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Microbial gas metabolism. Mechanistic, metabolic and biotechnological aspects
Pseudopotential Theory of Atoms and Molecules. By Levente Szasz. Pp. 309. Wiley, Chichester. 1985. f56.20.
This book presents an extensive review of the pseudopotential theory of atoms and molecules. The author presents the development of the ab initio non-relativistic theory first for atoms with a single valence electron, and then for atoms with more than one valence electron. This is followed by a generalised treatment of the theory for molecules. All this is done within the Hartree-Fock-configuration-interaction selfconsistent field approximation. It is also demonstrated that the theory can be extended to deal with excited states. In addition to the development of the exact theory, the author also surveys the main types of model pseudopotentials for oneand many-valence electron cases. However, the author has left completely untouched the subject of density functional pseudopotentials. No discussion is presented on the recent developments of the ab inifio theory of norm-conserving pseudopotentials which can be used at atomic, molecular, and solid-state levels alike. The author has also missed out any mention of units in equations, figures, and tables throughout the book. Despite these shortcomings, the book should prove a valuable guide for researchers with interest in theoretical atomic and molecular physics, and quantum chemistry. G. P. Srivastava Nonequilibrium Statistical Thermodynamics. By B. H. Lavenda. Pp. 200. Wiley, Chichester. 1985. f29.95.
Equilibrium statistical thermodynamics is familiar to most scientists and engineers as the practical approach which must be adopted, frequently as an approximation, in order to obtain acceptable solutions to practical problems. Systems are assumed to be in‘an equilibrium state where the laws of linear irreversible thermodynamics apply and the system entropy is a maximum. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics, on the other hand, is essentially the study of how and why nonequilibrium states evolve in time to become stationary states. Professor Lavenda uses the phenomenon of brownian motion to develop a phenomenological statistical model to examine the role of random thermal fluctuations in the approach to equilibrium. A statistical theory is developed which, markovian in nature, shows how the observed laws of nonequilibrium thermodynamics can be explained in this framework of small fluctuations. Additionally, these concepts of nonequilibrium ganssian fluctuations are used to develop a concept of a nondeterministic Boltzmann H-Theorem which leads to the existence of limits on the validity of the second law of thermodynamics. It is not an easy book to read; the mathematics is frequently demanding but it is surely a major contribution to the held. T. D. Beynon
102
Chemistry of the Elements. By N. N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw. Pp. 1542. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 1984. Reprinted 1985. Flexicover, boxed f34.95.
This is a new major text book on the chemistry of the elements which I like very very much, even though it approaches the chemistry in a manner different from the one I would have chosen. The authors are concerned to lead the chemist into a knowledge and understanding of the factual basis of the subject with emphasis on the occurrence, preparation, physical properties, uses, and chemistry of the elements. This is not a book about theoretical and physical-inorganic chemistry. There are 31 chapters, of which 29 are concerned with the elements. There is a heavy emphasis on the s- and p-block elements, at the expense of the d- and f-blocks, a trend not in line with current inorganic research. Each chapter is well written and contains data upon industrial processes showing the relevance and importance of chemistry in society, a topic sadly neglected in the past. There is little emphasis upon reaction mechanisms and design in synthesis. Furthermore, although there is much information on the solid-state structures of molecules, there is little data on the nature of ions, or the conformation and fluxional properties of molecules, in solution. However, this is an impressive text, which both teachers and students will find most stimulating and useful. R. D. W. Kemmitt The Mechanical Universe. Introduction to Mechanics and Heat. By Richard P. Olenick, Tom M. Apostol and David L. Goodstein. Pp. 584. Cambridge University Press, 1985. f 17.50 ($24.95).
Quoting from the authors’ preface, The Mechanical Universe encompasses fifty-two half hour television programmes, two text books in four volumes, teachers manuals, specially edited video-tapes . . . and much more. Consequently, this reviewer has only had the main course and not the complete meal. That said, the book is a bold attempt at drawing together the disciplines involved in studying this field, albeit in the context of teaching physics and not (repeat not) engineering. The emphasis is always on analytical descriptions and validations starting from a historical quotation (eg Leibniz to the Royal Society 28 April 1714) and progressing briskly on to ‘out differention the reverse of differentation’. Such is the cracking pace set by the authors that the Second Law of Thermodynamics receives all of 9 pages of text which omits the major constraint on obtaining higher thermal efficiencies, namely materials properties at high temperatures. There is a slight hint of unreality in that practical aspects are often absent. Doubtless the accompanying TV programmes remedy this deficiency. Based solely on the text, the reviewer feels that this is a useful resource for high
school physics teachers. The scope, pace, and mathematical demands will place it beyond the grasp’ of many pre-university students. Andrew
Porteous
Microbial Gas Metabolism. Mechanistic, Metabolic and Biotechnological Aspects. Edited by Robert K. Poole and Crawford S. Down. Pp. 304. Academic Press, London, for the Society for General Microbiology. 1985, $55.00 (f44.00)
This book contains the proceedings of a symposium held in January 1984. The first chapter sets the scene with a clear discussion of the inorganic chemistry that underlies the important role played by metalloenzymes in gas metabolism. There follows sections on the various gases. Treatment of oxygen is largely restricted to cytochrome oxidases which, although interesting, is a somewhat limited interpretation of the title. Hydrogen is covered in a clear and well-balanced review emphasising its future as a fuel. The section on carbon monoxide shows the value of including associated short communications. Oxidoreductases from thermophiles and enzyme-based carbon monoxide sensors are described here. The section on methane oxidation emphasises the growth yields of the various metabolic classes of organism and the range of compounds that can be oxidised by the mono-oxygenase. A short section on nitrogen oxides is followed by a description of membrane-inlet mass spectrometry and its applications in gas measurement. The associated communications underpin the value of the technique over a range of gases. There is unfortunately little mention of nitrogen fixation or methanogenesis. The book is both readable and worth reading, and is recommended to anyone with even a peripheral interest in the area. J. A. Hill
Surface Crystallography. An Introduction to Low Energy Diffraction. By L. J. Clarke. Pp. 329. Wiley, Chichester. 1985.
f3.50. The development of experimental methods for the determination of surface structures is intimately related with the experiments of Davisson and Germer in the USA and Thomson and Reid in Britain nearly 60 years ago, both groups exploring the wave-nature of the electron. Although the subject then remained virtually static for some 40 years the last 15 years has seen dramatic advances. Progress in the late 1960s was nevertheless slow, possibly because it was not fully realised that light atoms (such as hydrogen atoms) had relatively large cross-sections for electron scattering so that the appearance of a new diffraction pattern need not imply that chemisorption had led to surface reconstruction. This was a point that might have been worth making in discussing the historical development of LEED.
This book presents an extensive review of the pseudopotential theory of atoms and molecules. The author presents the development of the ab initio non-relativistic theory first for atoms with a single valence electron, and then for atoms with more than one valence electron. This is followed by a generalised treatment of the theory for molecules. All this is done within the Hartree-Fock-configuration-interaction selfconsistent field approximation. It is also demonstrated that the theory can be extended to deal with excited states. In addition to the development of the exact theory, the author also surveys the main types of model pseudopotentials for oneand many-valence electron cases. However, the author has left completely untouched the subject of density functional pseudopotentials. No discussion is presented on the recent developments of the ab inifio theory of norm-conserving pseudopotentials which can be used at atomic, molecular, and solid-state levels alike. The author has also missed out any mention of units in equations, figures, and tables throughout the book. Despite these shortcomings, the book should prove a valuable guide for researchers with interest in theoretical atomic and molecular physics, and quantum chemistry. G. P. Srivastava Nonequilibrium Statistical Thermodynamics. By B. H. Lavenda. Pp. 200. Wiley, Chichester. 1985. f29.95.
Equilibrium statistical thermodynamics is familiar to most scientists and engineers as the practical approach which must be adopted, frequently as an approximation, in order to obtain acceptable solutions to practical problems. Systems are assumed to be in‘an equilibrium state where the laws of linear irreversible thermodynamics apply and the system entropy is a maximum. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics, on the other hand, is essentially the study of how and why nonequilibrium states evolve in time to become stationary states. Professor Lavenda uses the phenomenon of brownian motion to develop a phenomenological statistical model to examine the role of random thermal fluctuations in the approach to equilibrium. A statistical theory is developed which, markovian in nature, shows how the observed laws of nonequilibrium thermodynamics can be explained in this framework of small fluctuations. Additionally, these concepts of nonequilibrium ganssian fluctuations are used to develop a concept of a nondeterministic Boltzmann H-Theorem which leads to the existence of limits on the validity of the second law of thermodynamics. It is not an easy book to read; the mathematics is frequently demanding but it is surely a major contribution to the held. T. D. Beynon
102
Chemistry of the Elements. By N. N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw. Pp. 1542. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 1984. Reprinted 1985. Flexicover, boxed f34.95.
This is a new major text book on the chemistry of the elements which I like very very much, even though it approaches the chemistry in a manner different from the one I would have chosen. The authors are concerned to lead the chemist into a knowledge and understanding of the factual basis of the subject with emphasis on the occurrence, preparation, physical properties, uses, and chemistry of the elements. This is not a book about theoretical and physical-inorganic chemistry. There are 31 chapters, of which 29 are concerned with the elements. There is a heavy emphasis on the s- and p-block elements, at the expense of the d- and f-blocks, a trend not in line with current inorganic research. Each chapter is well written and contains data upon industrial processes showing the relevance and importance of chemistry in society, a topic sadly neglected in the past. There is little emphasis upon reaction mechanisms and design in synthesis. Furthermore, although there is much information on the solid-state structures of molecules, there is little data on the nature of ions, or the conformation and fluxional properties of molecules, in solution. However, this is an impressive text, which both teachers and students will find most stimulating and useful. R. D. W. Kemmitt The Mechanical Universe. Introduction to Mechanics and Heat. By Richard P. Olenick, Tom M. Apostol and David L. Goodstein. Pp. 584. Cambridge University Press, 1985. f 17.50 ($24.95).
Quoting from the authors’ preface, The Mechanical Universe encompasses fifty-two half hour television programmes, two text books in four volumes, teachers manuals, specially edited video-tapes . . . and much more. Consequently, this reviewer has only had the main course and not the complete meal. That said, the book is a bold attempt at drawing together the disciplines involved in studying this field, albeit in the context of teaching physics and not (repeat not) engineering. The emphasis is always on analytical descriptions and validations starting from a historical quotation (eg Leibniz to the Royal Society 28 April 1714) and progressing briskly on to ‘out differention the reverse of differentation’. Such is the cracking pace set by the authors that the Second Law of Thermodynamics receives all of 9 pages of text which omits the major constraint on obtaining higher thermal efficiencies, namely materials properties at high temperatures. There is a slight hint of unreality in that practical aspects are often absent. Doubtless the accompanying TV programmes remedy this deficiency. Based solely on the text, the reviewer feels that this is a useful resource for high
school physics teachers. The scope, pace, and mathematical demands will place it beyond the grasp’ of many pre-university students. Andrew
Porteous
Microbial Gas Metabolism. Mechanistic, Metabolic and Biotechnological Aspects. Edited by Robert K. Poole and Crawford S. Down. Pp. 304. Academic Press, London, for the Society for General Microbiology. 1985, $55.00 (f44.00)
This book contains the proceedings of a symposium held in January 1984. The first chapter sets the scene with a clear discussion of the inorganic chemistry that underlies the important role played by metalloenzymes in gas metabolism. There follows sections on the various gases. Treatment of oxygen is largely restricted to cytochrome oxidases which, although interesting, is a somewhat limited interpretation of the title. Hydrogen is covered in a clear and well-balanced review emphasising its future as a fuel. The section on carbon monoxide shows the value of including associated short communications. Oxidoreductases from thermophiles and enzyme-based carbon monoxide sensors are described here. The section on methane oxidation emphasises the growth yields of the various metabolic classes of organism and the range of compounds that can be oxidised by the mono-oxygenase. A short section on nitrogen oxides is followed by a description of membrane-inlet mass spectrometry and its applications in gas measurement. The associated communications underpin the value of the technique over a range of gases. There is unfortunately little mention of nitrogen fixation or methanogenesis. The book is both readable and worth reading, and is recommended to anyone with even a peripheral interest in the area. J. A. Hill
Surface Crystallography. An Introduction to Low Energy Diffraction. By L. J. Clarke. Pp. 329. Wiley, Chichester. 1985.
f3.50. The development of experimental methods for the determination of surface structures is intimately related with the experiments of Davisson and Germer in the USA and Thomson and Reid in Britain nearly 60 years ago, both groups exploring the wave-nature of the electron. Although the subject then remained virtually static for some 40 years the last 15 years has seen dramatic advances. Progress in the late 1960s was nevertheless slow, possibly because it was not fully realised that light atoms (such as hydrogen atoms) had relatively large cross-sections for electron scattering so that the appearance of a new diffraction pattern need not imply that chemisorption had led to surface reconstruction. This was a point that might have been worth making in discussing the historical development of LEED.