1 comments about Solid State Chemistry: An Introduction, Third Edition.

1. I'm using this book for a graduate level course and since I'm an undergrad, it really helps to explain some of the things that fly over my head during class. I recommend it for a great reference.

3 comments about Microscale Inorganic Chemistry: A Comprehensive Laboratory Experience.

1. This is a wonderful combination of some simple chemistry experiments that allow students (such as myself) to gain insight into the experimental world of inorganic chemistry. The laboratory experiments are real, interesting, and also allow the student to think about what is happening, and to apply their knowledge to taking the experiments to a further level. This is an excellent book, and probably the best source available for inorganic experiments for undergrads.



2. This is a good introductory inorganic test. It does a great job explaining procedure and theory in the first few chapters.
   
   Some of the end of chapter questions are esoteric, especially the literature search ones.
   
   The biggest problem is that some of the lab procedures give poor yields when applied. The procedure should be cross-referenced to make sure that it gives the best yield.



3. I've used this lab manual for a microscale inorganic laboratory course for about a dozen years. There is a nice selection of experiments which cover most of the basics appropriate for a senior-level course. But the reviewer who comments on the reaction yields is right. Some of the yields are so poor that I maintain commercial samples of the products so that students will have something to characterize. I have even written the authors with questions about improving yields in some of the experiments, but received few suggestions for improvements. Also, very few of the experiments take the students through reasonable purification steps for the products (I suppose because the yields are so low). But there are few competing inorganic lab manuals, and none that I am aware of for working at microscale.

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 Biological Inorganic Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity.

1. I get sick of hearing about chemical evolution as if it is the only way life can exist, they never point out the extreme unlikelyhood of the theory, or even that it is a theory. I wouldn't complain since most science texts that venture a guess about origins yields similar speculation, but this book really beats you over the head with it.
   Otherwise, the compilation of authors is great, and the scope of the text is very applicable once you get to actual data that can be measured.

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.

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 Molecular Symmetry and Group Theory : A Programmed Introduction to Chemical Applications, 2nd Edition.

1. Cotton's(or Bishop's or like that...) book on group theory is too wonderful for me to grade. But, you may agree with me, in that it really takes times! You must read those books to understand the internal structure of group theory, but if you have exam tomorrow, Vincent's will be an emergency measure. Just follow him about 5 hours. Then you can solve some crucial spectroscopy problems, make MO's, and so third. But don't forget to check the books of details. This book is just for an emergency measure. But truly great enough for that.



2. If you don't have the math background it often takes to penetrate Cotton, this book could be the answer. For learning the quick and dirty basics of the use of group theory for molecules, this is the book. The only problems are its sparseness and the high price for a 156 page book. Excellent for self-teaching, though.



3. The text does a good job of covering the subject material. It is not so advanced as to be difficult to master symmetry, matrices, and applications to vibrational spectra. The book is designed as a programme. The reader follows along and is interrupted to test his/her ability. After successful mastering of topics, the reader goes on, but if the reader does not answer the practice questions well enough, there is a guide to do more review. This is a great intro text for undergraduates, or as a reference for graduate students studying in the Inorganic field.
   The text also uses great examples and has good step by step instructions. The reader can get up to speed on most of the subject material within one weekend. It is also not necessary to read the book cover to cover to get useful learning out of the text. It has a good ability to modulate the different aspects of the different subjects. Overall, worth the money.



4. I bought this book because it is advised from one of my classmates of Transition metal chemistry.
   If you need to learn molecular symmetry, this book is very good. It teachs in a logical order. The only not good part may be its size. I prefer bigger books so you can easily bend. So you should be polite to this book when reading.
   It is also expensive for its size but if you need to learn the molecular symmetry and/or group theory, this book is strongly recommended :)
   I hope this review helps.
   Happy wishes

3 comments about Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry.

1. The text is filled with tons of info, yet written so that almost anyone can understand. This text is excellent for an intro course in inorganic or a first year undergraduate chemistry/biochemistry program. However, what it lacks in depth it gains for in it's user friendlyness. A must for students who don't plan on doing any adavnced inorganic chemistry.



2. In my opinion, this text is vastly inferior to something like the, often used, inorganic text by Rogers. The text did not seem logically composed, and the questions often seem to have little to do with the chapter at hand thus requiring copious back and forth between other diverse chapters. In a nutshell, the book is simply badly organized. If this were not bad enough, even in the fourth addition, typos are not that uncommon in both the book and its thin, yet expensive, solutions manual.



3. This is a very informative and readable introductory text to inorganic chemistry, and a good choice for those not needing a full semester of coordination, organometallic or solid state inorganic chemistry. We've used this and previous editions for several years for our sophomore-level course, which students pursuing a B.A. degree are required to take (it is also an elective for chemistry minors). This textbook is not comprehensive as "Cotton & Wilkinson" or "Greenwood & Earnshaw" and is probably not suitable for an Advanced Inorganic Chemistry course, which is the one our B.S. chemistry majors take. Overall, we're very satisfied with this textbook.

5 comments about Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, 6th Edition.

1. I have read this book with great interest. I think this book is marvellous in describing the features of three dimentional inorganic molecules.



2. This was one of the best book for inorganic chemistry, but this edition is very different from the previous ones. Many useful chapters have been done away with; they have been replaced with chapters rather poor, especially those about catalysis.
   I advise the fifth edition, which is much better, even if it's quite old: the updates of new edition don't offset its flaws.



3. The 5th edition of this book had been compulsory reading during my undergraduate inorganic chemistry courses: it was the inorganic chemistry bible. This edition fails to reach the high standard of its predecessor. In fact, it isn't even a good advanced inorganic chemistry text. Much of the really useful stuff that forms the basis of an understanding of inorganic chemistry has been omitted in favour of niche topics. The book would be better called 'Advances in Inorganic Chemistry' or 'Selected Topics in Inorganic Chemistry'.



4. With this edition of "Advanced Inorganic Chemistry", Albert Cotton and his co-authors have proved that they kept track of all the recent developments in the field.
   This text provides clear and balanced coverage, as it applies to Inorganic Chemistry. Every branch of the course was browsed, and with generous details too. In addition to the general principles and laws, there are updated information on: Atomic Structures of elements, Chemical Bondings and related associations; as well as Chemical Equilibria and Enthalpy.
   Together with its insight in Nuclear Chemistry, the details this book provided on inorganic elements and compounds is worthy of praise. It is a fine textbook, which anyone who has the basic knowledge of elementary chemistry should be glad to read.



5. In my opinion, this book is one of the best books on Inorganic Chemistry. From first edition to last one F.A. Cotton's book becomes better and better. Now, this is excellent comprehensive textbook on Inorganic and Coordination Chemistry.

1 comments about Structure of Materials: An Introduction to Crystallography, Diffraction and Symmetry.

1. I had the pleasure of using an earlier review copy of this text in one of Professor McHenry's crystallography classes. Although he himself is not the best lecturer, his knowledge of crystallography is limitless. This profound knowledge and understanding of students translate well to his book, which I can easily say is one of the best books I've read on crystal structure.
   
   Professor McHenry's text goes through the mathematical and historical background of crystallography, progressing from the simple to the complex. The first half of the book describes general crystal systems, symmetry operations, and how to describe crystal properties mathematically. In the second portion of the book he describes in detail many crystal systems, ranging from layered superconducting oxides to molecular solids. This approach worked particularly well for me, since I first learned the basics and then how to apply them to real-world systems.
   
   I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to any student looking for a deep, thorough treatment of crystallography. Professor McHenry has managed to craft a thorough but completely readable text that is sure to become a standard for future materials science students.