3 comments about Inorganic Chemistry (2nd Edition).

1. Excellent text and I have been trying to find a copy on it ever since I lost mine... Presents quite a bit of the subject in a very well thought out and organized way... If you ever get the chance, then sit down and take a good look. Serves as a great companion to Cotton and Wilk. "Basic Inorganic Chemistry" or those books...



2. I saw this browsing through a bookstore. First class all the way. I use it all the time as a professional research chemist. Really well organized.



3. I realize that this is supposed to be an introductory book, however it does not provide enough detail to be very useful in my 2nd year inorganic chem class. I am extremely disappointed by this since the book costs so much money. I wonder how much more it would cost if it was hardcover.
   
   It does have a good layout and bright pictures and colors though. I guess this is supposed to stimulate the brain or something.

1 comments about Methods of X-ray and Neutron Scattering in Polymer Science (Topics in Polymer Science).

1. Ryoung-Joon Roe presents a handy reference and introduction to x-ray and neutron scattering, where emphasis is placed on using a terminology that helps the reader learn about both the techniques simultaenously. Scattering has served as one of the most important characterization tools for polymer community. This book outlines the basic mathematics and experimental details required to understand the structure and properties as revealed by these scattering methods in: crystalline and amorphous polymers, polymer solutions and blends, polymer dynamics and block copolymers. While emphasis is placed on demonstrating how all scattering shares similar theories and philosophy, the choice of several examples and applications of either techniques is used to remark on aspects peculiar to either X-ray studies or Neutron Scattering.
   
   Since most serious students of polymer science are familiar with light scattering, the book would appeal them as perfect guide to familiarize themselves with limits and use of neutron and X-ray scattering. A more detailed discussion on Polymers and Neutron Scattering is found in the classic text by Julia S. Higgins and Henry C. Beno^it, while for Light Scatttering texts by Pecora & Berne and by Wyn Brown are essential references. Compared to those classic references, Roe's text will appear as more accessible to people seeking introduction to scattering methods. By the same token, it contains only the essence, the flavor of aspects of polymer behavior, say crystallization, surface studies or dynamics, and one will need to delve into the other texts if he seeks exhaustive discussion.

2 comments about The Organometallic Chemistry of the Transition Metals, 4th Edition.

1. Of the organometallic texts I've seen, this is my favorite. It provides a good introduction and eases the reader into heavier material. It's a great reference and a good starting point for learning the subject.



2. I'm an organic chemistry graduate student with some inorganic background, but I know very little about organometallics. This book seems to be a very good introduction for someone like me. Well written, understandable, relevant.

1 comments about Instant Notes in Inorganic Chemistry (The Instant Notes Chemistry Series).

1. This book is pretty much what it claims to be - a book of summary notes for topics in Inorganic Chemistry. It's rather well-written and attempts to break-down concepts into easy-to-understand summaries.
   It's best used in conjunction with your textbook. I would read the chapter in the textbook (we used Housecroft's book) and then read the corresponding topic summary in this book to simplify and reinforce the ideas. I also used it to review before exams instead of re-reading the chapters in the textbook.
   You can get this book used here on Amazon at a very reasonable price, so it's hard to go wrong picking this book up.

5 comments about Name Reactions: A Collection of Detailed Reaction Mechanisms.

1. Basically, all this book does is draw mechanisms for a whole bunch of name reactions. It doesn't really tell you all that much and only gives one example (for which the mechanism is drawn out)or each. Definately not recomended if you know how to push arrows and write a mechanism. Not at all what I was expecting.



2. This book is fantastic! It has a complete set of every important named reaction with its respective mechanism and literature references. The simple layout makes this book very user friendly. The mechanisms are easy to follow and the references are very useful making this book excellent for use at any level from undergraduate to graduate and beyond. This book is a definite must have for anyone studying advanced organic chemistry, as it is the named reactions bible.



3. this book is a really great resource for organic chemists. it has all the main name reactions in alphabetical order, and does a good job showing not only the overall reaction, but also the step-by-step mechanism as well. it also has references listed for each reaction, for further clarification. i recommend it for any organic chemist as part of their library.



4. This book is nice for writing the basics of mechanism. There are some other books available in market. But I will recommend this book because they are short and concise. This third edition is more or less similar to second edition.



5. i received the book in good condition.
   The book is very valuable for any org. chemist,be it Acadamic or Industrial.we have the old edition also. I use it to train the youngsters.
   worth to buy.

5 comments about A Guide to the Elements (Oxford).

1. I love chemistry and the elements, and this book didn't let me down. It is very interesting to ready and covers most areas about each of the compounds. It also lists the major uses and even some of the health problems associated with the elements. The pictures are also very good. The pictures represent the elements themselves or the uses of the elements. This helps a lot. There are only two small things I don't like about the book. First, it doesn't give much basic information. I would recommend "Exploring Chemical Elements and their Compounds" by David L. Heiserman. The two books together create a treasure trove of information. The other problem is just a small one. The author focues a lot on the uses in radioactive procedures. I guess that doesn't interest me too much. Otherwise this is a great book! I would suggest you get this book for personal use or even for schooling purposes.



2. There are at least 112 chemical elements, all of which but a few comprise the entire world as we know it. This book covers each element seperately, in order, from hydrogen to the various transuranium elemnts that only exist for mere seconds in laboratories. Each element's atomic weight, valence(s), and various uses are given. Also given is the human history of each element, including its discovery and the origin of its name.

   I suspect that any reader, outside of a chemistry instructor, perhaps, will learn something from this endlessly fascinating, well- written and organized book. Many general principles of chemistry rub off as well, and for the student or interested layman, this is a highly useful, easily readable, and understandable book about chemistry. A true jewel, and I rate it highly.




3. For the armchair science enthusiast, we have an outstanding book explaining the elements of the periodic table, and their signifigance. Its one of those books, when opened at random, provides fascinating reading wherever you start. In this fine book, learn about the periodic table and its components, how they relate, and how they are utilized in modern technology and industry.



4. Lets be honest. For starters in chemistry, learning about all the elements and what they do in reactions can be overwhelming with all the pressure for doing well in school. What better way to learn about elements than a fun and leisurely reading. This book is packed with information about almost all of the elements, the more important elements obviously getting more extensive treatment. Reading this book before you take your school or college chemistry will be the most rewarding experience. Not only will it make you appreciate the nature of each element that exists in our universe but also make you sound like a genius when you and your friends are talking about even the most common elements such as oxygen or hydrogen. Oh, there are lots of cool photos and pictures too!



5. This book is a wonderful read for the renaissance man/woman who is interested in a diversity of topics. An easily digested book which entertains while educating. A highly recommended comprehensive (not burdensome) book. If you are into such matters David Hawkins 3 vol. set is your bed time companion (out of print?). But for my fulfillment this informative book is perfect. Controlled fusion, catalytic converters, lightning, diamonds, Yellowstone, bullets, moonrocks - - a beautiful world of elements surrounds us. Mr. Stwertka brings life to the Periodic table.

1 comments about Spectacular Chemical Experiments.

1. The book is an amazing collection of experiments that are both easy to perform and appealing for non chemists. It's one of those book that can foster interest in kids who are about to make their minds in their education pathway.

1 comments about Housecroft Inorganic Chemistry 3e (3rd Edition).

1. Well, just finished up Inorganic chemistry and I found this book to be somwhat helpful. The first few chapters of this book are not too bad and it does a decent job with explaining introductory molecular symmetry (point group, I.R. Spectroscopy....) My issue with this book was it's explanation of bonding in polyatomic molecules. It's ligand group approach was so convoluted I had to use my PCHM book (McQuarrie) to paint somewhat of a clearer picture. Also, the chapter on d-block chemistry could use more math to explain crystal field theory. Anyhow, I only used two different books so I cannot comment on what book to use and/or not to use. Hopes this helps....Oh yeah, Honk if you passed PCHM!

5 comments about The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance.

1. Scerri's work is a rich and fascinating account of the history, development and current significance of the Periodic Table: if you have any interest in chemistry you should read it. In his book he describes how the Period System was discovered (giving due credit to Mendeleev, but also to many others who deserve their place in the history of discovery),showing how it was received by other chemists. The most interesting part for me is in the brilliant later chapters, where the role of the Periodic System in influencing Bohr's ideas on the atom, and the nature of the relationship between quantum theory and empirical evidence is presented as clearly as you will find anywhere. Chemistry emerges not (as Dirac once claimed) entirely reduced to physics, but as a still-developing science in which quantum mechanics plays an important but not yet wholly reductive role.



2. The Periodic Table is one of the most iconic symbols in our culture. Every person interested in the physical world in which we live will want to read this book. It is also a masterful history of the people involved in the establishment of the periodic law of chemistry. The gradual growth in awareness of the regularities of the elements is the main theme of this work. It is already a classic in its first year in print!



3. Humans are exquisitely good at finding patterns. Sometimes those patterns turn out to be illusory, such as the constellations. Sometimes they turn out to be very real, such as the patterns illustrated by the periodic table of the elements. Eric Scerri, in his book The Periodic Table, has done an excellent job of presenting a "warts and all" history of the periodic table. Instead of presenting the "heroes only" version of the history of the periodic table [speaking of illusory patterns] found in most high school and college textbooks, he gives us a full historical view with all the players, big and small, and shows how even ideas that turned out to be wrong had a positive effect on getting us to the periodic table we use today. Although scientists may someday show that the periodic table ultimately reduces to quantum mechanics, Professor Scerri shows us why we can't say that with the level of certainty with which it is often presented in chemistry classes [the next time I find chemistry among my preps at the high school where I teach, I will be much better prepared to deal with the periodic table]. The interested lay reader should find the book quite accessible, but a knowledge of high school chemistry, especially in the later chapters where electron configurations are presented [idea for the paperback - include an appendix that covers some chemistry basics like electron configurations], will help. Knowledge of the terminology used in the study of philosophy will also help the reader. This book should be of interest to folks with an interest in the history and philosophy of science, even if they don't have a specific interest in chemistry and the periodic table, especially fans of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I strongly suggest that The Periodic Table become required reading for all high school chemistry teachers! John Emsley is still my favorite writer on chemical topics, but Eric Scerri moves to a place not far behind.



4. XXXXX
   
   "In spite of the central...role of the periodic table [of the elements], very few authors have felt drawn to write books on its evolution. There is no book that deals adequately with the historical, and especially the conceptual, aspects of the periodic system [that holds that there is a fundamental relationship among the elements] or its significance in chemistry and science generally. It is with the aim of injecting a more philosophical treatment to understanding the periodic system that [this book] has been undertaken...this book is not intended as a work of historical scholarship...the reader is [taken] on an interdisciplinary tour of the many areas of science that are connected with the periodic system, including physics, mathematics, computational methods, history and philosophy of science, and of course, chemistry."
   
   The above is found in the introduction to this fascinating, extremely well researched book by Dr. Eric Scerri, a professor of chemistry and history & philosophy of science at UCLA. This book is fittingly dedicated to the 100TH anniversary of the death of Dimitri Mendeleev (1834 to 1907).
   
   The periodic table of the elements--what is it? Simply, it is basically a two-dimensional representation of a periodic system (that is explained above). The aim of this book is to bring the story of the periodic table "up to date."
   
   This book from my own personal perspective can roughly be divided into five parts:
   
   (I) An overview of the periodic system. (1 chapter)
   (II) The development of the periodic table. (4 chapters)
   (III) The nucleus and the periodic table: radioactivity, atomic number (the number of protons contained in the nucleus of the atom of an element), and isotopy (isotopes are any of two or more forms of an element having the same number of protons but differing in the number of neutrons). (1 chapter)
   (IV) Electronic explanations for the elements of the periodic table: physics versus chemistry. (3 chapters)
   (V) Astrophysics, element formation, other chemical trends that defy neat explanations, and three fundamental questions regarding the periodic table. (1 chapter)
   
   One of the key features of this book, as mentioned above, is that it is well researched. However, Scerri goes one step beyond mere information gathering. He actually questions the information he has found. Here are just three examples:
   
   (1) "The notion that the periodic table was deduced from quantum theory by [physicist Niels] Bohr [as the historical record implies] is something of an exaggeration."
   (2) "This, I submit, suggests remarkable foresight and intuition on the part of [chemical writer] Gmelin, as does the way in which he uses his system to ground the presentation of the chemistry of these elements. Yet Gmelin's contribution to the classification of the elements has not been sufficiently appreciated of chemistry, or even historians of the periodic system."
   (3) Clearly [chemist Dimitri] Mendeleev was spectacularly successful in [his] predictions [of new elements] but perhaps not quite to the extent that is implied by the more selective tables of comparison that regularly appear in chemistry textbooks and even histories of chemistry."
   
   Another feature of this book is the inclusion of the actual writings of key people involved in the development of the periodic table. I found all of these interesting.
   
   Yet another feature is that it is jam-packed with charts, tables, diagrams, etc. so readers can see for themselves what is going on. Some of these tables, etc. are actual copies from historical documents. As well, there are black and white portraits of some of those who contributed to some aspect of the formation and understanding of the periodic table.
   
   The majority of the chapters end with a conclusion that consolidates all the information in a particular chapter. I found these most helpful.
   
   Finally, I feel that this book can be read by all who are interested in the periodic table. However, the author assumes some science background. Many terms are defined in the book's main narrative but many are not. Thus, it would have been helpful if an appendix explaining key terms was also included. As well, a glossary would have been most helpful. Of course, any difficulties can be resolved by referring to a good, standard dictionary or even a basic science dictionary (especially for part IV above).
   
   In conclusion, there are elements of the periodic table that are named after admired others. Examples include Einsteinium and Mendelevium. Eric Scerri has written a comprehensive book that honors the periodic table. Perhaps when a new element is discovered it should be named "Scerrium."
   
   (first published 2006; acknowledgements; introduction; 10 chapters; main narrative 285 pages; notes; index)
   
   XXXXX



5. This is a readable, current book about the history of the periodic table,
   defining organizing tool for chemistry. It should be of interest to
   students as well as professional chemists. It is right sized for cover
   to cover reading or it can be sampled using a well done index and
   table of contents.

5 comments about Inorganic Chemistry (3rd Edition).

1. This is the book we are currently using for my post-pchem inorganic chemistry class, and I am not a fan of it. It seems to be an easy read, and for the most part, it is, but the diagrams, examples, and problems at the back of the book are not good at all. In my class, we get assigned the problems at the ends of the chapters, and while the first few are feasible and are similar to the examples shown in the book, after about the fifth problem, they become incredibly difficult. Some of the problems I am not quite even sure how the authors expect an undergraduate to solve. The diagrams so far have also been mediocre, especially in the chapter on molecular oribtals. Some of the molecular orbital diagrams were not labeled and not to scale making the energy differences in molecular orbitals very deceiving. This is not helpful when trying to understand the chapter.
   
   I think the book would be great if it covered more examples and covered more difficult examples, but without those, it's nearly impossible to fully grasp the concepts of each chapter.



2. This book seems to be the new standard for undergraduate inorganic chem. Came into use after I left university.
   
   For those reviewers who don't like this text there are some good, less well known options:
   
   1. Concise Inorganic Chemistry by J.D. Lee
   
   2. Inorganic Chemistry by Catherine Housecroft and Alan G. Sharpe
   
   3. Basic Inorganic Chemistry by F. Albert Cotton, Geoffrey Wilkinson, Paul L. Gaus
   
   4. Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry by Geoff Rayner-Canham, Tina Overton. A nice, easy read for a one semester, terminal course. Only 569 pages - 4th edition. Not the be-all and end-all of inorganic chem, though.
   
   5. Concepts and Models of Inorganic Chemistry by Bodie E. Douglas, Darl H. McDaniel, John J. Alexander
   
   Check out my other reviews for other chem books.



3. The book gets a little confusing at times. I am not sure if it's simply the topic of the way in which it was written



4. The answer key was often unhelpful, as it abbreviates or omits many parts that are key to understanding a solution. I found that the practice problems I could do from the textbook were limited by the answers I could actually follow. It is an exercise in understanding the authors' trains of thought, rather than the actual chemistry.



5. I suppose you could say the book covers a wide range of complicated material, but that's pretty much it. It's extremely convoluted, an explanations are generally very poor. I had to search Google for supplementary links that actually explained most of the major concepts.
   
   Not recommended.