No comments about Microstructural Characterization of Materials.

5 comments about Physical Chemistry of Surfaces, 6th Edition.

1. I have found the book very difficult to follow. The book reads more like a research paper than a textbook, in both style and content (for example, there are too many references, most of which are completely unnecesary). Many symbols are left undefined. There are many gaps in the derivations. Many concepts (e.g. the Maragoni effect) are introduced out of proper context. I would not recommend it to anybody. Get an earlier edition if you can.



2. I used this book as a text in my class 'Physical Chemistry of Liquids, Interfaces, and Colloids'. This book is not a textbook. My students are complaining all the time about the presentation of topics as well as the extent of derivations, interpretations, and lack of examples. I must admit that I have made a mistake for choosing this text for my course. If you are planing to use it as a text, please go through a few of the derivations and you will notice that the book offers very little to a student.



3. How useful and valuable this book is largely depends on what you expect from it. This book provies an overview of the extremely broad field of surface chemistry. As a starting point to learning about that field, this book is excellent. There is validity to the criticisms offered by some other reviewers of this text. The derivations often don't give enough detail and there's not much help in the way of example problems, which can make it difficult for the student to use in a classroom setting. Do not expect extremely detailed and thorough treatments of any particular area of surface chemistry. Nearly any chapter in this book could (and does) have entire texts (and courses) devoted exclusively to that one subject. What you can expect from this book is an introduction to the key areas of surface chemistry. The book is loaded with references to point the interested reader in the right direction for more detailed and thorough treatments of the variety of different areas of surface chemistry. For this reason, I have found it to be a good starting point for learning more about several subjects. In short, this book is excellent if you want a broad overview of the field or need a place to start learning about a particular area of surface chemistry. It's not worth much if you are looking for extremely in depth, thorough treatments of specific areas of surface chemistry.



4. I had this book as my textbook for my "surface science" class. It is a great book for reference though it does take time and effort to comb through chapters to find what you need. A lot of detailed paper-review-style chaptors which is great for research while it is a little bit overwhelming to people without any physical chemistry background.



5. I couldn't agree more with previous reviews of this book. For the average student, it is very difficult to follow. The derivations are not clear and many terms are not clearly defined, leaving you flipping back through the textbook to find where the term was first referenced. There are no example problems either, leaving the reader wondering how and if the numerous equations are actually used. It is worse than reading the appendix of a calculus textbook. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

5 comments about Basic Inorganic Chemistry, 3rd Edition.

1. The buyer of this book may be mislead by its description. This is not the softcover edition of Basic Inorganic Chemistry, but the Solutions Manual for Basic Inorganic Chemistry. It is virtually useless without the pricey hardcover companion text. I would not recommend it unless you already own the companion text.



2. This textbook is written in an easy to follow matter unlike other inorganic textbooks in the market that is harder to understand.It gives good examples for an introductory course especially for first year University students.The only downside is that, advanced concepts are not or insufficiently discussed.But in the Advanced Inorganic Chemistry textbook by the same author,these concepts are discussed in more depth. I would recommend that any student who is interesed in inorganic chemistry should get both the basic inorganic and advanced inorganic textbooks .With these two books you should have no problem understanding the wide topic of inorganic chemistry.By using an introductory and an advanced text, the student is slowly introduced to the topic.Instead of being thrown headon into reading and understanding a single inorganic chemistry book



3. Presents a good overview on most of the elements. The basic edition is realy the same as the Advanced edition but with some of the Transition Metal stuff tossed out... I wouldn't buy the Adv. Edition, unless the school was shoving it down my throat... Not that this is bad, but I think that there are WAY WAY WAY better books on the subject of Trz. Complexes and Mechanisms (Spessard comes to mind in the fantastic "Organometallic Chemistry"). It is undeniable that FA Cotton can really write well and that the man is a genius on the subject, hell the guy lived through the glory years of Inorganic, but the book never really shows people what really happens mechanistically in the book... Everything is presented in an encyclopedic fashion, which sometimes makes things ambiguous... I think that this is a landmark of a book, but one that is really a first reference on a particular subject...



4. I had the first edition of this book as a student and used it my first years teaching inorganic chemistry before I tried other books. The reason I left this text to try others is that there is just so much information here and not the best organization for the order in which I teach inorganic. However, that being said, I am now returning to this classic from Cotton, Wilkinson & Gaus. The main reason being I had fewer student complaints about the text when I used this book vs. the others. As other reviewers mentioned, the text is encyclopedic! And you end up jumping around to find what you want; however, Cotton et al. has the most complete volume for the undergraduate & beginning graduate course, so that you can pick & choose what you want to cover without much problem. For those with a descriptive bent, there are many descriptive chemistry chapters. For others who have a bit more physical inorganic bent, there is good coverage of those topics. I've used texts on both ends of the spectrum, and I found they only pleased a small portion of the students, while others struggled. This book has everything you want in a beginning course, and more (!) while being flexible enough that you can design your own course by picking chapters to cover. Finally, for the student, it is an excellent reference to keep for the future.



5. I had this book for Inorganic I at Northern Illinois University.
   
   While it did a good job of describing the chemistry of the various groups, it did a poor job of systematizing reactions (such as classifying them as Lewis Acid/Base or Hard Acid/Base reactions.
   
   It had a good explanation of VSEPR but totally botched MO theory.
   
   A decent text. I hope better ones exist.

4 comments about Crystal Structure Determination.

1. This review is important for me because I'm working in a Lab.



2. Single crystal structure determination has become an important and extremely powerful tool not only for inorganic and structural chemists but for all kinds of chemists interested in the structures of their compounds. The major disadvantage of this method was hitherto the lack of useful introductions into it's practical use.
   This gap has been filled by Massa's book.
   It focuses - unlike other crystallography books - on the practical applications and enables the reader to attack own structural problems by himself. Additionally, this book will provide the necessary theoretical background to understand how X-ray diffraction works, how crystals are built, all this symmetry stuff and so on.
   The absolute highlight is, however, the step-by-step explanation of a structure determination, where one can almost see the author sitting in front of his computer and struggling with one of his structures, explaining every step in detail.
   Crystallography still needs heavy brain work sometimes. But this book won't cause unnecessary headaches as many other crystallography books do.
   Therefore, I recommend this book warmly to my crystallography students.



3. This is the ideal book for the beginner and in my opinion a must-read. In the excellent translation by Robert O. Gould, "Crystal Structure Determination" by Werner Massa explains all the basics from symmetry in real and reciprocal space, over generation of X-rays and other practical aspects, all the way to structure solution and refinement. Massa keeps the book simple and understandable and uses mathematical formulae carefully and only when helpful or necessary.
   I learned the basics of crystallography from the German original of "the Massa". Now that I am a teacher of crystallography myself, this is the book I recommend to my students.



4. For any physicist or chemist involved in finding the structure of a given crystal, this book gives a useful read. It treats the subject at a level suitable for a 3rd or 4th year undergrad, who has access to the various crystallographic equipment described in the book. Like a 3 circle goniometer, CCD collection system, and a computer for data reduction. The basic ideas often involve finding the reciprocal space of the latter, via the scattering.
   
   There is not much quantum mechanical theory here. Much of the treatment involves classical scattering off the atoms in the crystal. A more sophisticated text would describe the QM. But it turns out that for finding structures, the book's level of analysis is quite adequate.
   
   What could be a little surprising is that in the descriptions of the crystal classes, that Schonflies notation is also used, along with the standard international notation. In the early 80s, Schonflies notation was being phased out. Surprised to see it still in use.

5 comments about X-Ray Diffraction.

1. This is a mathematical approach to x-ray diffraction. If you want a more technical, less abstract book (with some history), order the Sir L. Bragg book. That one is much more comprehensible, actually enjoyable.



2. This book can probably be good for anybody looking for a specific information about X-ray diffraction. For this price really cool. But please, definitely not for anybody who has never heard about diffraction and really wants to understand this topic. Book has very little sample examples not completely solved and explained. On the other hand, it containes a number of really complex problems without any results! Take a look at another book instead.



3. This is the allround single best book for learning X-ray diffraction theory from the ground up. It is superbly written. The most lucid and precise explanations I have seen anywhere. The relevant fundementals of electromagnetic theory are reviewed, as are any needed quantum results, but the emphasis is on exact and elegant derivations of all the major results of practical X-ray diffraction. This book has been a great help in my research developing new X-ray quantitative methods for complex envirnmental materials.



4. This book is a valuable reference for its discussions of imperfect crystals, including peak broadening from nanocrystals; temperature vibration effects that might factor into in-situ XRD; and especially the discussion on order-disorder. Even its discussion of Fourier methods (pre-PC) and diffraction theory are useful. At less than $20, anyone routinely using XRD to analyze inorganic samples should buy this book. After losing my old copy, I felt compelled to immediately buy a new copy.
   
   This book functions poorly as an introductory text to diffraction or crystallography and is out-dated with respect to discussing instrumentation. This book is of limited use regarding soft-matter samples.



5. I love math, and this book is full of math. Initially, Warren's book would have plenty of sex appeal for someone like me, slightly frustrated with the lack of mathematical rigour in Cullity's book.
   
   Was I ever wrong.
   
   In derivations, I feel there are many important small details missing. A variable is introduced without it ever appearing in a diagram, there are dubious reasons for various substitutions and cancellations, etc.
   
   The breaking point was my stray into Warren's book at the beginning of Chapter 13. Hapless little ol' me wanted to see the Scherrer equation for particle size derived from first principles. On the second page of the derivation, a vector s[0]' is introduced...without it ever being (explicitly?) included in the diagram. Furious, I minimized my Word document, pounded Amazon's URL out on the keyboard....
   
   ...which brings me to now. If this book had mathematical soundness, I'd be the king of X-ray diffraction. I really, REALLY want to like this book. Either Warren had already visualized how it made sense in his mind and forgot to write it down, or didn't bother to make it more straightforward. Which means he's either a freaking genius or monstrously inconsiderate.

4 comments about Chemical Structure and Bonding.

1. The text is well written and racional. It gives a clear view about how the structure of the aotms is, and, how the bonding between atoms process. On quantum mechanics topics I felt it was rather expositive than explanatory...



2. This book was selected as one of the few textbooks for my undergraduate inorganic chemistry course. It discusses the concepts of atomic structure, atomic and molecular properties, molecular orbital theory, electronic structures, and frontier orbital theory in a very understandable and succinct way. The concepts and relationship between structure and bonding is built up progressively throughout the text. The fundamental concepts of bonding ideas that lead to the development of MO theory is discussed in a very logical manner, with applications to transition-metal complexes, solids, and liquids. Every chemistry student shall find this text very useful in explaining the essence of chemical bonding. It explains topics and aspects of chemical bonding about which general chemistry textbooks tell you not to worry about for the moment.



3. one of the best books in structure and bonding. the section on valence bond theory and photoelectronic spectra is excellent.. the writing is highly understandable and rarely confusing. highly recommended supplement for any inorganic chemistry
   textbook.



4. This book starts with the fundamentals of atomic structure and then builds on them until molecular orbital theory. Molecular orbital theory is developed for both organic and inorganic substances. Molecular orbital theory is used to explain the electronic structure of molecules, which is, of course, of fundamental importance to the chemist.
   
   Bonding theories for organic and inorganic models are developed and a brief treatment is given on the solid state at the end of the book.
   
   This is a book that I often use as a reference. This book is versatile enough to refresh the chemist about bonding ideas in both organic and inorganic areas. It is not a particularly advanced book, but it was a pleasure for me to read and a good book to remind me of the basics when I need it.

2 comments about Physical Properties of Crystals: Their Representation by Tensors and Matrices.

1. The book by Nye is considered by many people in the relevant scientific societies as the "bible" of crystal physics. In scientific terms, it is a rigorously written book on tensor algedra which which is the mathematical formalism essential to describe the physical properties of crystals. The mathematical complexity of the book is rather elementary and hence could be used for a senior level advanced undergraduate course as well (typically it is used as a first your graduate course text). The first half of the book discusses equilibrium properties of crystals (permittivity, piezoelectricity, elasticity etc.), therefore a rather modest background in physics is needed. The second half of the book that is devoted to transport properties may require some "general" background on the basic principles of transport phenomena and irreversible thermodynamics. This book, in my opinion, is a very well written book that places the physical properties of crystals in an "easy to comprehend" mathematical framework eloquently. It is an excellent text book. I highly recommend it.



2. This is a book easy to read and to follow from the beginning until the end. It is worth to get it if you are interested in the relationship between symmetry and properties of any crystalline material.
   It is broadly explained the derivation of the 32 point groups and they relation with the piezoelectricity, strain, thermal conductivity, etc.
   It's an essential book for both, Materials scientists and students.

2 comments about Crystallography.

1. I am a geology major and I usually tend to avoid poetry, however, this book is quite an exception. This book took the science of geology and the art of poetry and combined them into a masterpiece. This analysis of these two fields of study is incredible and is a definite must read.



2. This is a fascinating book exploring language through crystallography that fits nicely into the Oupilo experiments. In general the book is accessible - word squares, concrete poems, charts and, yes, some poetry as "commonly understood." The most personal poems are under "Diamonds" which explores the relationship with his father, a diamond cutter. The layout of the poems in this section remains a puzzle to me. As I do Merrill's "The Changing Light at Sandover", I found myself wanting a crib sheet to point out what I felt I was missing of the author's intent.
   
   The linguistic "games" that I found most interesting were the classification of letters by their axis of symmetry and the "dripping line" (think of water dripping from a cave ceiling). (Unfortunately the web removes multiple spaces so it is not easy to give an illustration - just think of fewer and fewer letters falling into the next line, always spelling out meaningful clauses, phrases, words.)
   
   This book is a major tour-de-force of experimental writing. It will get under your skin. You'll read and reread digging deep to find the underlying principles. You may even become obsessed. Or you may read through it quickly dismissing it as a mere experiment.

1 comments about Structure and Bonding in Crystalline Materials.

1. The book came in great condition. However, if you need it for a class, you better order it after the first day of class, because it took a looooong time to get to me and other people in the class.

3 comments about Nontraditional Careers for Chemists: New Formulas in Chemistry.

1. As a former chemist who succeeded to an alternative career, I found Lisa Balbes book a compelling read. I regret only that it had not been published when I was considering leaving the chemistry bench. The book would have proved an invaluable resource, giving me the encouragement and direction I sorely needed.
   
   In a series of vignette-like personal profiles, Dr. Balbes tells a compelling, human-interest story about how bright people with chemistry educations went on to satisfying and successful careers in other fields. Though the book focuses on chemists, its message applies equally to anyone with a science education, be it physics, biology, even computer science. That message is decidedly upbeat: the intellectual rigor of science, with its emphasis on analytical reasoning, makes science-trained people effective competitors in any arena they choose to enter.
   
   This book offers excellent advice and for some can be a life-changing experience.



2. A wonderful book with lots of great first-person advice, tips, and insight for starting a career in a variety of different non-research positions which are still science-oriented. The book is conveniently divided into sections (intellectual property-related jobs, computer-related jobs, etc.). I highly recommend it for anyone who is exploring career options afer a degree in chemistry. Most of the people profiled in the book have done graduate-level research, so I think it's especially insightful for those with advanced degrees in chemistry (or related fields).



3. Regardless of whether you are a chemist or not, this is a highly informative book about careers for scientists who can use their chemistry knowledge while not doing bench work. With a focus on chemists, the book explores careers in broad areas such as in academia, government and industry. Each chapter includes a summary of a chosen career area, which includes several individual profiles. Each profile generally includes personal career paths, advice and future predictions.
   
   The author explores careers in unusual areas that are I haven't seen covered elsewhere, such as library sciences/information management, criminology, environmental health and safety, and in more common areas, such as communications, patent law, business development, sales, regulatory affairs, human resources, software development and education.
   
   This book is well written and easy to read. The personal vignettes relate a consistent story of the love of science and there is an upbeat, positive attitude throughout the book. in particular, the advice sections were very insightful, and I will definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring non-bench careers in the life sciences.