Chemical Education Today edited by
book & media reviews
Edward J. Walsh Allegheny College Meadville, PA 16335
Inorganic Chemistry: An Industrial and Environmental Perspective T. W. Swaddle. Academic: San Diego, 1997. xvi + 429 pp + appendices and index. 16.0 × 23.5 cm. ISBN 0-12678550-3. $65.00. Inorganic chemistry draws its strength from its great practical utility, and this book represents the subject from the standpoint of applications rather than the customary views of symmetry point groups, quantum mechanics, and numerous bonding theories. This is not your traditional Junior/Senior/1st-year-graduate-student inorganic text. The book’s central purposes are to explain the role of inorganic chemistry in the modern world and to provide a source book of readable proportions for students, scientists, engineers, and the interested public. The text is a cornucopia of descriptive chemistry combined with an appropriate blend of theory and experiment to explain and support its central topics. The text is organized as 19 chapters, 6 appendices, and an index. The chapter titles are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
Importance of Inorganic Chemistry, 10 pp Chemical Energetics, 39 pp Catenation: Inorganic Macromolecules, 17 pp Crystalline Solids, 25 pp The Defect Solid State 19 pp Inorganic Solids as Heterogeneous Catalysts, 13 pp Silicates, Aluminates, and Phosphates, 23 pp The Atmosphere and Atmospheric Pollution, 25 pp Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potash in Agriculture, 11 pp Sulfur and Sulfur Compounds, 15 pp Alkalis and Related Products, 15 pp The Halogens, 15 pp Ions in Solution, 25 pp Water Conditioning, 21 pp Oxidation and Reduction in Solution, 41 pp Corrosion of Metals, 29 pp Extractive Metallurgy, 33 pp Organometallics, 19 pp Some Newer Solid-State Technologies, 19 pp
Chapter titles alone do not tell the whole story because they hide a diverse yet interesting collection of subtopics. Most chapters are short—ideal to hold the interest of undergraduate students yet packed with information and, yes, some chemistry. For example, Chapter 8, on the atmosphere and atmospheric pollution, contains individual subsections titled Carbon dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect; Other
greenhouse gases; Supercritical carbon dioxide; Carbon monoxide; Ozone; The stratospheric ozone layer; Ozone as a pollutant; Nitrous oxide; Nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide; and Sulfur dioxide and trioxide. Each chapter ends with a half-dozen or so application exercises for students (answers to some problems are given, but most do not have printed answers). Oxidation–reduction processes play an important chemical role in most everyday applications and we find here that redox is the common thread that connects all the chapters. Interested in discovering what Pourbaix diagrams and overpotential are all about? Chapter 15 spells it out along with the nature of fuel cells, electrochemical storage cells, electrolysis, electroplating, and electroforming. Not satisfied and need more for your money? Look at the subtopics in Chapter 16: Bimetallic corrosion; Corrosion by oxygen; Bimetallic corrosion of iron; Single-metal corrosion; Role of oxide films; Crevice and intergranular corrosion; Corrosion by acids and with complexing agents; The role of overpotential in corrosion; Cathodic protection; Protective coatings; Corrosion inhibitors; Atmospheric corrosion; and finally, Corrosion-resistant metals. A reader seeking information on one particular topic can easily find supporting information. Sources of additional information are given at the end of each chapter; most are monographs or reviews that contain citations to the primary literature. References are often made to the original sources or to authoritative scientific news articles. Inorganic Chemistry: An Industrial and Environmental Perspective is intended to provide its readership with a concise overview of the applications of inorganic chemistry in a world that is increasingly dominated by technology and its ramifications. It should find a niche either as a textbook for an independent one-semester course in applied inorganic chemistry or as a complement to a conventional academic text in a full-year course on inorganic chemistry. Professor Swaddle’s graceful writing style will be appreciated by students, who, after reading a paragraph or two, will be able to say: “Hey, that makes sense”, rather than “What does this say?” It will find favor with educators, practicing engineers, geologists, environmental scientists, and entrepreneurs as a compact reference book and guide to the title subject. Jay Worrell Department of Chemistry University of South Florida Tampa, FL 33620-5250
Vol. 74 No. 12 December 1997 • Journal of Chemical Education
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