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Air composition and chemistry
graph theory, three main themes being covered: computer-assisted recognition and interpretation of spectral data; representation and manipulation of structural information; and the prediction of spectral properties and the analysis of chemical transformations. The introduction to artitical intelligence methods will be particularly welcomed by the many who are starting to grapple with these concepts. What the book does not contain is anything about theoretical calculations on molecules, distance geometry calculations, or the current state of molecular graphics. Nonetheless, a 500-page work with an excellent and full bibliography can hardly be criticised for its omissions. In the area in which it specializes this is an original and seminal work. W. G. Richards
Introduction to Industrial Chemistry. Howard L. White. Pp. 247. Wiley, Chichester, 7986. f38.50.
By
The author says in his Preface that undergraduate education in chemistry is mainly theoretical, and lacks the details of industrial processes. To remedy this, he urges that his book should be used in a one-semester course in Industrial Chemistry. His statement about undergraduate courses is certainly true, but there are differing opinions among chemists as to whether remedial action along the lines he advocates should be made. If it should, then the first four chapters of this book could be useful. These chapters describe the industrial production of some inorganic and organic chemicals (26 and 58 pages respectively), the fermentation approach to chemical manufacture, and waste treatment (22 pages). This accounts for less than half the book. The remaining eight chapters (116 pages) are individually sketchy, and, taken as a whole, lack coherence. They cover aspects of equipment, costs, scale-up, pollution, catalysts, pesticides, herbicides, soaps and detergents (2% pages), pharmaceuticals (2% pages), and careers. Finally, there is a chapter (9 pages) on the elementary physical chemistry of distillation, and solvent extraction, and it is only here that we encounter some simple calculations. Therefore one impression created by this book is that industrial chemistry proceeds without serious chemical calculations; this is certainly not the case. T. B. Grimley
Spectroscopy of Biological Systems. Edited by R. J. H. Clark and R. E. Hester. Pp. 547. Wiley, Chichester. 1986. f83.00.
This book appears as Volume 13 of Advances in Spectroscopy, a series devoted to critical review articles in fundamental and applied aspects of a wide range of spectroscopic techniques. This is the first volume devoted wholly to biological systems, though other volumes have contained occasional excursions into biological topics. It
108
deals almost exclusively with various forms of infrared and Raman methods and concentrates on their applications to the more important biological systems which are troublesome partly because of the predominant presence of water with its obscuring absorption bands but also because of the complexity arising from the presence of so many overlapping bands. Ten chapters are included by authors chosen worldwide. Chapter 1 is devoted to resolution enhancement upon which much of the later experimental work depends and the serious learner will probably start here. Chapter 7 deals with normal coordinate analysis for macromolecules, of undoubted importance for a deeper understanding of spectra. The remaining chapters deal with important members of the proteins, with nucleic acids, and with their interactions with one another and other substances. The standard of the writing is high and its role as a reference work on library shelves seems assured. Its price effectively removes its uses as a personal text. Paley Johnson
Mass Spectrometry. Applications in Science and Engineering. By Frederick White and George M. Wood. Pp. 773. Wiley, Chichester. 7986. f69.45.
A.
The authors have set themselves two principal objectives in producing this book: first to present an overview of modern mass spectrometry in its many manifestations and second to stimulate further innovative mass spectrometric measurements. No reader of this fascinating book could fail to be impressed by the range and sophistication of the mass spectrometers developed to date and the enormous range of applications to which mass spectrometry is being successfully applied. The first 236 pages present an extensive introductory survey of the mass analysers, detectors, and ion sources which have been developed since the early experiments of Thomson and Aston. The most modern advances in MS/MS, SIMS, FABMS, LC and GC-MS, RBS etc are described. Just enough theory and technical detail is presented to give the reader a clear conceptual understanding of how mass spectrometry is performed. A good though not exhaustive bibliograhy will enable interested readers to extend their knowledge. Parts 2 and 3 present representative accounts of an astonishing range of applications in Engineering, the Physical Sciences, Environmental Monitoring, and the Life Sciences. The mass spectrometry specialist will have his horizon broadened and the non-specialist student or scientist will gain an exciting insight into the tremendous power of the technique. The authors succeed admirably in their first objective and deserve to succeed in their second. J. C. Vickerman
Air Composition and Chemistry. By Peter Brimblecombe. Pp. 224. Cambridge University Press. 1986. Hardback f25.00, Paperback f8.95.
To those interested in the air we breathe and environmental matters concerning the pollution of our atmosphere, Dr Brimblecombe’s book is a welcome addition and worthwhile purchase. After a basic physical consideration of the atmosphere, it discusses the geochemical, biological, and maritime sources of trace gases. Attention is then devoted to atmospheric chemistry - reaction rates and photochemistry in the gas phase with a gentle introduction to the importance of the hydroxyl radicals and other reactive species. The elucidation of the complexities of aerosols and cloud water chemistry that follows is particularly valuable because these topics are rarely explained with such clarity elsewhere - which partially accounts for many of the misconceptions concerning acid rain. The book then returns to the theme of sources specifically in terms of man-made pollution with separate considerations of combustion chemistry, emission control systems, and dispersion mechanisms. The weakest section deals with the effects of air pollution. Nevertheless, this properly conveys a synoptic overview of the scale of the various problems induced in the biosphere and upon the materials used by man. The theme of atmospheric chemistry is concluded by considerations of reactions in the upper atmosphere and, most interestingly, on other planets. Alan Wellburn Atmospheric Chemistry. Fundamentals and Experimental Techniques. By Barbara J. Finlayson-Pitts and James N. Pitts, Jr. Pp. 1098. Wiley, Chichester. 1986. f57.45.
Last year saw the publication of at least four new texts in atmospheric chemistry. In many fields this would pass unnoticed, but in an area of science of such importance, so devoid until now of adequate treatments, 1986 will long be remembered. The books by Wayne (Oxford University Press) and Brimblecombe (Cambridge University Press) provide excellent coverage of the subject at undergraduate level. That by Seinfeld (Wiley-Interscience) provides a comprehensive and detailed treatment of the chemistry, physics, and mathematics of air pollution at an advanced level and is an invaluable reference book. However, it is the book under review here which must be regarded as describing the state-of-the-art in atmospheric chemistry. Concentrating on the troposphere, this massive volume describes the chemistry of both the unperturbed and the polluted atmosphere, emphasising the importance of from first principles photochemistry, through to experimental measurement and modelling techniques currently in use. So much other material is covered, including the theory and applications of spectroscopy and kinetics, acid deposition, organic pollu-
Introduction to Industrial Chemistry. Howard L. White. Pp. 247. Wiley, Chichester, 7986. f38.50.
By
The author says in his Preface that undergraduate education in chemistry is mainly theoretical, and lacks the details of industrial processes. To remedy this, he urges that his book should be used in a one-semester course in Industrial Chemistry. His statement about undergraduate courses is certainly true, but there are differing opinions among chemists as to whether remedial action along the lines he advocates should be made. If it should, then the first four chapters of this book could be useful. These chapters describe the industrial production of some inorganic and organic chemicals (26 and 58 pages respectively), the fermentation approach to chemical manufacture, and waste treatment (22 pages). This accounts for less than half the book. The remaining eight chapters (116 pages) are individually sketchy, and, taken as a whole, lack coherence. They cover aspects of equipment, costs, scale-up, pollution, catalysts, pesticides, herbicides, soaps and detergents (2% pages), pharmaceuticals (2% pages), and careers. Finally, there is a chapter (9 pages) on the elementary physical chemistry of distillation, and solvent extraction, and it is only here that we encounter some simple calculations. Therefore one impression created by this book is that industrial chemistry proceeds without serious chemical calculations; this is certainly not the case. T. B. Grimley
Spectroscopy of Biological Systems. Edited by R. J. H. Clark and R. E. Hester. Pp. 547. Wiley, Chichester. 1986. f83.00.
This book appears as Volume 13 of Advances in Spectroscopy, a series devoted to critical review articles in fundamental and applied aspects of a wide range of spectroscopic techniques. This is the first volume devoted wholly to biological systems, though other volumes have contained occasional excursions into biological topics. It
108
deals almost exclusively with various forms of infrared and Raman methods and concentrates on their applications to the more important biological systems which are troublesome partly because of the predominant presence of water with its obscuring absorption bands but also because of the complexity arising from the presence of so many overlapping bands. Ten chapters are included by authors chosen worldwide. Chapter 1 is devoted to resolution enhancement upon which much of the later experimental work depends and the serious learner will probably start here. Chapter 7 deals with normal coordinate analysis for macromolecules, of undoubted importance for a deeper understanding of spectra. The remaining chapters deal with important members of the proteins, with nucleic acids, and with their interactions with one another and other substances. The standard of the writing is high and its role as a reference work on library shelves seems assured. Its price effectively removes its uses as a personal text. Paley Johnson
Mass Spectrometry. Applications in Science and Engineering. By Frederick White and George M. Wood. Pp. 773. Wiley, Chichester. 7986. f69.45.
A.
The authors have set themselves two principal objectives in producing this book: first to present an overview of modern mass spectrometry in its many manifestations and second to stimulate further innovative mass spectrometric measurements. No reader of this fascinating book could fail to be impressed by the range and sophistication of the mass spectrometers developed to date and the enormous range of applications to which mass spectrometry is being successfully applied. The first 236 pages present an extensive introductory survey of the mass analysers, detectors, and ion sources which have been developed since the early experiments of Thomson and Aston. The most modern advances in MS/MS, SIMS, FABMS, LC and GC-MS, RBS etc are described. Just enough theory and technical detail is presented to give the reader a clear conceptual understanding of how mass spectrometry is performed. A good though not exhaustive bibliograhy will enable interested readers to extend their knowledge. Parts 2 and 3 present representative accounts of an astonishing range of applications in Engineering, the Physical Sciences, Environmental Monitoring, and the Life Sciences. The mass spectrometry specialist will have his horizon broadened and the non-specialist student or scientist will gain an exciting insight into the tremendous power of the technique. The authors succeed admirably in their first objective and deserve to succeed in their second. J. C. Vickerman
Air Composition and Chemistry. By Peter Brimblecombe. Pp. 224. Cambridge University Press. 1986. Hardback f25.00, Paperback f8.95.
To those interested in the air we breathe and environmental matters concerning the pollution of our atmosphere, Dr Brimblecombe’s book is a welcome addition and worthwhile purchase. After a basic physical consideration of the atmosphere, it discusses the geochemical, biological, and maritime sources of trace gases. Attention is then devoted to atmospheric chemistry - reaction rates and photochemistry in the gas phase with a gentle introduction to the importance of the hydroxyl radicals and other reactive species. The elucidation of the complexities of aerosols and cloud water chemistry that follows is particularly valuable because these topics are rarely explained with such clarity elsewhere - which partially accounts for many of the misconceptions concerning acid rain. The book then returns to the theme of sources specifically in terms of man-made pollution with separate considerations of combustion chemistry, emission control systems, and dispersion mechanisms. The weakest section deals with the effects of air pollution. Nevertheless, this properly conveys a synoptic overview of the scale of the various problems induced in the biosphere and upon the materials used by man. The theme of atmospheric chemistry is concluded by considerations of reactions in the upper atmosphere and, most interestingly, on other planets. Alan Wellburn Atmospheric Chemistry. Fundamentals and Experimental Techniques. By Barbara J. Finlayson-Pitts and James N. Pitts, Jr. Pp. 1098. Wiley, Chichester. 1986. f57.45.
Last year saw the publication of at least four new texts in atmospheric chemistry. In many fields this would pass unnoticed, but in an area of science of such importance, so devoid until now of adequate treatments, 1986 will long be remembered. The books by Wayne (Oxford University Press) and Brimblecombe (Cambridge University Press) provide excellent coverage of the subject at undergraduate level. That by Seinfeld (Wiley-Interscience) provides a comprehensive and detailed treatment of the chemistry, physics, and mathematics of air pollution at an advanced level and is an invaluable reference book. However, it is the book under review here which must be regarded as describing the state-of-the-art in atmospheric chemistry. Concentrating on the troposphere, this massive volume describes the chemistry of both the unperturbed and the polluted atmosphere, emphasising the importance of from first principles photochemistry, through to experimental measurement and modelling techniques currently in use. So much other material is covered, including the theory and applications of spectroscopy and kinetics, acid deposition, organic pollu-