Books
An Introduction to exafs Spectroscopy Techniques and Applications. B. K. Teo and D. C. Joy, exafs
Eds. viii + 275 pages. Plenum Publishing Corporation, 233 Spring St., New York, N.Y. 10013. 1981. $32.50
Reviewed by Nicholas Winograd, De-
partment of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, 152 Davey Laboratory, University Park, Pa. 16802 There has been a veritable explosion of interest in the characterization of solids, liquids, and surfaces with EXAFS (extended X-ray absorption fine Structure) during the past five years or so. This interest stems almost entirely from the development of synchrotron radiation sources for EXAFS
that provide X-ray intensities three or more orders of magnitude greater in the continuum energies than do the standard X-ray tube sources. Thus, not only is it feasible to study highly diluted samples but the analysis time is reduced from the order of weeks to the order of minutes. This text is a compendium of papers presented at a symposium at the 1979 Meeting of the Materials Research Society in Boston, Mass. The 21 different contributions are intend-
cover both a general introduction to the theory and practice of EXAFS and an extended range of applications to a variety of fields of current interest. A special feature of the text is that several chapters are devoted to a comparison of EXAFS initiated using photon sources and using electron sources found in the electron mi-
ed to
croscope. In general, I found the book quite informativé and easy to read. The level of presentation appears most suitable for the novice with a good background in spectroscopy rather than for the EXAFS devotee. The book has a number of highly desirable features. The theory of EXAFS wiggles, and the difficulties involved in interpreting the amplitude of the wiggles are very well explained. Further, there is an excellent section on the mystical rituals routinely employed to remove spurious wiggles, noise, and back-
ground during the Fourier transform procedures. There is an extensive list of references that is complete at least through 1979. There is also a nice presentation on the national synchrotron facilities at Stanford, Cornell, and Brookhaven. The difficulties with the text lie primarily with its format. The fact that many authors contributed to the book leads inevitably to repetition and poor continuity. Further, although the applications delve into several fields such as structure of liquids, amorphous materials, dilute solutions, and materials under the influence of high pressure, there are several obvious missing applications. These include the use of EXAFS in catalysis and in the structural study of inorganic, organic, and biological compounds. Neither is there any discussion of surface EXAFS, clearly an important new application. The focus is toward the physics community rather than the chemistry community. In conclusion, I liked the book as far as it went and can recommend it as a convenient vehicle for initiation into the EXAFS field.
Quality Control in Analytical Chemistry. G. Kateman and F. W. Pijpers. xii + 276 pages. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1981. $40 Reviewed by J. K. Taylor, A309 Chemistry Bldg., Analytical Chemis-
try Division, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. 20234
This is volume 60 in the now familiar series of monographs on analytical chemistry and its applications. Titles can be misleading. In the U.S., quality control has come to mean those actions that provide a means for controling and measuring the characteristics of an item, a process, or a facility to meet established requirements. This book does not conform to this concept but rather discusses principles that define the operational characteristics of the analytical measurement process. The premise is that a better understanding of measurement uncertainties will promote quality data output, a concept with which this reviewer
agrees.
Following a brief introductory chapter, the analytical measurement process is discussed in four related chapters: sampling; analysis; data processing; and organization. The chapter on sampling is one of the best general discussions to be found on this subject. Some 50 pages are devoted to the theoretical requirements of sampling, type of samples, sample quality, and sampling parameters with briefer discussion of sample handling and quality control. The chapter on analysis (53 pp) provides good theoretical discussions of the characteristics that describe the quality, i.e., performance parameters, of an analytical procedure. These include limit of detection, sensitivity, measurability, precision, accuracy, measuring and calibration functions, and selectivity and specificity. The basic principles of ruggedness testing, ranking tests, control charts, and Youden plots are also discussed. The chapter on data processing is
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 53, NO. 14, DECEMBER 1981
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Books the longest of all (91 pp). Topics discussed include tests for normality, transformation of data, information theory, data reduction, curve fitting, data handling, analysis of variance, pattern recognition, and optimization techniques. The concluding chapter is on organization (34 pp) and considers planning and organizational management. Topics in the first category include forecasting methods, trend extrapolation, needs analysis, dynamic and intuitive modeling, evaluation methods, and planning control. The latter highlights checklists, Gantt charts, network diagrams, and flow charts. The second category discusses management theory as related to the encouragement of productivity. From the foregoing, it is clear that this book is not for someone who is looking for practical suggestions on how to establish a quality control program in a measurement system. However, it is highly recommended to anyone seeking a good source of basic in-
formation on a variety of subjects related to improving the chemical ana-
lytical measurement process.
Books Received Methods in Enzymology. Vol. 73. Pt. B. John Langone, Helen Van Vunakis, Eds. xxii + 739 pages. Academic Press, 111 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003. 1981. $59 Progress in Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy. Vol. 2. C. L. Chakrabarti, Ed. v + 386 pages. Pergamon Press, Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, N.Y. 10523. 1981. $76
Comprehensive Treatise of Electrochemistry. Vol. 2. J. O’M. Bockris, et al., Eds. xxii + 616 pages. Plenum Press, 227 West 17th St., New York, N.Y. 10011. 1981. $57.50 Comprehensive Treatise of Electrochemistry. Vol. 3. J. O’M. Bockris, et al., Eds. xxii + 540 pages. Plenum Press, 227 West 17th St., New York, N.Y. 10011. 1981. $55 Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry: Proceedings of a Workshop. K. F.
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J. Heinrich, et al., Eds. vii + 433 pages.
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 1981. $9 First Aid Manual for Chemical Accidents. Marc J. Lefévre and Ernest I. Becker, ix + 218 pages. Academic Press, 111 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003. 1980. $25
Advances in X-ray Analysis. Vol. 24. Deane K. Smith, et al., Eds. xx + 428 pages. Plenum Press, 227 West 17th St., New York, N.Y. 10011. 1981. $49.50
Vibrational Spectra and Structure. Vol. 10. James Durig, Ed. xvi + 498 pages. Elsevier North-Holland, Inc., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1981. $121.25 Liquid Chromatography of Polymers and Related Materials III. Jack Gazes, Ed. viii + 299 pages. Marcel Dekker, Inc., 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1981. $37.50
