic matter. Other basic soil processes covered include oxidation-reduction, mass flow and diffusion, precipitation and metal translocation mechanisms, and the volume ends with chapters on subjects of economic and environmental importance, concerning the fates of various soil additives : plant and animal residues, fertilizers, heavy metals and pesticides.As always with multi-authored publications, there are considerable variations in the depth and extent of coverage in the various chapters. The most successful give very readable and informative up-to-date summaries of their subject matter, with references to recent reviews for more detailed treatments. The reviewer was particularly impressed with the chapters on heavy metal contamination, pesticide behaviour, organic matter turnover and anion sorption. On the other hand, the chapter on translocation of metals becomes a review of the original literature from which it is difficult to gather an over-all picture of the processes involved; there are also problems of organization and balance in the chapter on organic molecule sorption which make it difficult to digest.Although the two volumes together amount to some 1200 pages, they still fail to give comprehensive coverage of soil chemistry. Important aspects which receive at most cursory treatment in introductory chapters include : mineral weathering and synthesis, clay-organic complexes, soil acidity, the forms and availability of organic forms of phosphorus, sulphur and nitrogen, and the use of extractant solutions to provide information on soils. These volumes on soil constituents and properties will nevertheless provide a valuable source for specific aspects of soil chemistry which teachers and researchers will wish to have at hand.V. C. FARMER Received 17th Nocember, 198 1 Topics in Current Chemistry, Volume 95. Analytical Problems. Ed. by F. L. BOSCHKE. (Springer, Berlin, 1981). Pp. 184. Price $45.70, DM96. This extremely well produced book contains four contributions each of 40-50 pages. U. Bahr and H-R. Schulten review mass spectrometric methods for trace analysis of metals and note an urgent need for a knowledge of the amounts of trace metals in human tissues, body fluids, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and soils. They give a brief general account of mass spectrometric methods for obtaining such knowledge, with the use of the newer methods of ionization involving ion bombardment of the sample, laser probes, plasma ion sources and gas discharge sources.They also review some uses of the older methods of electron impact and spark source mass spectrometry. Following on this general account about half of their article is concerned with a specialised account of trace analysis of metals by field desorption mass spectrometry, a subject they have worked on extensively at the University of Bonn, Germany, where field desorption mass spectrometry originated. They have been concerned notably with caesium, lithium and thallium. They report that heating the field-desorption emitter with a focused laser beam was very useful; a power density of 35 kW cm-2 was attained, and many high-melting metals could then be studied.U. P. Schlunegger reviews practical aspects and trends in analytical organic mass spectro- metry, starting with a good account of the various methods of ionization which are in current use. Direct analysis of daughter ions (DADI) and mass analysed ion kinetic energy spectrometry (MIKES) receive attention. Here the result represents the fragmentation pattern of an ion selected by a magnet. Collisional activation may be used to bring about further fragmentationREVIEWS OF BOOKS 3 147 of a selected ion, and this fragmentation may be studied with a second mass spectrometer, giving the new m.s./m.s. technique, which has now had enough applications to show its excellent analytical potential. This article gives a few examples of modern research, such as amino acid sequencing in peptides, and the analysis of complex mixtures.R. Geick in a review of Fourier-transform nuclear magnetic resonance (FTNMR) gives a mathematical account of the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance and of the use of Fourier transforms, starting with the basic principles of resonance phenomena in physical systems. Special applications and recent developments in FTNMR are reviewed briefly. He gives over 300 references very helpfully classified into the main topics discussed, which are: NMR in general; pulse and Fourier methods in NMR; spin echoes; special pulse methods in FTNMR; nuclear magnetic double resonance ; non-equilibrium states ; special multiple pulse experiments ; two-dimensional FTNMR; and spin mapping. Obviously to cover such a wide field in a short review a condensed account has to be given.The final review by P. BoEek of the Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences is on analytical isotachophoresis, the simplest version of which is the measurement of transference numbers by the moving boundary method. In isotachophoresis the moving zones migrate through a liquid under a potential difference at the same velocity when equilibrium is established, hence the name iso-tachos. Suitable substances in solution form a system of isotachophoretic zones migrating along the separation capillary in close contact with one another and arranged according to descending values of the mobilities of the ions. The zone boundaries show a very convenient self-sharpening effect, and another benefit is that there is no supporting material.Analytical applications have covered the range from simple separations of inorganic ions to separations of proteins, and the method is useful, for example, for clinical analysis of urine, plasma, serum and tissue. A. J. B. ROBERTSON Received 18th February, 1982 Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence. Basic Chemistry and Analytical Applications. Ed. by M. A. DELUCA and W. D. MCELROY. (Academic Press, New York, 1981). Pp. xxviii + 782. Price $44. This book consists of papers and abstracts presented at a symposium held in August 1980. As is the case with such publications in general it lacks the coherence and uniform quality of a monograph. The papers are variable in style and content, ranging from subject reviews to descriptions of analytical gadgetry.This book in many respects confirms doubts on the wisdom of publishing discussion post-paper remarks and questions. These may appear interesting and profound at the time but the faithful recording of negatives and affirmatives does little to extend scientific knowledge, although the free sprinkling of first names testifies to the social success of the meeting. The papers deal almost exclusively with bioluminescence and its analytical applications. The coverage of non-biological systems is minimal and such presentations as were submitted are on mechanistic matters relevant to the former. In 750 pages of text it is inevitable that a large amount of new information is presented and that a close cross-referencing makes perusal essential to anyone with serious interest in research on bioluminescence. All active aspects of the subject appear to have been covered, but from collections of papers such as this it is not possible, unless one is reasonably familiar with the subject, to form an impression as to the status and prospects of the different projects described.The subject of the book is a fascinating one; the phenomena are intriguing and the explanations revealed by the research described no less so. The applications to biochemical analysis are of increasing importance especially for systems in which low concentrations require high sensitivity and selectivity, as for example in selective enzyme assays in in uiuo and in uitro systems. Active researchers in bioluminescence will certainly need to consult this book, others will find the approach specialised.In view of the fact that conference papers are rapidly overtaken3148 REVIEWS OF BOOKS by new developments to be reported at the next international meeting, purchase will be largely restricted to institutional libraries. R. B. CUNDALL Received 26th November, 198 1 Flow Properties of Polymer Melts. By J. A. BRYDSON. (George Godwin, London, 2nd edn, 1981). Pp. xi+226. Price f22.00. The first edition of Flow Properties of Polymer Melts appeared in 1970, and was published by Iliffe. Its subject matter was rheology and its application to polymer processing. The book comprised chapters on rheology, duct flows, shear flows, elastic effects, elongational flows, applications to processing and some more complicated rheological problems.It was, for its time, a relatively up-to-date account. Unfortunately, the second edition is not. References to the post-1970 literature are sparse and those that are included are peculiarly selective. This would not matter much, perhaps, if it were the only criticism of the book: regrettably, it is not. The book is scattered with confusing and/or incorrect statements. Chap. 8, in particular, has to be seen to be believed. As a result, one could not wisely recommend this book to anyone who does not already understand its subject matter rather well. S. M. RICHARDSON Received 17th November, 198 1 Progress in Surface and Membrane Science, Volume 14. Ed. by D. A. CADENHEAD and J. F. DANIELLI. (Academic Press, New York, 1981).Pp. xii+492. Price $41. It seems to be quite fortuitous that in this latest collection of review articles of a very well-known and useful series, five out of seven contributions come from laboratories in the U.S.S.R., one from Poland and one from France. There is no single theme connecting the papers, other than the fairly wide scope indicated by the title of the series, but two papers are concerned with adsorption from gas or liquid mixtures and two others describe factors involved in transport processes through membranes. The first paper by M. Jaroniec et al. (University of Lublin) on statistical thermodynamics of monolayer adsorption from gas and liquid mixtures gives particular emphasis to the effect of heterogeneity of the solid surface, distinguishing between models with sites of equal adsorption energies grouped in patches, with such sites randomly distributed or an intermediate model with patches of sites of equal adsorption energies within which sites of different energies are randomly distributed.The mathematical models predict a range of different adsorption isotherms and selectivity coefficients of which diagrams are given. The second paper on adsorption from binary gas and liquid phases is by K. V. Chmutov and 0. G. Larionov (Academy of Sciences, Moscow) is based particularly upon the thermodynamical treatment by Everett (1964) of the excess adsorption in terms of the Gibbs model, and draws attention to later proposals of Larionov and coworkers for alternative expressions for surface activity coefficients.Adsorption isotherms are predicted from the adsorption properties of pure components and these are applied to the determination of the areas of solids using adsorption from solution. The first of two papers concerned with the transport of material through membranes is by B. V. Derjaguin and N. V. Churaev (Academy of Sciences, Moscow) and reviews experiments which show that the properties of polar liquids, particularly water, in contact with hydrophilic solid surfaces, may be significantly different from bulk liquid properties at distances up to 200 or 300 A. The immobilisation of molecules of the liquid close to the surface and modification of the rheological properties at slightly greater distances can have a significant effect upon the flow rate in capillaries, osmosis and thermo-osmosis.The second of these papers by 0. K. Stefanova and M. M. Shultz (Academy of Sciences, Leningrad) describes the coupling of ionic and neutral component fluxes. The method of thermodynamics of irreversible processesREVIEWS OF BOOKS 3149 is applied to these fluxes in general and more particularly in fixed charge membranes and in the case where specific interactions occur between neutral molecules and ions. Formulae are proposed for the membrane potentials to be expected in such cases. M. R. Tarasevich and K. A. Radyushkina (Academy of Sciences, Moscow) have contributed a chapter on electrocatalytic properties of metalloporphins at the interface. A large number of experimental investigations are reviewed and current/voltage curves shown for oxygen electroreduction and reactions of hydrogen peroxide.J. F. Baret (Universite de Provence, Marseille) has reviewed two-dimensional phase transi- tions in bilayers and in monolayers. Attention has been given to vapour/liquid-expanded transitions and also to the liquid-expanded/liquid-condensed transitions, which have hitherto been the more extensively studied. Theoretical models based upon order-disorder changes and orientational re-arrangements are reviewed. The wetting of solids by liquid metals has for many years been extensively studied in the U.S.S.R. In this contribution by Ju. V. Naidich (Academy of Sciences, Ukraine) the principles of wetting, experimental methods and results for many metals on ionic compounds, covalent solids and refractory compounds have all been reviewed.The technical importance of such studies in the development of solders and fluxes is obvious. This collection of seven reviews, citing almost 1300 references, is excellently presented with many clear diagrams and a very comprehensive subject index. It is unfortunate that the editors have had to accept references in some reviews arranged numerically and in others alphabetically, but there are only a few errors, and this new volume is a worthy addition to a very valuable series. A. COUPER Received 15th March, 1982 Two-Phase Flows in Chemical Engineering. By D. AZBEL. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1981). Pp. xx + 3 1 1. Price E45.00. David Azbel is a Russian who is now living in the United States. He wrote the first draft of his text on two-phase flows while he was still living in Russia.This explains the slightly unorthodox approach that he adopts. It also explains the large number of references made to the work of other Russians, so few of which are available in the West that an important part of the background to this book is regrettably unavailable (though there are often clues and pointers to enable the reader to fill in gaps in the text). In all other respects save one, the book is excellent. It reads well, and not at all like a translation. The subject matter is assuredly of great interest and importance not only, as the title suggests, to chemical engineers but also to biochemical, civil and environmental engineers amongst others. The book is divided into three parts.Part I, which comprises about a half of the book, deals with the hydrodynamics of two-phase flows. It starts with a short chapter which qualitatively describes two-phase flow phenomena. Four chapters on gas-liquid flows follow. The fluid mechanics of single and multiple bubble flows are discussed in the first two. The dynamics of general gas-liquid flows are discussed in the third. Liquid entrainment is discussed in the fourth. The first part of the book concludes with a chapter on solid-liquid flows. Part 11, which comprises about a quarter of the book, deals with mass transfer in two-phase flows. The first chapter of this part deals with gas-liquid, and the second with solid-liquid, systems. Part 111, which again comprises about a quarter of the book, deals with chemical and biochemical applications of the preceding material.The first chapter of this part deals with a particular chemical process application, namely the liquid phase oxidation of hydrocarbons by a bubble process. The second deals with reactor design for microbiological processes, in particular, design of a batch reactor for the manufacture of enzymic products. With ihe possible exception of the third part, which many readers may find rather specialised, this book can be most warmly recommended. The beginner will get a very sound introduction to two-phase flows. The specialist will benefit not only from a treatment of unfamiliar material, but also from a rather different treatment of familiar material. The only thing that is likely to3150 REVIEWS OF BOOKS put off the prospective purchaser is the price of the book.For a short text, albeit a very good one, it really is extremely expensive. This will undoubtedly, and most regrettably, severely reduce its readership. S. M. RICHARDSON Received 1 1 th December, 198 I A.C.S. Symposium Series, no. 155. Reactivity of Metal-Metal Bonds. Ed. by M. H. CHISHOLM. This text is based upor, the contributions to a symposium which formed part of the American Chemical Society National Meeting held at Las Vegas, in August 1980. The contents consist of 15 chapters, each from a research group which has made a significant and, in most cases, a sustained contribution to the development and understanding of the chemistry of compounds containing metal-metal bonds.A wide range of inorganic and organometallic d-transition metal chemistry is described in reviews that are generally authoritative, well illustrative of the particular facet of the main topic, and readable in a single session. A documentation, ranging in quality from good to acceptable is presented for each article, with the relevant literature up to the middle of 1980 being cited in most cases. The emphasis on reactivity in this volume is especially welcomed, since the isolation and structural characterisation of compounds containing metal-metal bonds has often assumed an undue prominence. The authors of each chapter are to be congratulated for their selection of material, which caters for both the specialist and other interested readers. The text could be used as a valuable reference source and as the basis for an M.Sc.course on Metal-Metal Bonding, also mature undergraduates could be directed to read selected passages as an extension of a B.Sc. course in Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. This reviewer would like to give special mention to the contributions of R. E. McCarley (Structure and Reactivity of some Unusual Molybdenum and Tungsten Cluster Systems), M. S. Wrighton (Photochemistry of Metal- Metal-Bonded Transition Element Complexes), A. L. Balch (Metal-Metal Bond Making and Breaking in Binuclear Complexes with Phosphine Bridging Ligands), S. A. R. Knox (Reactivity of Dimetallocycles), and E. L. Muetterties (The Coordination Chemistry of Metal Surfaces), for their quality, clarity and stimulation and also to illustrate the extensive ch.emistry covered by this text.Given that this volume has such quality, it seems unfair to offer serious criticism. Nevertheless, the impact and authority of the book would have been enhanced by the inclusion of specialist reviews on the principles of electronic structure (which have helped the classification and development of the subject) and how these relate to the various reactivities of metal-metal bonded compounds, and a consideration of the high nuclearity metal clusters (although J. L. Vidal et al. do present a chapter on polynuclear rhodium carbonyl complexes), the chemistry of which have been so well developed by several European groups. The book is very well produced and indexed, and clearly illustrated. At $39.00, it represents excellent value and is recommended as essential for library purchase; enthusiasts are advised to acquire their personal copy of a volume that is a testimony to the excitement sustained throughout the development of the topic during the last two decades and a pointer to the potential this area of chemistry holds for future discoveries and applications.C . D. GARNER (American Chemical Society, Washington D.C., 1981). Pp. vii + 327. Price $39. Received 10th February, 1982 Advances in Polymer Scierrce, Volume 40. Luminescence. Ed. by H-J. CANTOW et al. (Springer- The book under consideration is the hard-backed edition of volume 40 of a review journal. It contains only two articles, ‘Investigation of Polymers in Solution by Polarized Luminescence ’ by E. V. Anufrieva and Yu.Ya. Gotlib, and ‘Time-resolved Fluorescence Techniques in Verlag, Berlin, 1981). Pp. 174. Price DM 82, $37.30.REVIEWS OF BOOKS 3151 Polymer and Biopolymer Studies’ by K. P. Ghiggino, A. J. Roberts and D. Phillips, as well as the author index for all volumes up to, and including, this one. Both reviews are, within the constraints indicated in the titles, excellent and informative, and are written by authoritative research groups. It must be said at the outset, however, that these two titles by no means cover the whole of polymer luminescence phenomena, and subjects such as analytical and microscopic uses of luminescence, macromolecular orientation in solid polymers, homogeneity (on a molecular scale) of blends or chemical consequences of excited state complex (excimer or exciplex) formation are not included. The two reviews are, to some extent, complementary in that the first has a pronounced chemical flavour, emphasising the many ways of synthesising macromolecules with luminescent marker groups, concentrating on effects observable using continuous excitation, and while giving excellent coverage to Russian work, omitting one or two significant Western papers.The second review picks up these omissions, detailing how time-dependent polarization observations overcome some of the disadvantages inherent in the use of Perrin-type formulae, and referring (directly or indirectly) to some of the dissolved polymer dynamic studies missed by the Russian authors. Thusfluorescence depolarization on nanosecond time scales receives excellent coverage in this volume.Solution phenomena such as chromophore mobility in polyelectrolytes, in polymer--polymer complexes and during conformational transitions, are fully covered in the first article. Interesting, and not readily available in other English language reviews of the subject, is a section applying conventional relaxation time distribution functions to the depolarization phenomena. Conspicuous by its absence is reference to phosphorescence depolarization on millisecond time scales. The second review on time-resolved techniques covers a rather wider variety of spectroscopic phenomena, and so has a theoretical introduction of rather more basic usefulness. The section on experimental techniques is instrumental, rather than chemical, but is easy to read and most informative.The phenomena reviewed reflect the interests of the authors, concentrating on the molecular dynamic and energy transfer processes observable in time-resolved polarization and excimer formation measurements. The synthetic polymers so studied are styrene and acrylic homo- and copolymers, and that giant of photo-electric chemistry, poly (N-vinyl carbazole), together with some carbazolyl analogues. In the biopolymer sphere the review concentrates on the molecular environment of the emitting chromophore, and molecular rotational phenomena. In summary, we have here two excellent timely articles, collecting material presently scattered in pre-existing English language reviews, covering fluorescent phenomena in mobile media very well, but as a book leaving a number of important luminescence topics uncovered. A.M. NORTH Received 30th November, 198 1 Photovoltaic and Photoelectrochemical Solar Energy Conversion. Ed. by F. CARDON, W. P. GOMES and W. DEKEYSER. (Plenum Press, New York, 1981). Pp. xiii+422. Price $49.50. The search for alternative forms of fuel has resulted in considerable interest in photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion systems. This is one of the most rapidly developing fields of research and it has attracted scientists from many different disciplines. So far, work is at a preliminary stage and has not really reached the point of practical development, but several of the fundamental problems have been identified and solved. Although many different types of system have been tried, most involve light-induced charge separation, usually at an interface, and this is the common feature of this book.The book arises from a series of lectures presented at a NATO Advanced Study Institute held at the end of 1980. Such is the nature of this field that much of the material is already out-of-date; fortunately, however, each lecture is sufficiently comprehensive to off-set this problem. Each lecture is highly specialised, being contributed by an acknowledged expert in that subject, and serves as a very good introduction for new research workers. Chapters on photoelectrochemical cells by H. Gerisher (Berlin) and A. J. Nozik (Colorado) are particularly relevant to solar energy storage devices. The first chapter concerns the principles3152 REVIEWS OF BOOKS of photoelectrochemical energy conversion and presents an excellent review of the field.The chapter by Nozik is concerned with photoelectrosynthetic cells, where two effective redox couples are present in the electrolyte and a net chemical change occurs upon illumination. If the free-energy change of the net electrolyte reaction is positive, optical energy is converted into chemical energy and this subject, together with photocatalysis, is perhaps the most realistic approach for the construction of a practical outlet for solar energy research. The iron/thionine photogalvanic cell is reviewed comprehensively by W. J. Albery (London) but the description is a general one and could be applied to most thin-layer photogalvanic devices.The chapter concentrates on kinetic arguments and much of the material presented is recent work from the author’s laboratory. A chapter on charge separation and redox catalysis by K. Kalyanasundaram and M. Gratzel (Lausanne) presents a detailed summary of the work that has appeared from Gratzel’s laboratory during the past few years. Although the majority of the work has already been published, it is useful to have all the material collected together and the reference section is immense. Theoretical and experimental aspects of heterojunctions and semiconductor/metal Schottky barriers are reviewed in chapters by W. G. Townsend (Shrivenham), J. J. Loferski (New York) and W. H. Bloss and H. W. Schock (Stuttgart). All three chapters are comprehensive and they complement each other quite well. In particular, the consideration of solar energy conversion using tandem voltaic cells (Loferski) makes very interesting reading. The final chapter presents a theoretical treatment of recombination in solar cells by P. J. Landsberg (Southampton). Although well presented, it is difficult to follow. Overall, the book is a very useful acquisition. It contains a wealth of information and reference data invaluable to research workers engaged in this field. Its real appeal is to specialist workers, it is not for light reading, and as such its available market is rather limited. A. HARRIMAN Received 19th March, 1982 Some Thermodynamic Aspects of Inorganic Chemistry. By D. A. JOHNSON. (Cambridge Univer- In a review of the first edition (Trans. Faraday Soc., 1969,65, 1404), the comment was made that ‘This is an immensely useful book’. The same statement can be made, perhaps more forcibly, with regard to the second edition. A major change is the use of SI units. In addition, the chapter dealing with transition-metal chemistry (including elements in the lanthanide and actinide series) has been re-written. The aim of the author has been to provide a companion volume to comprehensive textbooks of inorganic chemistry. He has succeeded. Students will value this text as a means of gaining important insights into patterns and trends in inorganic chemistry. Thermodynamics is, of course, concerned with the analysis of experimental data. It is a pity, therefore, that the reader is given little indication of how the wealth of thermodynamic data summarised throughout this book are obtained in the laboratory. Apart from this small reservation, I am sure that students will be stimulated by this well-written book. M. J. BLANDAMER sity Press, Cambridge, 2nd edn, 1982). Pp. xf282. Price &18 H/B, E6.95 P/B. Received 18th March, 1982

ISSN:0300-9599    

DOI:10.1039/F19827803145

出版商:RSC    

年代:1982

数据来源: RSC