5 comments about Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World (Popular Science).

1. Although not quite as pulled together as "Power, Sex, Suicide", this is a wonderful account of modern biochemistry. There are fresh ideas on nearly every page and his writing is amazingly clear. I realized halfway through that there are very few diagrams in the text, yet I felt like I didn't need any; a rarity for any science book.
   
   It may be a little tough going if you haven't had some chemistry/biology background, but it seems like it would be accessible to most readers with a undergrad science background.



2. This is the only really good book I've read about the evolution, history and chemistry of life. It's especially good when it is least philosophical. As when pondering over the likely order of ways to handle elemental oxygen - as it (or it's relatives peroxide or superoxide) most probably had to be handlet even before it was produced by plants. - And here are no tiresome stories about geologists having to travel around. It's on topic and well written.



3. A review for science teachers:
   
   Nick Lane in Oxygen: the molecule that made the world [OUP 2002] presents the history of the world as narrated by a biochemist. Controversial, thought provoking and very original, Oxygen synthesises Earth's geology, why there is life on Earth but not on Mars, the evolution of photosynthesis (and respiration), why there are only exactly two sexes and why we age.
   
   Earth's oxygen was liberated when uv light split water; the hydrogen first escaped into space but the oxygen remained, reacting with the rocks, forming reactive free radicals. 3.85 Billion years ago, LUCA (the Last Universal Common Ancestor; a concept not a fossil) had to have antioxidant enzymes, all of which survive in living organisms today: haemoglobin, oxide dismutase, catalase, peroxiredoxins, and could respire oxygen. Twinned catalase units formed the basis for water-splitting, oxygen producing photosynthesis, that arose only once on earth and may be unique in the cosmos, generating a positive feedback cycle where excess oxygen now recombined with hydrogen to form water. Water was the first gift of photosynthesis. The second was oxygen itself.
   
   Every year, there seems to be one outstanding popular science book. I loved this one for its fusion of ideas: snowball Earth; the difference between mitochondria in animals that age quickly with those with high metabolic rates that are long lived, why women's ova remain in suspended animation after birth, not dividing. Oxide radicals are a consistent theme in the explanations.



4. This book is a hard read if you don't have a good background in natural science and chemistry, but if you do it is fascinating.
   
   The author seems to do a very balanced approach to the topics citing references on both sides of the issues discussed.
   
   The book takes you from the formation of the earth to modern times and discusses the changes that occurred to the earth and its inhabitants as free oxygen developed.



5. I read the 2003 paperback of the 2002 book.
   
   Once again, people looked at me strangely when taking a glimpse at the title of the book I was reading. Did I wonder off into chemistry nerdhood? Not really. This book is about a kaleidoscope of issues: the origins of life, sex and sexes; photosynthesis, snowball earth, mitochondria; oxygen poisoning, free radicals, anti-oxidants; ageing, diabetes, dementia; the rise and fall of gigantism in insects and dinosaurs. And the occasional frightening statistic: How many million tons of water are lost to space every year, how many million billion free radicals are taken in with a single puff of cigarette smoke?
   
   This book is a perfect example of how important it is to keep up with the doubling of knowledge every five years. The book was already more than five years old when I read it, yet I felt ancient considering the intake of new knowledge. Keep in mind that much of the book is theories in need to get fine tuned, combined with other knowledge or even turned over. But without such brilliant minds as the author's, we wouldn't be able to.
   
   The minor subtraction in my rating mirrors the slight repetitiveness (slight in relation to other books, which are much more repetitive than this), that some sections are a bit difficult and that occasionally Nick Lane wrote verbosely, i.e. in quite long sections not at all about oxygen, but for a supposed preparation for a better overstanding of the oxygen-issues to come. There's also a considerate overlap with his later book Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life, nevertheless recommendable to read in addition.
   
   There are other/additional/supporting/varying theories about some issues he is elaborating on in "Oxygen". For example about ageing read also The Science of Orgasm and Mutants: On the Form, Varieties and Errors of the Human Body. For the origin of sex and sexes read also Symbiotic Planet: A New Look At Evolution, Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos--How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution and Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are.

5 comments about Basic Concepts of Chemistry.

1. CONS:
   If your planning on taking college level chemistry, don't waste your time with this text. It's overly simplistic and is not able to explain many of the regular concepts that are required for completing a college chem. course. Although the simplicity appears appealing to the beginner level, the text will leave you hanging with numerous unanswered questions.
   PROS:
   The book is a "ok" "review" unless your in high school and still you'll need more then it offers. The math examples and color are probably it's best features. ...



2. I was very pleased w/ my purchase. You said it was like new and I really don't think it had ever been opened.



3. This book does an extremely poor job of explaining basic concepts. The explanations lack even more clarity because of the absurd amount of typos that occur throughout (the study guide contains several typos per chapter...and we're not talking grammar, we're talking wrong answers/formulas). I actually bought a second textbook for my chemistry course and found it more helpful than this one (and the course was taught from this text). Someone needs to A.) PROOFREAD THE TEXT AND STUDY GUIDE, and B.) DEVELOP REAL, LUCID EXPLANATIONS, not relate molar mass to apples and oranges. For anyone who is interested the second book I purchased was the one published by McGraw-Hill(and no I do not work for them).



4. Chemistry contains A LOT of math, at least my professor requires it.
   
   I am taking a college Chemistry course to satisfy my degree requirement in the nursing field. I am an adult student whom has always struggled with math. I have searched high and low for a book to show the right set ups for the math problems that must be dealt with in order to succeed in this subject. I finally found it, Basic Concepts of Chemistry.
   
   At the beginning of the book, it shows how to set up conversions. It does a beautiful job of showing mole to mole conversion in later chapters. It also shows you the geometry that you need when you encounter the valance shell electron pair repulsion theory (VESPR) in an easy to understand format.
   
   This book may contain typos and errors but it delivers the good by explaining what you need to know. If you can overlook them, you've got yourself a winner.
   
   Yes, this book is not college level, but it is a fast read, and explains concepts clearly. The book seems to help "prepare" you, or get you ready for the math that you will face in Chemistry without it seeming overwhelming to the student. I only wish I had this book at the beginning of the semester, instead of towards the last, when I really needed it.
   
   For comparisons, I do like it better than The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to) and Chemistry for Dummies. The book that my class requires is Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry (with CD-ROM and ThomsonNOW Printed Access Card). It does an okay job but out of all of them, Basic Concepts of Chemistry is the best.



5. The book arrived in perfect condition. When I realized that it was not the correct ISBN number, there was no problem with my returning the item.
   
   Thank you, Chris!

5 comments about Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood.

1. This is the second copy of Uncle Tungsten for me. I bought it when it was first released, loved it, and, unfortunately, loaned it to one too many friends. Now I have one to browse my favorite bits in, revisit the very different childhood of a man my age. Oliver Sachs treats his younger self with the same wide-eyed curiosity as he affords his patients.



2. This book has many wonderful aspects. One of them is Sacks' somewhat nonchalant description of what was a truly traumatic boarding-school experience. It is remarkable that he emerged as well as he did from the routine sadism of those four years in the countryside. It was only his fascination with chemistry and his capacity for detachment and introspection that permitted him to survive.
   
   Another memorable quality of the book is his immediate and personal understanding of the key question of science: Why? I never gave it much thought, but it wasn't until well into the twentieth century that scientists understood why the sun is so hot and will remain so hot more-or-less permanently. Until nuclear reactions were understood, this was a mystery. Sacks, paralleling centuries of investigators before him, is always asking why. This was great training for his ultimate and successful career as a neurologist.
   
   Finally, the portrayal of upper-middle-class London before and after World War II was very memorable. From a European viewpoint, America was pretty much untouched by the war; it had not been annexed or bombed by Hitler. England, on the other hand, was forever changed by the experience.



3. We follow in young Oliver's footsteps as he discovers the evolution of science from its humble beginnings through a succession of remarkable and revolutionary leaps. Each time science takes its next step, it achieves another synthesis wherein so many previously poorly understood and seemingly disparate phenomena are joined together as part of a single framework.
   
   Uncle Tungsten is an eloquent and romantic vision that articulates the poetry of science. As we follow Lavoisier, Davies, Faraday, Maxwell Mendeleev, Rutherford, Bohr, and many others, each time along with Sacks himself we see the world anew, aflame with a fresh and more complete understanding of the underpinnings of our universe.
   
   It is an extraordinary achievement to combine such clarity with a sense of emotional involvement, to help the reader understand both the principles being explained as well as their aesthetic beauty and deeper significance in such a human way.
   
   For me each chapter that described science is as beautiful as anything else I've read and at the same time the book creates such powerful connections that it helped me to understand many important principles of science that I didn't even realize I was ignorant of! I am very grateful for this wonderful book.
   
   My only criticism is that the personal details of Oliver Sacks' own life are few and far between, and seem almost tacked on in between the chapters that are strictly about science and its practitioners themselves. I was fine more or less ignoring these chapters as they provide little real insight into Oliver's life, but if you expect this book to be a true autobiography you will perhaps come away disappointed.
   Never the less, I have not read a more beautiful book about science and I urge whomever is reading this review to give it a chance.



4. There are some surprises here: first of all, I honestly thought Sacks is a normal American, probably family immigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. No, he grew up in London as the youngest boy in a huge family of Jewish scientists, physicians, and industrialists. 100 cousins! Some family branches in South Africa, Palestine, Germany and elsewhere.
   Also, I expected a normal autobiography, despite the ominous subtitle 'memories of a chemical boyhood'. I thought I would find out how the man got where he was to be much later. No, we don't. We only learn about his first 14 years. And we learn a lot about the history of chemistry, probably more than most readers would have opted for.
   But we also learn the following:
   A boy grows up in a huge house in London with a huge family, everything is paradise, there is emotion (from Ma) and stimulation (from all) and whatever a little boy needs.
   Then there is WW2 and the boy and his elder brother get evacuated to a boarding school, which is the prototype of all horrors. Bullying drives the brother into paranoia and the hero into closing the shutters with science and chemistry inside and the rest of the world outside.
   He is liberated after 4 years and moves back home, but things are not what they were. He remains in his insulation. He ignores the events of the world. Politics incl. Zionism is bullying. He dislikes the punitive God of the orthodox. He is only a chemist.
   With puberty and the end of WW2 the infatuation ends, or rather goes subterranean/subcutanean. Sacks learns new things, among others he discovers marine biology, and he reads Cannery Row, which makes him long for America. (previous mentioning of literature is sparse, there is some interest in Wells' science fiction, and there is a fascination with 1984, but that is obviously ahead of itself)
   I give it only 4 stars, because I do not like chemistry quite as much (as I worked for a chemical company for 20 years.)



5. If you love Sacks writing, read this one.
   Okay, I'm interested in chemistry, but regardless, one reads this book for the anecdotes. Every family has it's "characters" - that is part of what makes the memories of our youth treasures beyond price.
   It's as entertaining as Vonnegut without the psychosis :~o

No comments about Chemistry.

5 comments about Chemical Applications of Group Theory, 3rd Edition.

1. So if you are a mathematician or a physicist, don't whine if this book isn't for you. It's for chemists, specifically inorganic ones, who use group theory to analyze ligand chemistry and spectroscopic measurements. It is also useful for those who utilize computational chemistry programs like Gaussian and need to know the basics of orbital and molecular symmetry.
   
   This book contains only point group symmetry and none of the SO, SU, U, etc. groups used in physics. There is also no coverage of Lie algebras.



2. Professor Cotton's book is a well written introduction to the theory of group representations for chemists. It is appropriate for chemical experimentalists and beginners with a more thoeretical bent. It was NOT INTENDED to be a book of algebra for mathematicians or physicists interested in Lie groups. The pure rotation group is not covered, representations of space groups are not mentioned, ray representations are not used, etc. Many of the reviewers below seem to think they will need one and only one book that deals with applications of group theory - not likely! For a beginner with a background typical of a 1st year grad student in physical or inorganic chemistry at an American university, the book is good. If the complainers below ever tried to teach a course to such students using the more rigorous books they are clamoring for, they would be hung in effigy (if they were lucky).
   However, even for the intended audience, there are things that could be improved. Most glaring in my opinion is the treatment of electronic states, as opposed to orbitals. Even "mathematically-challenged chemists" have to face up to Slater determinants as basis functions for multi-electron wavefunctions. The spectroscopy and ligand-field theory topics are obscure if you don't introduce this concept. Symmetry with respect to interchange of particle labels is not that difficult to teach, and is essential for understanding the symmetry requirements that must be placed on electronic and vibrational wave functions.



3. This book is a double edged sword. As a reference textbook for a person who has already had a significant introduction to group theory and chemical applications of it, this book can't be beat. It provides some very detailed mathematical derivations of the theoretical formulas used within group theory which one may not find in an elementary inorganic text which skims over group theory. Additionally, Cotton covers organic, organometallic and inorganic examples which allows the reader to have a broad spectrum of systems to learn from. The blurbs about molecular vibrations and crystallography were nice too. Finally, Cotton does not lack in providing journal references to the original research that he covers in the text.

   In lieu of all that, this book is a bain to use in order to learn the principles of group theory. Cotton, in his typical fashion, assumes that the reader is well-versed in linear/matrix algebra (and has a very condescending comment for anyone who MIGHT have to read the matrix algebra appendix he has in the back of the text) and that the reader can visualize symmetry operations readily in their head. There are places in the text where he should go into more detail and provide further examples, but he does not. Lastly, anyone who knows anything about group theory knows that it is a pretty dry subject matter. Cotton doesn't enhance the excitement of learning group theory with his dry, humor-less approach to writing the text (not to mention that this 3rd edition is already overdue for another overhauling being over a decade old!). In case you have insomnia while taking your group theory course, attempt to read a full chapter in one sitting, you'll be out cold by the second paragraph!

   My final verdict, if you are a graduate student in chemistry who already knows something about group theory and its application, but needs a text to jog your memory now and again, this book is worth your money, but if you have to learn the basics of group theory from this book, RUN! Run as fast as you can! Or if you can't do that, buy this book, but buy another book and learn from that one rather than this one.




4. I read this book in 1965 as a freshman in Chemistry
   at UCLA. I had no background in group theory or representation
   of groups by characters. It started me on a life long study of groups,
   but the wrong way. For someone without the necessary mathematics background
   this book is actually harmful.
   I think a course in modern algebra should be necessary
   to reading this book. In 1965 an understanding of Calculus
   wasn't enough even with a little Boolean algebra mixed in.
   It came down to us using the book like a recipe book
   for the mathematics, following many of the operating blindly.
   But I have to say that over the years I have learned more about groups
   and that the approach here has grown in my respect with that study.
   So I have to say it is an excellent book
   for those prepared
   and a very poor book for those who aren't.



5. I used an earlier edition of this book for symmetry/group theory and couldn't figure out what the heck was going on! Fortunately, there are lots of good alternatives:
   
   1. "Molecular Symmetry and Group Theory: A Programmed Introduction to Chemical Applications" by Alan Vincent. This one is Excellent. It takes you by the hand and gives you a tutorial!
   
   2. "Group Theory for Chemists" by George Davidson. Out-of-print now but look for it used.
   
   3. "Molecular Symmetry and Group Theory" by Robert L. Carter, ISBN 0471149551
   
   4. "Group Theory and Chemistry" by David M. Bishop. inexpensive.
   
   5. "Introduction to Molecular Symmetry" (Oxford Chemistry Primers) by J. S. Ogden. inexpensive
   
   Also look at chapter 1 of "Symmetry and Spectroscopy: An Introduction to Vibrational and Electronic Spectroscopy" by Daniel C. Harris & Michael D. Bertolucci
   
   For a very nice overview try "Symmetry through the Eyes of a Chemist" by István Hargittai & Magdolna Hargittai
   
   P.S. For a similar book to Vincent's try "Beginning Group Theory for Chemistry" by Paul H. Walton. It's meant to be written in (pencil!).
   
   Look at my other reviews for other chemistry books.

No comments about Solutions to Exercises: To Accompany Chemistry, the Central Science.

2 comments about Crime Scene Chemistry for the Armchair Sleuth.

1. An introduction to the basic science behind forensic chemistry, this book gives a realistic appraisal of the time and levels of certainty behind the ta-da of television and movies. It includes experiments using common household products for those of us who wished we had gotten a chemistry set for Christmas. Highly recommended for mystery writers.



2. Law enforcement processes depend heavily upon chemistry to analyze crime findings and build cases: that's why CRIME SCENE CHEMISTRY is so important an acquisition for any college-level collection strong in either science or criminology. Chapters follow a chemist and a reserve police officer to examine just how evidence is collected and what happens in the field of forensic chemistry, surveying the testing and analytical processes involved in gathering evidence. It's a 'must' for any serious college-level library strong in either chemistry or criminal science.

3 comments about Organic Chemistry : Student Guide and Study Manual.

1. i think it's quite helpful and gives you some " experience" and more confidence before dealing directly with the exams themselves.!

   the questions make you more acquainted with what types of questions u might expect for the exams..and thus you hve more chances of doing better!




2. if you're taking o chem, then you need this book. the summaries are helpful for review of chapters or in the worst case scenario, in substitution of the chapters. but the most important part of this book are the solutions to the problems. the only way you'll learn organic chemistry, like it or not, is by practicing problems. this solutions manual is the only way to know if you're doing those problems correctly - the text book does NOT contain solutions for problems in the book, beside the worthlessly easy ones contained directly in the chapters. in addition to the solution, it contains an explanation for all problems that require one.
   
   THIS BOOK IS WELL WORTH THE MONEY! you won't be disappointed. if anything, go in on it with a friend that is also taking the course. you WILL need this book.



3. This was a last minute purchase for school and the book was shipped quickly and arrived on time.

No comments about Modern Projects and Experiments in Organic Chemistry: Miniscale and Williams on Microscale.

2 comments about Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity, Volume 1 (with General ChemistryNOW).

1. Chemistry turned very easy to understand for me thanks to this book. Almost every chapter is well explained and has a whole bunch of solved examples and tons of exercises for the student. I was amazed by the great pictures the book offers for a better visual understanding. Unfortunately, I do not why another book will be used for next semester at my school, but hope next time, they use another great work by Kotz et al =)



2. I bought this text book for my son at Florida and all I can say is "man, it's heavy!" (as Pb) I bot it used before class started and paid a pretty fair price, especially compared to the cost of new. Parents/Students: Order your books from Amazon or affiliates before school starts and you'll save a fortune, plus you avoid the Student Bookstore hassel. The book was in very good shape, as described, and the seller delivered in just a couple days right to the dorm. As for the content, the author certainly seems to know A LOT more about chemistry than I do, so if you're into that sort of thing, you might find this interesting. If you're not a chemistry type, the book will hold most any door open, and is thick enough to boost a youngster at the table. Study hard!