5 comments about Modern Spectroscopy.

1. I used this book to supplement the ocean of Herzberg referenced in my lab class. It seems pretty complete and is clearly written. The examples are very helpful.



2. Even if beginning with only an introductory understanding of quantum mechanics, this excellent book will allow you to understand most major branches of spectroscopy. The chapters are organized to include reasonable amounts of both theory and show real spectra to help use the theory in the context of real research. One of the earlier chapters includes a review/primer on group theory and the remaining chapters can be understood with the group theory presented in that chapter. This book is therefore suitable as a text and is also very usefull as a reference.



3. This a great book about spectroscopy.
   The balance between experiment method/data/figure and theory description is just so good that I got a lot of understanding
   that I didn't get from other book.



4. The books reviews all the fundamental concepts on molecular spectroscopy. The chapter on quantum mechanics is well organized, and introduces the reader into the tools necessary for understanding the logic behind molecular spectroscopy. Simple, clear and easy to follow. The way the book is organized is also very good, from general/simple to specific/complex, so it's suitable for undergraduate students and all type of scientists.



5. This book was recommended by Amazon for spectroscopy and after looking few pages it was a book what I was looking for, have not gone through the whole book but the initial pages suggests that it will be a useful reference for me working as a metrology engineer in semiconductors

1 comments about MRI Atlas of Human White Matter.

1. Although the book arrived looking like it might have gotten slightly damp, it is a lovely high quality atlas. Nice intro to diffusion and large color images in all three planes with annotations.
   
   The online version is a good supplement, as you can access it when you don't have the print version, and you can do a search through the whole text of the thing and find every page with, for example, a reference to a particular tract.
   
   Good choice.

No comments about Trace Quantitative Analysis by Mass Spectrometry.

5 comments about Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy.

1. This book is the second of the two book set. You can also purchase the set as a single edition, however that would be a mistake. I've used this text in class and besides being heavily mistake ridden, as others noticed, its extremely unhelpful for Quantum and Thermo beginners. Poor choice.



2. I was actually one of the reviewers of an early version of many of the chapters of this text. The text itself makes a nice set of lecture notes and it progresses at a reasonable slow pace. I found the presentation and graphics to be quite nice and clear as if the publishers took their cues from similarly produced general chemistry texts.
   
   The text is hardly encyclopedic and complete compared to other texts, notably McQuarrie and Simon, Atkins,
   or the venerable Berry, Rice, and Ross. We decided to adopt this text for our two semester physical chemistry course hoping that students would like the pace and context -- however, 3/4 of the way through the year, it has been a disaster!
   
   While the original draft had the usual density of typos, I'm astonished that so many made it through to the final version! There are numerous wrong equations--mostly annoying typos. Most damning is the fact that a lot of the molecular data in the text is wrong as are a number of the spectra.
   Since this is supposed to be a
   book focusing on spectroscopy, I find no excuse for this.
   Let me give an example, in Table 8.3, which tabulates the vibrational frequencies, bond lengths, rotational constants, etc. for a number of diatomic species, nearly ALL of the vibrational frequencies listed are incorrect in comparison to the NIST database. Furthermore, the ro-vibrational spectra given in the text for HCl and for CO are clearly NOT the experimental spectra since both are systematically shifted relative the correct experimental spectra. (the text's HCl ro-vibrational spectrum is centered at 2991 cm<sup>-1 (where the forbidden Q-branch should be) compared to the experimental value of 2888 cm-1. Similarly, for CO, the spectrum should be centered at 2170 cm-1<\sup> and
   not at 2143cm-1.) At least the spectra are consistent with the wrong
   data in table 8.3! This crops up repeatedly through out the text. It frustrates the students and it's embarrassing. These may seem to be picky and petty details. However, spectroscopy is all about
   making precise measurement of molecular properties and dynamics.
   
   One reviewer commented on the clumsy wording of the problems. I agree. Having worked out
   many on my group black-board with frustrated students...the problems leave much to be desired.
   Again, the general sprit of the problems is good...the final result is not so good.
   
   On the other hand, my class has decided to make lemonade out of a lemon. We've started the "Great
   Typo Hunt" web-site where students can earn extra-credit by finding and confirming new typos in the text!
   It's become a great sport!
   
   This book does not live up to my expectations.
   I highly suggest avoiding this book until an extreme make-over occurs. Even then, I would suggest looking at at different text.</sup>



3. Unless Engel's Quantum Chemistry book is required for your class I highly recommend avoiding it. If it is required, find yourself another supplementary book. Quantum mechanics is a challenging field for most undergrads such as myself, and unfortunately Engel only manages to confound this difficulty with his text. While at first glance the text appears approachable, don't be fooled. At almost every turn of the page Engel manages to leave you with more questions than answers. In an attempt at simplicity, Engel only accomplishes convolution. Pick up another text such as McQuarrie Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach(I highly recommend) and you will immediately see the differences in clarity, depth, accuracy, etc . The math that QM is largely structured around is neglected, and although the math may be challenging for an average chem major like myself, I found it incredibly necessary to truely understand QM concepts. Another major problem was that the book is loaded with erros. The errors are so blatant and numerous that you end up second guessing a lot of Engel's concepts and explanations, not an ideal situation when learning QM for the first time. All together I'm giving the book 2/5 stars instead of 1/5 because it looks pretty. Looks have to count for something right? Good luck in QM...



4. This book is meant to be an introduction to quantum chemistry, and it does a wonderful job at that. I am surprised at the other reviews complaining of its lack of rigor...this is meant to be an introduction to the subject. If you want something complete and encyclopedic, fine, go buy McQuarrie or something like that. This is meant as a first course quantum chemistry, and it also does an excellent job of introducing the major ideas necessary for graduate quantum chemistry, and is not afraid of doing the real math and operations necessary.
   I feel like people are confusing be willing to explain concisely and in everyday language with lack of rigor.
   
   This is written as a graduate student in chemical physics who majored in both chemistry and physics undergrad.



5. Perfect condition, comes with Student version of Spartan which is a good software for chemistry majors alike. The textbook so far is pretty good. Nothing great, but nothing bad.

5 comments about Vibration Spectrum Analysis.

1. I borrow this book from Uni, of Washington and found out that this book is lack of both practical and theoritical inf. The writing of the book is so poor and minimum examples of real data that I stopped short of completing the book. Worst for your money.



2. This is an excellent book for people faced with practical vibration problems. The book is a well-written to this topic. Focus is on rotating machinery, and data acquistion, filtering, etc. This is the best 1st book on vibration diagnosing I've found yet. A definite recommend to buy



3. Very good as entry-level textbook! Not for the die hard spectrum annalist though... It should be considered essential for crash courses in vibrations and spectrum analysis.



4. Great reading. Has a good way of teaching the dumbies in us. I will benefit from this book in my work



5. As a beginner, this is a good book for me. It tells me where to look for further reading. The sentences are simple and straightforward. The concepts are explained in clearly. Although it is far from a bible, I would like to recommend it if you are new in this field. The only thing that I do not like is the graphics. Unless I got to the appendix, I felt it was difficult to understand some graphics.

2 comments about LC/MS: A Practical User's Guide.

1. A good introduction. But not for specialist. Some practical tips are useful.



2. I had received the item within 4 days. It was new.
   Thank you

3 comments about Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (Chemical Analysis: A Series of Monographs on Analytical Chemistry and Its Applications).

1. This book is the Bible of FTIR, written by the twin gods of FTIR, Griffiths and DeHaseth. It contains as complete an introduction to the theory and practice of this field as is available. Anyone who wants a detailed understanding of this field, and in particular how FTIRs work, should own this book. However...there are 2 reasons why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.

   1. The book is written at a rather advanced level, and is full of mathematics. For doctorate level scientists and engineers this is fine, but it blows away anyone without the appropriate math and science background. As a result, beginners to the field are often times frustrated with this book. The book is more approriate for instrument designers and lab managers than it is for the average technician running spectra.

   2. The book was written in 1986, and parts of it are terribly outdated. Not surprisingly, discussions of specific computers, software, and instruments were outdated years ago. Things that the book predicts will happen, have long ago come to pass. Certain important new developments, such as IR Microscopy, FT-Raman, and new applications of Step Scanning, are totally missing. Come on guys...its time for a new edition.




2. This is a great reference for anyone designing or using FTIR instruments. This book is really intended for the advanced users and is worth the price. The only major drawback is that it is getting a little dated.

   The book is really geared to the chemist, however, additional material on alignment techniques and a more complete and jointed discussion on design trade-offs and instrument characterization would make it much more useful to other users.

   Bottom line: It is still a great reference




3. I work in semiconductor industry and use FTIR for in line metrology. This book was recommended by the vendor of the FTIR which we have and seems to be a good read. Have a good description of the Hardware required for FTIR and is complemented by spectroscopic studies of different materials.

4 comments about Protein NMR Spectroscopy: Principles and Practice.

1. The book is very complete, covers most of the field in protein NMR studies. The book is well organised, with plenty of figures to facilitate easy understanding of the subject. Overall, I find it is very helpful for anyone who will be interested in protein NMR research. I have actually seen quite a number of copies in a few NMR laboratories and I would recommand this book to all those who are looking for an complete introductory book in NMR and protein study.



2. This is the new standard for Protein NMR spectroscopists (the old one being Ernst). Everyone I've met who uses NMR in biology has nothing but praise for this book. It's not a perfect book and has some weakness, especially in the modelling portions. The math derivations are clear but the authors do not connect back to the physical phenomenon. I would recommend keeping a QM book nearby as a reference. However, this book is well written overall and very complete. Highly recommended!



3. I have been reading this book for a while and decided to buy it. I am satisfied with the vendor, it arrived in good condition and fairly on time.



4. It is really a good book in protein NMR.
   and give out a complete set of the basic of NMR principle
   Some tiny mistakes, can be a handbook for protein structure analysis.

No comments about Organic Structure Determination Using 2-D NMR Spectroscopy: A Problem-Based Approach (Advanced Organic Chemistry) (Advanced Organic Chemistry).

5 comments about Student Solutions Manual for Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy for Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy Spartan Student Physical Chemistry Software.

1. Thomas Engel's Physical Chemistry is a book full of mistakes as well as stupid problems... The Quantum chemistry part is horribly explained(about 10 chapters). Which makes me think... perhaps the author can not explain the material because he does not understand it. Engel take some more quantum classes or repeat them, and then write a book about a subject you have not mastered. I want my money back.



2. I've used half of the book now. The layout is not very organized. I found the graphical representations useful.
   
   ok, 2nd semester in work. I'd prefer to downgrade this rating to negative 5 if I could. This book has turned into a major disaster. It is so riddled with errors...the derivations are never right. Everytime something doesn't work out right it's because the book is wrong. flat out.
   
   This book gets my strongest disapproval possible. Buying this book is throwing away your money. Thanks engel. Thanks for all those hours lost trying to figure out what mistake I had make working out the derivations in this book only to find the book was wrong all along.
   
   I'm still a little bitter about the false advertising when I got it...re: spartan software student copy that wasn't included.



3. A modern, clear, and extensive physical chemistry text. It does break tradition with the heavyweights in the field (Atkins, McQuarrie), but does so for good reason: there aren't enough computational background or computer computation applications in the others. Those books do a great job with the theory and mathematics, but this book show's you how to use that mathematics to really understand chemistry. It focuses heavily computational chemistry with actual software and the Spartan Quantum chemistry software that book's authors use is very inexpensive if you buy the student version. As a bonus, this book is the most colorful and well laid-out and edited one available today.



4. I used this book for my pchem courses and found it to be completely worthless. While it does focus on computational crap that's not very important the first time around. The quantum chapters are pretty poorly done, and well the thermo stuff is just boring. All in all, I found this text to be useless. The derivations include many errors, and often are presented before the text introduces what they're trying to derive thereby further confusing you. You're better off not buying this book, unless you need for class, and buying one of the more used books like Levine's or Macquarrie's.



5. Let me begin by saying - I love chemistry. I love math. I'm a total nerd. But this book turned me off to both. Taking a year of physical chemistry is hard - but this book makes it even harder. This is the first year my professors have used this book, and I think it will be their last.
   
   The key points aren't covered in detail. The math is overly complicated, and the problems don't hit the right points. I don't have a lot of P.Chem textbook knowledge, but there has to be something better out there.
   
   I wouldn't recommend the text at all - but if you buy it, you ABSOLUTELY need the solutions manual.