The physical chemistry of surfaces, second edition

Book Reviews The Physical Chemistry of Surfaces, Second Edition. b y ARTHUR W. ADAMSON. Interscienee Publishers, a division of J o h n Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1967. 747 pp. Price $15.00. " T h e first i n t e n t i o n in t h e p r e p a r a t i o n of this book is t h a t it should serve as a senior or first year g r a d u a t e level text in surface c h e m i s t r y . " So Professor Adamson opened t h e preface to t h e first edition; and t h u s he " s t a t e s the continuing i n t e n t i o n " in t h e preface to the second edition. Indeed, in m y experience, this book is well focused for this purpose. I h a v e used t h e first edition and for the last few m o n t h s the second edition as a reference text for lectures and tutorials in various aspects of surface chemistry. S t u d e n t s like the style and coverage p r e s e n t e d in this text. T h e problems offered at the end of each c h a p t e r appear to be well posed a n d a useful a d d i t i o n to the text. Note t h a t problems follow each c h a p t e r and not j u s t t h e first few c h a p t e r s as was the case in the first edition. Obviously the text of this book was also designed as a reference for the professional chemist. I feel t h a t this feature has been well e x e c u t e d . N o t only is surface c h e m i s t r y b r o a d l y covered so t h a t t h e reader can p r o b a b l y find at least some reference to topics of his specialized concern b u t each c h a p t e r carriers an extensive bibliography. Indeed, this book serves as a window to t h e literature of surface chemistry. F o r example, C h a p t e r I I I discusses "Surface Films on Liquid Subs t r a t e s " referring to 13 general reference books and 209 " T e x t u a l References." Most of t h e references cited were to papers published before 1966, b u t t h e r e is a surprising n u m b e r of references t h a t date from 1966 and even 1967! A n u m b e r of other c h a p t e r s carry over 100 references to the literature. P r o b a b l y the best way to h i n t at the coverage of t h e field given b y this book is to list the c h a p t e r titles: I. C a p i l l a r i t y ; II. T h e N a t u r e and T h e r m o dynamics of Liquid I n t e r f a c e s ; I I I . Surface Films on Liquid S u b s t r a t e s ; IV. Electrical Aspects of Surface C h e m i s t r y ; V. Surfaces of Solids; VI. Long R a n g e Forces; V I I . The Solid-Liquid I n t e r face-Contact Angle-Nucleation; V I I I . T h e SolidLiquid Interface. Adsorption from Solution; I X . F r i c t i o n and L u b r i c a t i o n ; Adhesion; X. W e t t i n g , F l o t a t i o n , and D e t e r g e n c y ; X I . Emulsions and F o a m s ; X I I . T h e Solid-Gas I n t e r f a c e - - G e n e r a l

Considerations; X I I I . A d s o r p t i o n of Gases and Vapors on Solids; X I V . C h e m i s o r p t i o n and Catalysis. T h e reader m u s t realize t h a t these topics cannot be developed in " t r e a t i s e " d e p t h w i t h i n t h e framework of 747 pages. For example, t h e c h a p t e r on long-range forces, a l t h o u g h b e t t e r t h a n the first edition version, is shallow. E v e n so, Professor A d a m s o n ' s coverage of this topic is consistent with the i n t e n t of the text. D e e p e r p e n e t r a tion into this topic requires more knowledge of the techniques of chemical physics t h a n is generally found in s t u d e n t s for whom t h e book should serve as a text. Similar comments could be m a d e on o t h e r sections in this book. To summarize, I can recommend s t r o n g l y this book as a broad coverage text-reference to surface chemistry. F u r t h e r , the revisions and u p d a t i n g are sufficiently extensive t h a t it is well w o r t h adding the second edition to a reference collection. J. ADIN MANN, JR. University of Hawaii, Honolulu, H a w a i i 96822

Fundamentals

of Gas-Surface

Interactions.

E d i t e d b y H. SALTSBURG,J. N. SMITH, a n d M. ROGERS. Academic Press, New York a n d London, August 1967. This volume contains the nine inv i t e d and t w e n t y - o n e c o n t r i b u t e d papers selected for p r e s e n t a t i o n at a symposium held in San Diego, California, December 14-16, 1966. T h e t h r e e editors, who also served as the organizing committee, chose to follow the s t a n d a r d f o r m a t for symposia. Thus, m a n y of the negative c o m m e n t s t h a t will be offered b y this reviewer should be a n t i c i p a t e d b y anyone who is knowledgeable a b o u t the specialized c h a r a c t e r of symposia. E a c h of t h r e e b r o a d s u b j e c t categories was int r o d u c e d b y three i n v i t e d papers which were followed b y c o n t r i b u t e d papers of r e l e v a n t new research results. The i n v i t e d papers were w r i t t e n for active scholars familiar w i t h n o m e n c l a t u r e unique to surface science. I n general, t h e y t e n d to include a d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e a m o u n t of research based on each a u t h o r ' s own work. Thus, t h e y are not necessarily good i n t r o d u c t i o n s to the s u b j e c t m a t e r i a l to one u n i n f o r m e d b r o a d l y a b o u t surface science. A l t h o u g h the subject m a t t e r is f u n d a mental, it is b y no means comprehensive.

Journal of Colloidand Interface Science, ¥ol. 28, No. 2, October 1968 34O