Chemical Education Today edited by
Book & Media Reviews
Jeffrey Kovac University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-1600
Ewing’s Analytical Instrumentation Handbook, 3rd Edition edited by Jack Cazes Marcel Dekker: New York, NY, 2005. 1037 pp. ISBN 0824753488 (cloth). $249.95. reviewed by Jack K. Steehler
Analysts are often faced with the key questions “Which technique should I use?” and “How can I learn both the basics of that method and key aspects of using the method?” To answer those questions, a number of resources come to mind. The first would be an undergraduate/graduate textbook in instrumental analysis, which would provide a broad overview at a basic level. A second would be a monograph specific to one particular kind of technique that discusses a single topic in notable detail. Between these two is the “handbook category”, where material is presented in greater detail than in an instructional textbook but still covers a wide range of topics rather than just one. The third edition of Ewing’s Analytical Instrumentation Handbook is such a handbook. Covering a wide variety of topics in depth, it is an excellent resource for anyone who wants an advanced introduction to a variety of analytical methods. This resource is a figurative and literal heavyweight. Its 31 chapters and more than 1000 large-size pages (filled with small text) provide an enormous amount of information. About a third of the book discusses spectroscopic techniques (11 chapters, all the standard types of spectroscopy); the second third covers various separation methods (10 chapters); and the remaining third hits a cross section of other topics, including four chapters on electrochemistry and three chapters on automation. The core of spectroscopy and separation science is appropriate and well chosen, covering the expected topics. There is even a chapter on Validation of Chromatographic Methods, an important topic for any lab working in a regulated environment. Additional, more unusual chapters include a chapter on Chiroptical Spectroscopy and a long chapter (100 pages) on Microfluidic Lab-on-a Chip methods, both of current research interest. As with most compendia of chapters by different authors, the coverage isn’t always uniform. Thermal methods (64 pages), EPR spectroscopy (50 pages), and the Lab-on-a-Chip chapter (100 pages) are on the longer, more complete end of
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the spectrum, while the Mass Spectrometry (16 pages) and Biosensors (6 pages) chapters seem unexpectedly brief. Other uneven treatments include hyphenated methods, where HPLC hyphenated methods get a whole 50 page chapter, but the workhorse GC hyphenated methods get only a six-page section. At least 100 literature references are included with most chapters, but extremes exist, such as only two references for the whole ICP chapter and more than 500 references in the “Lab-on-a-Chip” chapter. References are mostly current to 2002 or 2003. About half of the chapters include sections on the applications of the technique; the other half do not. Regardless of these differences, the book is a solid and authoritative reference across the board. Compared to the previous edition, one chapter on balances has been eliminated, but eight new chapters (six of which are on chromatography) have been added, correctly reflecting changing emphases in analytical practice. Still absent are chapters on sampling, general sample treatment, and statistical methods, except a nice overview of chemometric methods in the Use of Computers chapter. This handbook has been designed with each chapter standing alone, as a “read the whole chapter” tutorial on the chapter topic. While not a replacement for full monographs on individual methods, each chapter provides far more information than instructional textbooks. Users who might want to use the book to look up specific single facts, questions, or topics may be disappointed. The index is only 2.5 pages and is far from complete. That won’t bother users who read the chapters of interest as a whole, but may handicap the occasional user. Every analytical laboratory should have a handbook of this type! Analytical chemistry is a field with great breadth, and the need to access information about the many available techniques is very common. This book clearly serves that market well. Analysts might also consider similar works by other authors, such as Dean’s Analytical Chemistry Handbook.1 Whichever handbook is selected, expect to use it often! Note 1. An example is Dean’s Analytical Chemistry Handbook, 2nd Edition edited by Pradyot Patnaik and published in 2004 by McGraw-Hill; ISBN 0071410600, $150.
Jack Steehler is in the Department of Chemistry, Roanoke College, Salem, VA 24153;
[email protected] Vol. 82 No. 9 September 2005
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Journal of Chemical Education
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