Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews
Principles of Thermodynamics. (Undergraduate Chemistry, 15) by Myron Kaufman and Philippe M. Foret Marcel Dekker: New York, 2002. 408 pp. ISBN: 0824706927. Price: $85 reviewed by Pedro J. Bernal
Principles of Thermodynamics is volume fifteen of the Marcel Dekker Undergraduate Chemistry textbook series edited by J. J. Lagowski. It is intended to be used as a textbook in a one-semester course in chemical thermodynamics. It can also be used as a text for the first semester in a yearlong physical chemistry course since, in most programs, the first semester is essentially thermodynamics. The book begins with an introduction to the properties of both ideal and real gases as well as condensed phases. Chapter 1 also contains a detailed discussion of the equation of state, condensation, the critical point, and the principle of corresponding states. Chapter 2 defines terms, introduces the zeroth and first law of thermodynamics, and goes on to apply conservation of energy to a number of processes. Chapter 3 introduces the concept of entropy and the second law. The third law of thermodynamics and the advantages of using the Gibbs and Helmholtz free energy functions are topics detailed in Chapter 4. Up to this point, the sequence of topics is very much the one used in standard undergraduate physical chemistry textbooks. Chapter 5, however, introduces statistical mechanics in which the macroscopic thermodynamic properties are connected to the microscopic states of the system. The Boltzmann definition of entropy is used to derive statistical mechanics relationships. These relationships are, in turn, used to derive formulas for macroscopic thermodynamic functions using partition functions. The statistical mechanics framework is then applied to systems such as ideal gases, and simple polymer mechanics.
In Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9 the thermodynamic formalism is applied to phase transitions in single-component systems, chemical reactions, ideal, and non-ideal solutions, respectively. This is material that is also covered more or less in this order in standard physical chemistry texts. Chapter 10 is on ionized systems, and Chapter 11 on surfaces. The text concludes with Chapter 12 on steady-state systems. Each chapter contains a good set of problems and explanatory notes. Examples are worked throughout the text. In addition, the book contains four appendices. Appendices A and B are on multivariable calculus and numerical methods, respectively. Appendix C is a table of thermodynamic properties, and D is a glossary of symbols. The book also contains a detailed index. I like this book a great deal. It describes itself in a way that I think captures the essence of the text: “compact and rigorous”. So it is. This book is highly recommended for libraries in both universities and liberal arts colleges. Who is the audience for this book? As already stated, it is intended for a one-semester undergraduate course in thermodynamics but it can also be used for a first-year graduate introduction to chemical thermodynamics. The book may be a bit advanced for undergraduates in some programs, but those working with students with a solid background in mathematics can certainly use it—as does one of the book’s authors (who is at Emory University). Let me say, to conclude, that this book, in addition to being a good text, is beautiful. The type is the right size, the figures are well done, and the equations are set just right on the page. There is no getting around the fact that books are esthetically pleasing objects, and we should say it more often. To those of us that have been around for a while, this text will bring to mind Chemical Thermodynamics by Klotz and Rosenberg. If you ask me, that is not bad company. Pedro J. Bernal is in the Chemistry Department, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789;
[email protected].
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 80 No. 12 December 2003 • Journal of Chemical Education
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