Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis- Third Edition, Revised and Expanded (Robinson, James W.).pdf
1
with a series uf bibliographies and note*. Several appendixes and a glwsary provided addrtionsl ruppon data and an entr6 into technical terms and government acronyms. The index is annoyingly incomplete. The hook concludes with two short chap- ters. The penultimate deals with the inter- national efforts and frustrations to curb risks. The last sums up where we are now and what rational prospects are for the future. Not unexpectedly, no quick fixes are offered for certainly none exists. People who have read Science, Chemical and Engineering News, and agood newspaper far the past thirty years will not find much new information in "The Two Faces of Chemistry." Persons who wish to acquire material to support their own views about chemistry and the world situation will find it of valueas will younger membersof the pro- fessiun for whmn the dirillusionments of the Vietnam Wnrnnd thedisenchantment d the 1973 oil crisis are items of history. William B. Smith Texas Christian University Fm Worth, TX 76129 ~nderaraduate Instrumental Analvsls: - Third Edition, Revlsed and Expanded. James W. Robinson, Marcel Dekker. Inc., New York. NY, 1982. iii + 550 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. 528.75. This textbook which is specifically aimed for use in undergraduate level course in in- strumqntal methods of analysis is very well written and organized and is a good teaching text. There are special features which set this hook apart from other hookson this subject. One is an introductory section which dis- cusses "What is Analytid Chemistry?". This reviewer disagrees slightly on the philosophy of analvtical chemistrv eiven. hut I think that ,.. . the prerenmtm 19 well t h o u g h t . < ~ ~ t and eacn indiwduol mstructm can make use uf it to give thew uwn varmtronr. I thinksucha drx- cussion is important. Another special feature is the author's presentation of spectroscopy starting with long wavelength techniques and ~roceedine throueh the electromaenetic " " spectrum toshortrr na\plengrh techniques. Initially, this seemed onnorurnl, hur the reading of the trut, ir lenda thpitudent in,m the most simple photon matter interactions (or excitations) to the more complex pro- cesses. It is interesting to note that mass spectrometry is not included as a spectro- scopic technique. It is treated separately since it should be classified as a separation tech- nique. It is understandable, considering the au- thor's field of expertise, that the spectrmopy chapters of this text are very comprehensive, although brief, and are easily understood by students at the undergraduate level. The applicability and limitations of each tech- nique are pointed out. For example, quanti- tative analytical applications of infrared spectroscopy are usually ignored or given a one-page mention in most texts. This is a very important technique in industrial and envi- ronmental analysis and is well covered in this text. There are, however, certain weaknesses in this text. In general, the book is polarized with respect to its coverage of spectroscopic technique. Chromatographic techniques are covered adequately, but electroanalytical methods are discussed in one brief chapter. This chapter is not only out-of-date in that it covers only the classical techniques such as potentiometry, coulometry, amperometry, and polarography, but also it completely omits the modern electroanalytical tech- niques used extensivelynow for trace analysis and reaction mechanism and kinetic studies (AC polarography, pulse polarography, an- odic stripping analysis, cyclic voltammetry, spectroelectroehemistry, etc.). In addition, several other, important techniques in in- strumental analysis are omitted completely. A partial list of these are activation analysis, radiochemical methods, M6sshauer spec- troscopy, polymer analysis, kinetic methods, and surface techniques. Clearly, if this hook is to he used in a survey course covering all aspects of modern instrumental analyses, the instructor will need to suoolement the text. . . The blblwgraphv. s u g g ~ ~ k d experlmrnffi. and prnhlemtg.ven at thrmdofeach rhnpter are adequate except for rhe rhaptrr on QIPC- trochemistry. Harry B. Mark Jr. University of Cincinnati Cincinnati. OH 45221 Volume 61 Number 4 April 1984 A141
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Transcript of Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis- Third Edition, Revised and Expanded (Robinson, James W.).pdf
-
with a series uf bibliographies and note*. Several appendixes and a glwsary provided addrtionsl ruppon data and an entr6 into technical terms and government acronyms. The index is annoyingly incomplete.
The hook concludes with two short chap- ters. The penultimate deals with the inter- national efforts and frustrations to curb risks. The last sums up where we are now and what rational prospects are for the future. Not unexpectedly, no quick fixes are offered for certainly none exists.
People who have read Science, Chemical and Engineering News, and agood newspaper far the past thirty years will not find much new information in "The Two Faces of Chemistry." Persons who wish to acquire material to support their own views about chemistry and the world situation will find i t of valueas will younger membersof the pro- fessiun for whmn the dirillusionments of the Vietnam Wnrnnd thedisenchantment d the 1973 oil crisis are items of history.
William B. Smith Texas Christian University
F m Worth, TX 76129
~ n d e r a r a d u a t e Instrumental Analvsls: - Third Edition, Revlsed and Expanded.
James W. Robinson, Marcel Dekker. Inc., New York. NY, 1982. i i i + 550 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. 528.75.
This textbook which is specifically aimed for use in undergraduate level course in in- strumqntal methods of analysis is very well written and organized and is a good teaching text. There are special features which set this hook apart from other hookson this subject. One is an introductory section which dis- cusses "What is Analytid Chemistry?". This reviewer disagrees slightly on the philosophy of analvtical chemistrv eiven. hut I think that ,.. . the prerenmtm 19 well thought.
