Journal of
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE ELSEVIER
Journal of MolecularStructure 380 (1996)283-284
Book Reviews
Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy: Methods and Applications, edited by B. Schrader; VCH, Weinheim and New York, 1995, pp xx ÷ 787, price DM 298.00 It is well known that infrared and Raman spectroscopies provide complementary information on molecular vibrations. However, while infrared spectroscopy has long been a routine and widelyused technique, until very recently the comparative difficulty of carrying out Raman spectroscopy has generally restricted the technique to specialist applications. The advent of FT-Raman instrumentation using near-infrared excitation has redressed the balance and means that in future either or both techniques should be applied as appropriate to the problem under examination. This book is intended to provide the foundation necessary to understand and apply the methods of vibrational spectroscopy. It is written for graduate students or experienced scientists who wish to update their knowledge of vibrational spectroscopy. After a short introduction to the early history of infrared and Raman spectroscopies, the five main sections of the book provide successively a general survey of vibrational spectroscopy, tools for infrared and Raman spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy of different classes and states of compounds, evaluation procedures, and special techniques and applications. The methods covered extend beyond straightforward infrared and Raman spectroscopy to near- and far-infrared spectroscopies, resonance, surface-enhanced and non-linear Raman spectroscopies, and vibrational optical activity. Applications discussed encompass inorganic and organic substances, biomolecules, conducting polymers, semiconductors, crystals and liquid crystals, high pressure and high and
low temperature techniques, fast reactions and intermediates, and many others. The book is concluded by an Appendix of character tables, an overall list of references and a comprehensive subject index. Different sections of the book have been written by various specialists; thus, in addition to Bernhard Schrader, contributors include D. Bougeard, J.M. Buback, A. Cao, K. Gerwert, H.M. Heise, G.G. Hoffmann, B. Jordanov, W. Kiefer, E.-H. Korte, H. Kuzmany, A. Leipertz, E. Lentz, J. Liquier, A. Rbseler, H. Schnockel, H.W. Schrbtter, M. Spiekermann, E. Taillandier and H. Willner. Despite the large number of authors involved, there is very little overlap between different sections and a remarkably consistent format has been achieved. The book can be highly recommended as a general reference work on the methods and applications of vibrational spectroscopy. A.J.B.
Molecular Cryospectroscopy (Advances in Spectroscopy Volume 23), edited by R.J.H. Clark and R.E. Hester; Wiley, Chichester, 1995, xxvi + 311 pp, price £85.00 This volume is concerned with spectroscopic studies of solutions of molecular compounds in noble gas or other simple liquefied gases at low temperatures. Cryospectroscopy is essentially complementary to the well-known matrix isolation technique and provides the same advantages: simplification of spectra and narrowing of spectral lines. Matrix isolation is particularly well-suited to studying short-lived species (unstable molecules and free radicals) but suffers from a number of disadvantages that are overcome by the use of