3 comments about CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 88th Edition (Crc Handbook of Chemistry and Physics).

1. This is a comprehensive, encyclopedic listing of a whole lot of data! Very useful, and if you can't use it, it's big so you could use it as like a pillow or something.



2. While the first reviewer is correct concerning the Handbook's comprehensive and encyclopedic nature, I doubt it would make for a comfortable pillow.
   
   The Chemical Rubber Company issues its 88th edition of authoritative listings of Fundamental Physical Constants and other scientific data necessary for university and professional research. The Handbook is broken up into 16 Sections followed by two appendices and an index, all of which are listed as follows:
   
   Section 1: Basic Constants, Units, and Conversion Factors
   Section 2: Symbols, Terminology, and Nomenclature
   Section 3: Physical Constants of Organic Chemistry
   Section 4: Properties of the Elements and Inorganic Compounds
   Section 5: Thermochemistry, Electrochemistry, and Kinetics
   Section 6: Fluid Properties
   Section 7: Biochemistry
   Section 8: Analytical Chemistry
   Section 9: Molecular Structure and Spectroscopy
   Section 10: Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
   Section 11: Nuclear and Particle Physics
   Section 12: Properties of Solids
   Section 13: Polymer Properties
   Section 14: Geophysics, Astronomy, and Acoustics
   Section 15: Practical Laboratory Data
   Section 16: Health and Safety Information
   Appendix A: Mathematical Tables
   Appendix B: Sources of Physical and Chemical Data
   
   It must be said early on that this Handbook is not intended to provide any type of tutorial on the topics, but is the product of many experiments from among the various fields mentioned in the listed sections above. The Handbook is a collection of scientific facts and values to be used for calculations and experiments. (The reviewer for the 87th edition of the Handbook rated it 4 stars because the tome failed to give his son good explanations for phenomena in chemistry--again, that is not the Handbook's purpose.)
   
   Therefore, I am probably preaching to the choir with regard to those who will actually purchase the current edition. All others uninterested in chemistry & physics research, as well as up-to-date information on scientific data, will probably want to steer clear of such an expensive pillow. Nevertheless, those that are interested will be grateful for the depth and scope of work done to produce the best sets of tables, data, and constants so that we can frutifully carry out our own personal research.



3. If you have any use for the practical aspects of chemistry, this book is for you. Want to know how to fractionate pyroligneous acid to obtain methanol and acetone? Or how to separate different metals from foundry dross and scrap alloys? Or why you can't store fluorides in glass? Just look up the chemical and physical properties of the compounds in this book. It is definitely a must-have if you work in the reclamation industry. Information on the physical properties of metals and semimetallic elements is also contained in this book, essential for metallurgical engineers. I own an edition from 1976, but even the outdated one in my collection is indispensable. I thoroughly recommend it.

3 comments about Mass Spectrometry: A Textbook.

1. Although many books dealing with organic mass spectrometry (the present oeuvre is restricted to this field in a broad sense) have appeared over the years, since Beynons 1960 classic publication no single author has attempted to compile such a comprehensive treatise. The book comprises twelve chapters including basic principles (quasi-equilibrium theory, energy considerations--for example bond strengths, ionization energies, gas-phase basicities, etc., gas-phase ion chemistry, isotopes), instrumentation (ion separation in time-of-flight, sector-field, quadrupole, ion-trap, and ICR instruments), specifically electron ionization and in detail subsequent fragmentation of organic ions (specific processes, for example -cleavage or McLafferty rearrangement, are grouped together), alternative ionization techniques (chemical ionization, field ionization and desorption, fast atom bombardment and related techniques, MALDI, electrospray), and, in the closing chapter, so-called hyphenated methods (combinations of mass spectrometry with chromatographic methods and tandem mass spectrometry). Each chapter ends with an ample reference list comprising books and review articles and original publications. An appendix contains lists of elements and their isotopic composition, isotope patterns, characteristic fragments observed in electron-ionization spectra, and frequently encountered impurities.
   
   Each chapter offers a detailed discussion with many illustrations facilitating understanding. Reference is always given to the original literature (as recent as 2003, as checks showed). The text is, however, occasionally somewhat verbose. In general the treatment of the various topics is of a thoroughness that it can be used also by advanced users of mass spectrometry for reference and deeper understanding. There are only few exceptions: thus the discussion of chemical ionization is essentially restricted to proton transfer, charge exchange, and electron capture whereas other reagent gases are just mentioned en passant.
   
   Although many practical hints are interspersed in the text, a beginner in the field may be overawed by the wealth of information and ask, What should I do now? For example, in the over-detailed discussion of isotopes and accurate mass measurements there is no indication how to approach the list of elemental compositions obtained in daily practice (e.g. the nitrogen rule is discussed only many chapters later without any reference here).
   
   H. Budzikiewicz



2. In the preface the reader is warned. If you know nothing about MS, you'll need to read it cover to cover, skipping the details of no interest to you. If you know some MS, just go to the chapter(s) that are interesting to you.
   
   Used that way, it is an excellent book. Having some experience in GC, this book was to me a first choice because most books on GC-MS are pretty outdated.



3. Esse livro é excelente! Ele nos dá uma ótima noção dos termos utilizados em espectrometria de massas. Seu capítulo que aborda os isótopos exclarece de maneira objetiva a interpretação da distribuição isotópica em um espectro de massa. Esse obra traz a evolução dessa técnica abordando os diferentes métodos de ionização, as características dos diferentes tipos de analisadores como os de setores magnéticos, quadrupolos, armadilha de íons, tempo de vôo e até mesmo os de ressonância cinclotrônica. Descreve o funcionamento dos detectores e mostra também os diferentes espectros obtidos na análise dos diferentes compostos orgânicos. Eu recomendo!

5 comments about Practical HPLC Method Development, 2nd Edition.

1. The book is useful for gerenal operator who are both novice and expert. It do is pratice. It's better give another chapter for troubleshooting and maintence.



2. Rational Method development for HPLC is resented. Instruction of rational development of 3-solvent separation system is excellent. This book also has useful know-hows and tools in practical laboratory experiments, such as strength of hydrogen bonding of base silica and nomograph for estimation of "solvent strength" for reversed phase HPLC.



3. This is a very useful reference to have if you work extensively on HPLC. I find its of more use to understand concepts ...there is a lot of information here.

   Which means - if you are looking for a solution to a problem and you want to research separation theory - a great book.

   If your looking for a quick fix to an HPLC problem - not as good. This is a detailed, extensive and well written text on HPLC Method development - wish there was more on validation here though.




4. I find this book to be a valuable reference book on HPLC. I work extensively with HPLC and I can always rely on it to provide the in-depth explanations of what's going on. It covers all aspects of method development, form deciding where to start and figuring out what's going wrong, to finishing the method and validating it, although the validation chapter is just an overview. As of 2007, it's still relatively up to date, regarding new column technologies and latest practices.
   I really recommend this book, if it's your first time developing a method or if you're a seasoned professional, you will find many useful chapters in the book.



5. This is the first book I take off the shelf when I need to develop a method. When I stumbled on a resolution problem and decided to switch to an ion exchange method, I read the section covering the subject and without any difficulty had my problem solved. There was enough detail to help me get the method up and running in a couple of days. I only wish it was available on the Kindle.

No comments about A Basic Math Approach to Concepts of Chemistry.

No comments about Chemical Analysis: Modern Instrumentation Methods and Techniques.

5 comments about Children of the City: At Work and At Play.

1. Nasaw's _Children of the City_ is a wonderful glimpse into the lives of children at the turn of the century. If you are doing research on the 1899 newsboys' strike, READ THIS BOOK. It is a huge help in understanding why the newsies did what they did.



2. Controversial, yet remarkable look at how young children, primarily boys, resisted and re-made the conditions of their existence in early 20th century U.S. cities. His chronicle of the newsboys' strike is vital history. The book is more controversial when discussing the actions of the so-called 'child-savers,' one of whom actually included social activist photographer Lewis Hine. He dismisses the action of these advocates as puritanical and fundamentally ignorant of the real conditions of the children's lives. He decides that children are neither powerless nor defenseless, and this decision is, of course, a double-edged sword when dealing with the very real abuses of child labor and child exploitation that still pervade the U.S. and the globe.



3. In the book Children of the City: At Work and At Play, David Nasaw brings readers into the lives of children all over America at the turn of the century. Nasaw begins by giving us a description of the area in which the children were raised-mentioning the run-down cities and tenements where the working class resided, while also being sure to briefly mention the other half of the population that lived in great wealth. Since there wasn't much room around their houses, most middle class children simply played in the streets-gambling, playing baseball or kick the can, etc. The book discusses in great depth, and with great historical accurateness, what life was like during this time period-the school, the job and the home life. Nasaw paints a picture for us-vividly letting us experience life right along with these children as we turn the pages of his book.
   I know that prior to this book my knowledge concerning this subject was quite minimal. However, after completing it, I feel much more comfortable with the material. I think Nasaw did a great job of conveying a broad array of information through various statistics, facts, pictures and inserted passages. The book was informative, but somehow not boring. Sometimes, it's hard to find historical books that capture our attention. This was a rare exception-it appeals to our emotions as we read the accounts of rough life that such small children had to face each day. The book Children of the City helps us get to know the children of that age a little better. They lived more then a century before us and experienced life in a completely different realm. This may be hard for us to understand because the way we live our lives is so different-easier in a sense, but harder at the same time.



4. In his book, Children of the City, David Nasaw writes about the struggles, poverty and literal abuse suffered by children, mainly boys, of the early 20th century. Mr. Nasaw also talks about the so-called "child savers" like Lewis Hine who worked through his camera in order to make people aware of what was happening to their children at work. Children of the City was controversial when it was published back in 1986 due to its somewhat graphic or "real" depiction of child exploitation in the turn of the century.
   After reading this book I found out quite a bit more than I had known previously about child labor and how the laws came about. I had never heard of the "newsies" nor had I heard about the newsboys strike. I also had no idea what those children had to endure for pennies a day, sometimes as little as $.65 a day. It was amazing how the pictures in the book had an affect, some of them more so, than the book itself. I didn't necessarily like what he talked about but I liked how he depicted it through words and the pictures by Hine. The one thing I didn't like was how he portrayed the kids as powerless to stop the bosses and defenseless against them. I don't think the kids had a lot of self-esteem but do think they had enough in them to say something to someone.
   This book gave a good picture of how life was back then for kids 9-13 or 14 at the job site. I think this book should be read by anyone wanting to find out more about the child labor laws that are in place today or by anyone wanting to read a book that makes them feel like they're there.



5. This book is one of the few resources for those who want to find out something other then what Teddy Rosevelt did. Honestly I read this at least once a month. Other reviewers say it gave a veiw that the children did not feel they could change things, but they did. He devotes an entire chapter on the newsies strike, and does an unbelivablely good job of showing the fun side of this life that our history teachers and Jacob Riss tell us was horrible.
   
   He uses Lewis Hines Photographs in the way they were ment to be, showing the world as it was. Hine did not try and hide the bright smiles and lively pouts of the children, he wanted to show this world as it was. Thorugh wonderful anecdotes from famous people like Groucho Marx Nasaw shows that while the work was hard there was more to gain then just the money.
   
   He paints a realistic image of the world that is lost to us now.

2 comments about Forensic Chemistry.

1. This book is exactly what I was looking for as far as a forensic chemistry book. It came in great condition and relatively quickly.



2. This is a very good paperback book. It contains all details explaining the questions in the back of each chapter in the textbook Forensic Chemistry.

5 comments about Elements of Cartography.

1. The sixth edition of "Elements" was published in 1995, and reviewers familiar with the advances in cartographic technology would be familiar with the great upheaval the field was going through at that time. Work on a seventh edition of this seminal text is currently underway, which should bring the content of the book up to par with recent changes. The book remains an important source of information for both the novice and seasoned cartographer.



2. This book is very valuable source of information for anyone wanting to learn or refresh his knowledge of cartographic principles. Great variety of topics is covered in details and well illustrated so understanding of topics should not be too difficult to grasp.
   
   It is a little bit weak on modern GIS systems section and cartographic capabilities of those. It is understandable since it is 10 years old now. It would be good to have more pictures in the full colour section.
   
   This book is used as a reference book for lot of other materials and for a good reason.



3. I am currently reading/studying this book and have found it be a bit choppy and not very well written. For a book of this magnitude I would have expected that a outline of the book to be written in chapter one. This book is about cartography but no definition is given until chapter two (it is assumed in the intro and panels). I just expected more and am currently looking for a supplimentary book to this one.



4. Is a very good book for help to teachers in cartography classroom. Good examples. Goods ilustrations. Good structure. Althoug is a old book is updated. Its have a part for GIS and not forget the traditional cartography process. Just a problem that I can see, its not have a luxurous edition althoug the price is high.



5. It is a very good entry level cartography book that is needed for GIS students. Though i'd say 1995 is a bit old

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.

4 comments about Food Analysis (Food Science Texts Series).

1. dear sirs, as a matter of fact ,we need to know if this book is usefull for processing of potato chips and can this book help us for using a better technology for oil consumption in our production.since we are researching on how we can reduce oil in potato chips.



2. The book handles all the techniques, principles and recommended applications regarding sampling, proximate analysis and special analysis for the main components in foods, carbohydrate, protein and fats. It also includes an excellent review on the biochemical and instrumental methods. I would recommend a second book regarding the special analysis for the food groups. I lecture on food analysis and found it to be an excellent support for my course.



3. i found it a very good book to understand the basics of spectroscopy and chromatography in addition to other analysis procedures.



4. This text book is required by the professor for the course my daughter taking for her 4th year in bio-engineering and is available in the university bookstore at twice the price we paid at Amazon. The delivery time for Amazon is amazingly fast, virtually overnight for Amazon Prime account, my daughter is completely satisfied with it. I would advise those who are attending college to make Amazon as the first stop for their text book needs.