5 comments about Analytical Chemistry: An Introduction (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series).

1. We use this text (now in its 7th edition) for both our Analytical I (chemical analysis) and Analytical II (instrumental analysis) courses. They are both 1-semester courses at the sophomore year, and this text is just the correct level and length to cover both courses. There are a number of broad sections, each of which is divided into several chapters. Roughly the 1st half covers chemical methods and the second half covers the instrumental methods. There are also a few chapters devoted to statistical analysis.

   The sections are reasonably independent and can be done in pretty much any order, giving a great degree of flexibility. The text itself is easy to read with numerous descriptive diagrams. I say this for second-year level courses - the text is too superficial for higher levels. There is a good mix of descriptive chemistry to give the student a feel for the chemistry behind the analyses. Finally, there are adequate exercises at the end of the chapters, some of which are cumulative with previous sections. There is also a very handy tutorial on the use of Microsoft's Excel for use in a course like this, including some specific exercises in using the spreadsheet. I find it very helpful, and not at all exclusive for those using Excel since Quatro-Pro (and Lotus?) is very similar and contains help files that translate from Excel parlance.

   My biggest issue is lack of a section on mass spectroscopy. Skoog's own "Instrumental Analysis" text has a fine section on mass spec, but this text contains virtually no mention of the technique, in spite of the fact that it is an increasingly important technique for both quantitative and qualitative trace analysis. However, that's the only real negative point - this text is very good and useful for 2nd year level analytical courses. (P.S. students find it straightforward and clear as well.)




2. This solutions manual is not nearly as helpful as the manuals that accompanied my past gen-chem and o-chem textbooks. The solutions are filled with numbers that have no units , steps are skipped, and there aren't sufficient explanations for tough problems. Overall, this manual does not allow for efficient use of study time. Also, This manual is only about 1/3 the thickness of the text book.



3. I am a CHEM major and I was consistently surprised at how many typos and flat-out errors the SEVENTH edition of this book had - seven editions and still poor editing! The examples that are provided are for simpler problems and when you go to do homework, you're lost. Also, instead of using less than a penny's-worth of ink and printing the equation that they are using in an example, it will just refer you back to another page in the book where it was introduced. Some problems require several equations, and you're flipping back and forth all-over the book just to see what equations they are using.
   If you're stuck with this book, I recommend you somehow obtain the INSTRUCTORS' solutions manual (or at least the students' solutions manual) so you can actually do the homework.
   I also bought a used, previous edition of the Harris Quantitative Analysis textbook. You can get it and a solutions manual pretty cheap if you get a previous version and it's a good book that will explain what Skoog tries to explain so poorly.



4. I had homework to do, and since my teacher just ASSUMES everyone has had statistics, he breezed through the stat portion in just a lecture.
   Well, I hadn't had any stats at all, and needed the solutions manual to try to work out the problems.
   The solution manual is the exact same as what is in the back of the book. Just the answers to SOME of the problems. Not all. Doesn't show steps.
   Horrible.
   I wasted my money.



5. Not impressed. I am a Chem major in my Senior year and I can say with certainty that this book is worthless. The examples are poor, and the problems at the end of each chapter require knowledge not covered within said chapter. I'm not sure what book is better, i'm already out too much money for this one and not wasting more on another one!

3 comments about Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications.

1. This is a very complete and thorough book, and covers all of the fundamentals. It suffers from being somewhat out-of-date (1980), so it does not cover modern techniques (e.g., x-ray, STM) or single-crystal electrodes.

   It can be rough for the first-time student, but it's a must for the serious researcher. I often spend hours working on a problem, only to discover the answer is buried in here!




2. The 1st edition (the 1980 version) was the gold standard of electrochemistry books, and the authors have done an excellent job of revision for the 2001 2nd edition. In particular, the sections on impedance and modern pulse methods flow nicely. The spectroscopy section has been updated as well. I have not worked many problems, but they seem useful in elucidating concepts. The mathematics is of a higher order than one expects from electrochemistry, showing the impact of kinetics on electrode processes nicely. I recommend this text for electrochemistry courses highly.



3. This book is a great one to brush up on your fundamentals of electrochemistry and a must-have-on-your-bookshelf item for electrochemists. The latest edition also covers sections on modern day applications of electrochemical methods and serves as a good reference to understand the techniques.

2 comments about Quantitative Chemical Analysis Student Solutions Manual.

1. The book was in great condition and it was really good condition. I paid for two day shipping. I ordered it on Wednesday and should have gotten it on Friday but I didn't get it until Monday or Tuesday afternoon. I watched the order tracker and it was in the warehouse ready to be shipped to me on Wednesday but it didn't ship till Thursday so I didn't get it till Monday or Tuesday.



2. This is a fairly good quantitative analysis book. However, there are no color pictures in the book. The book also seems to go into a lot of detail about some things that may never be tested on a test such as the ACS test. For example, sometimes it includes a lot of detailed information about outdated analytical instruments.

5 comments about Exploring Chemical Analysis.

1. This is an analytical chemistry textbook, not exactly the most thrilling of chemical disciplines. (unless you are an analytical chemist). It explains things fairly well, and the problems are at the end of the chapters are pretty similar to what you would find on the ACS test for analytical chemistry. The author has a sense of humor and randomly inserts jokes in some of the material. I believe this is the most popular of textbooks for analytical/quantitative chemistry courses.



2. This book was a required text for my analytical chemistry class. I was at first a bit worried about it, I tend to be picky about chemistry textbooks, but I quickly fell in love with this one. The chapters are short and to the point (most between 20 and 30 pages). Harris tells you what you need to know and gives some good examples in those 20 pages. Other books I have had to use took in excess of 50 pages to describe what Harris does (much better at that) in under 30. This is a nice feature for the time pressured college student.
   
   The formating is also really nice. At the end of each chapter, all of the equations discussed are printed with text telling what each variable is. This is nice for when working on problem sets as you don't have to flip throughout the chapter trying to find one relationship and then search for an hour finding out what each variable means (We all forget at least once). It also makes studying for the exams easier and proofing notes to make sure you have the right equations has never been easier.
   
   The book is directed at either a chem or non-chemistry student. At most schools analytical is low enough to get non-chemistry or even science majors in it. This book walks this line rather well. It doesn't bore the students that are "really excited" about chemistry and it doesn't confuse the "normal" kids. It is easy to read and also, like mentioned before, has little jokes in it.
   
   A few other minor things I liked were the sections on statstical analysis and the paper on which it was printed. I took a stats 100 level class while in highschool and I knew most of the stuff still. However, some parts I forgot and had to relearn. I had to do it for bio and for chem, the bio book and prof made it so boring and drawn out. Harris, on the other hand, jumps into it and makes math and stat analysis, almost, fun. The most minor of my comments is about the paper the book is printed on. A lot of textbooks are printed on overly gloss paper and filled with "look at this picture" images. Harris has color plates, but the majority of the book is composed of greens and blacks. The paper isn't glossy and light doesn't glare on it. This just makes the sitting down and reading part much easier on the eyes.
   
   I would recommand this text for someone wanting to brush up on analytical chemistry, or even just general chemistry. I, as well as most of my peers, intend to keep it as a reference book because it is so well formated and written. In that way, it is almost hard to outgrow.



3. For the topics this book covers, it does so well. This includes MS, IR, titrations, etc... However, as one being trained as an analytical chemist (specifically mass spectrometrist), I feel compelled to note the complete absence of NMR material in the text. I consider NMR one of the most powerful analytical tools at a chemist's disposal. Hence, this text is good for those being introduced to analytical chem, but not for those looking for further study.



4. Analytical chemistry isn't really exciting...at all, but I surprisingly found this to be one of the most accessible textbooks I've ever had. The language is simple yet scientific and the author illustrates most concepts with practical, memorable examples. I compare this text to my math or physical chemistry textbooks and it's a world of difference. It's clear to me that an actual human being wrote this book and wants me to understand the material.
   
   Great book.



5. This is a great product for the class that I am taking. It correlates very well with the class and is an excellent learning tool.

5 comments about Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac ).

1. I am just sitting here reading this book, studying for a huge exam tomorrow morning, and I am just getting so incredibly frustrated with this book and decided that I should let it out on here. Oh my God, there is a mistake on like every friggin page... and to make matters worse, all the mistakes are right smack-dab in the middle of an example problem. So there you are, trying to learn how to work certain problems, and all of a sudden, there's something that just doesnt seem to make any sense. And the whole time you're thinking that you're stupid and you just cant figure out the correct way to do the problem, until a wasted-hour later, you finally realize... "oh, its just ANOTHER stupid mistake these idiots made, and i thought i was retarded." Grrrr, this is killin me. I cannot freakin believe that they could actually charge $140.00 for a book no one even bothered to proofread. okay, so point of the story is... this book sucks, dont buy it if you can get around it, i'd recommend.



2. I used this book in my undergrad Analytical Class. I sold it back at the end of the semester and have wished I hadn't for the last eight years. It is well thought out and easy to navigate when a quick answer is needed once you are out in the "real world". There are some mistakes, like any textbook, but I think the other reviewers are just frustrated crammers sending out late-night rants.



3. Overall, the book is average. Towards the end when you start reviewing different techniques like voltammetry, potentiometry, spectrometry, and seperations the author explains the material fairly well (and has the least in text problems). I noticed a lot of errors in the book for the in text examples so be careful when checking your answer. I bought the solutions manual to this book and a couple of questions in the manual actually stated that the answers in the back of the book were incorrect. Be very careful from chapters 9-20, as I noticed a few examples had math errors. Also, at least for me, the mathmatics were derived, but not explained as to understand why they add a new term or perform an operation. I would have liked to see them relate the math to the concept better than they did. If you sit with this book (I mean really sit with it) you'll do fine. This is not a text nor a course that you can cram for. It has to be studied everyday of the week.



4. I returned to college to further my education this year after working as a High School Chemistry and Biology teacher for the last 5 years, and your text "Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac) 8th Edition" is the required text that we are using for my Quantitative Analysis course. Myself and numerous other students in the class have found ourselves completely exasperated with the text for numerous reasons. Some of the reasons are as follows:
   
   1. Formulas written incorrectly, while the definition/derivation is written properly right next to it, or vice versa.
   2. Incorrect answers to the end of the chapter questions given in the back of the book.
   3. The end of the chapter questions will often have no previous examples shown in the chapter, or in the chapters prior to it. Essentially there is no guide or basis to begin a question.
   4. Asking for something in a way that is so convoluted that one has no idea what is being asked.
   5. Suddenly using or asking for a term that has never been used in the book. Such as asking for "molar solubility"...nothing in text as to referred, nothing in the index, and nothing in the glossary.
   6. Your solved examples within the chapter are atrocious, in that they are of virtually no use when trying to use them as a guide to the end of the chapter questions. And thank you for skipping/not showing steps or assuming things in the problems when they are shown.
   
   These are great given that one comes to consider the questions, Did I make an algebraic error in solving? Was the formula given the correct one, and was it even given correctly? Did I do it correctly, and is it just the wrong answer given in the back of the text?
   
   I have taken into consideration that I have been out of school for a while and that I may not be as sharp as I used to as far as some of the more complicated calculations, because I have not had much practice recently, however, when one is trying to learn from a book that makes it so hard to do anything with it, it makes it about as useful as a paperweight, which is about the best use I have for it now. A $100+ paperweight.
   
   I thought that the mistakes were due to an early edition text, but with a simple view of the front of this book one can readily see that this is the 8th edition...the EIGHTH edition! One would think that after writing the same book 8 times, these errors and some general refinements may have taken place; thank you for the exception to the rule.
   
   In all my years of school, I have come across many books, both used to learn from as well as ones to teach from, and I have never found a more poorly done text.
   
   We, the students and professor, have created a website solely dedicated to the errors or oddities that we have so far found in the text: Needless to say, it continues to grow.
   
   I will say that it is nice to see you incorporating Excel and other software into the text, which is beneficial in its use in Industry and presentation.
   
   Thought you might want to know...thanks.



5. My complaints about this book have been covered in other reviews but I wanted to add my low-star rating. The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is given one paragraph of space which refers back to four other equations in the text. Understanding the use of this popular equation requires a convoluted page-flipping to try to work through the author's many equations leading up to it. (And by leading up, I do not mean to imply there's a logical conceptual sequence.) As others have written, the chapter review questions aren't covered adequately in the text and the questions themselves aren't always clear. The Solutions Manual for the text is worthless, tossing out more equations and giving no indications of where the numbers used come from. If you're a professor looking at this book for a class, please keep looking. This isn't the book students need.

5 comments about Principles of Instrumental Analysis.

1. This book covers the basics of instrumental analysis well. This is not a book for someone who needs colored illustrations and flashy pictures. The key words do not jump out of the page like many of the new undergraduate text books. The text is to the point. As with any textbook, there are some minor errors, but this book is better than some others I've encountered.



2. I have to use this textbook for one of my classes, and I must say, it is horrible. The examples for problems in the book hardly give any explanation of what they are doing. The questions at the end of the chapter are very difficult and looking back at the chapter just makes the question even more confusing. I like to use textbooks when I do not understand what is going on in my class, but this one does not help at all! I think the only way you can understand this book is if you are already well educated in the course. Everytime I am assigned problems in the book, I cringe, because I know I am going to be spending hours being more confused than I have ever been in my life.



3. This is definately not the best textbook in the world. It is excrutiatingly detailed and does not easily guide you through the material, helping you to learn it. On the other hand, its detail is what makes it a phenomenal reference book. In it you can find not only vast amounts of information on your topic, but also references to aid you in researching it further.
   
   I admit it. I couldn't use this book at all when I first started my analysis class but now it has become an invaluable tool in my research and a key in my reference library.



4. Be aware that even though you may purchase the book not all of its services are up and running. I have had this text for almost 6 months and even though I paid a heavy dollar for its resources that are to include great online aides, the good majority of the aides remain to be in the process of "coming soon" a line that I'm beginning to interpret as never. This isn't the largest set back ever as the hard copy is a great resource, but a notable one.
   
   Another area to watch out for is that there are several incorrect answers in the answer key. Some of the solutions in the key correspond with the last edition and were not properly changed to accommodate the new numbers and slight alterations used in this versions end of chapter exercise... again just another annoyance.
   
   It is a good reference overall, not a great study tool as there are few worked out examples of applying the formulas and concepts. Helpful diagrams though.



5. I don't own this book but saw it in the library of the chemistry department. It is written in a formal and technical language that only an expert in instruments can understand. it is not written for students so that if you want to learn instrumental analysis do not buy it. Unfortunately there are no other books in the market which worth mentioning about instrumental analysis.

5 comments about Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy.

1. In the sixteen years since the appearance of the first edition of Lakowicz's Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, the use of fluorescence as an analytical tool has grown remarkably, especially in instrumentation, available fluorophores, and practical applications. Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that the second edition of the work has more than doubled in size.

   The approach is the same as that in the first edition: fluorescence spectroscopy from the viewpoint of a biophysical chemist. Explanations are clear. References are profuse; they now number well over a thousand and include an additional appendix that cites many books and review articles for additional reading. Figures are also plentiful; no fancy color diagrams a la contemporary biochemistry texts, but basic line drawings, primarily adapted from journal articles.

   The first three chapters ("Introduction to Fluorescence", "Instrumentation for Fluorescence Spectroscopy", and "Fluorophores") are an excellent brief (93-page) introduction to the whole field. Most of the remaining 19 chapters are organized around the kinds of photophysical processes and spectroscopic quantities that are relevant to fluorescence. These include very thorough treatments of fluorescence lifetimes, quenching, anisotropy, and energy transfer. There are many examples drawn from journal articles. In addition, the work now covers more of the technological applications of fluorescence, especially in chapters on "Fluorescence Sensing" and "DNA Technology". These give a sense of the great contributions that fluorescence has made to biotechnology.

   My own work involves varied applications of fluorescence to biotechnology, and the second edition of Lakowicz is my reference book of choice. It would also be an excellent text for a graduate course on fluorescence in a chemistry or biochemistry department. All in all, this is a most worth successor to the first edition.




2. What's more to say? This is the authoritative, the definitive volume for luminescence experiments from theory to all of the most useful applications. It is readable, dense, useful and indispensable if you do fluorescence, lifetime measurements, energy transfer studies, etc., etc.



3. Stellar text. Very thorough and easy to read. New version is in color, and has several new chapters. I'm very happy with the new edition



4. This book is fine if you want to pay for a reprint of papers and other peoples theories in one book, the book is over rated, and compiled by an old out of date scientist who has lost his shelf life a decade ago. Everything in this book can be found free of charge in published papers.
   Why is the author allowed to delete peoples reviews and comments when its not favourable ? I also found it interesting that most of these reviews where compiled by his long standing girl friend whom is his secretary, just look at the reviewers ! shame shame shame on you ! Is it any wonder why everyone who has the misfortune of working with this man hates the very sound of his name and leaves with a bitter taste in their mouth - well known in the community, for being a joke ! follow Wolfbeis, Gratton, Geddes who are far more on the cutting edge of science, not following other peoples work and then claiming it as their own.



5. This book is an excellent buy for anyone who knows little to nothing about fluorescence spectroscopy and someone who wants a great reference on the subject. I definitely haven't read all of this book, however what I have read has been very good. What's nice is that everything is referenced like a research article would be, so if there's anything that's not explained to the reader's satisfaction then they have the option of going straight to the original research article. So far, I have been impressed with the additional reading sections in the back of the chapter. What's also nice is the CD-ROM that comes along with the book. It contains all 1300 plus figures on a PDF file. This is very nice for someone who needs to do a lot of presentations.
   There's a lab at my university that specializes in fluorescence and this book has become the main reference for their lab. This means something considering how well recognized this professor is throughout the biophysical community.

No comments about Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level.

No comments about CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 89th Edition (Crc Handbook of Chemistry and Physics).

5 comments about Quantitative Chemical Analysis.

1. Item was delivered quickly and in very good condition. No problems were experienced. Good job and thanks.



2. I just took a class that required this textbook, and I used the 6th edition instead of the 7th, and there was only one difference.... in the 6th edition, 2 topics were seperated into 2 different chapters, and in the 7th the two topics were combined into one chapter... If your a student and need this book for class, save yourself some money and buy the 6th edition. The word and homework problems are identical.



3. The explanations and reasoning behind doing certain procedures and calculations in this book is outstandingly good (most of the time). Each chapter provides detailed workthroughs of problems with easy to understand explanations and in a wide enough variety of ways for one to be able to do most of the problems in the back of the chapter without TOO much trouble. The life saver though is the separate optional solutions manual which provides ALL of the answers (even stepwise) to the chapter problems (GET THIS BOOK!). The chapters involving instrumental analysis could use some improvement in clarity, but the other chapters are very well written.



4. So, you're considering either buying or adopting this text for intro analytical chemistry? Good choice!
   
   This is the easiest, most straightforward, book on the market for students. It's been that way through many editions. It was a breath of fresh air (in comparison to Skoog) when it was first published.
   
   Your other choices are "Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry" by Skoog et al.(ISBN 0534417965) and "Analytical Chemistry" by Gary D. Christian (ISBN 0471214728).
   
   Skoog is good it's just that he can't match Harris for clarity.
   
   Christian doesn't change much. The end-of-chapter problems are usually just re-numbered. It's OK, though.
   
   Fortunately, whichever you choose, none can be considered deficient.
   
   One thing I don't like about these books: Why do they include all this instrumental analysis material? The advanced/Instrumental texts do a much better job with these subjects. The extra chapters make the intro analytical texts needlessly heavy.
   
   These intro books should stick to the basics like acid/base/complexometric/redox titrations, gravimetric analysis, sample prep., extractions, etc.
   
   Harris (along with Bertolucci) has also written a true classic in the field of molecular spectroscopy: "Symmetry and Spectroscopy: An Introduction to Vibrational and Electronic Spectroscopy". Get that, too.
   
   Check out my other reviews for other chem books



5. This review refers to the fourth edition of this book.
   I bought this book at the Stanford University Bookstore as a reference text for quantitative analytical chemistry. Overall, I'd say it's an excellent book which covers all the fundamentals of the subject. It also contains a great deal of useful data. The editing is excellent (I didn't notice any typos) and so are the graphics (tables, charts, pictures).
   Mind you, this subject is so big that only a small fraction can be covered even in a large tome like this. But the author has used the space available to him well.
   
   I note that the reviewers who do not like this book seem to be students while those who love it are teachers or experienced engineers (like myself). I suppose that means that the author is assuming a certian level of knowledge on the part of his readers and is not spending a large amount of time explaining basic concepts.