Treatise on Electrochemistry
G. K o r t ~ m , University of Tiihingen, Germmy. 2nd ed. American Elsevier Puhlishine Ca.. New York. 1965. xxii 637 pp. Figs. and tables. 17 X 25cm. $30.
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The "Treatise ou Eleatrochemistry" is nn English translation and revision of the third German Edition (1962) of Professor Kortiim's "Lehrhueh der Elektrochemie," the first German Edit,ion of which was trannlated and expanded hy J. O'M. Ihckris; "Textbook of Electrochemistry," (:. Kortiim and J. O'M. Bockris, Elsevier Publishing Co., New York, 1951 (ill two volumes). Topics covered in the "Treatise" illclude: principles of thermodynsmin: and lheir application to chemical eqnilihrium, the phyilieal chemistry of ions in solntion, including solvation, ionio interaction and association, conductance, acids and hases, eled.romotive iorces and their applications, potential differences a t pha-e boundaries (double layer theory), eleetmkinetic phenomena, electrical polarization and t,he kinetics of elertrode processes, rtppliestionr of electrode processes, including fuel cells. The farmst and level of presentstkm are ahout the same as that of the Kortiim and Hoekris fimt English edition, but with the deletion of the chapter on the eleetmchemistry of gases and t h a t on experimental methods uf electmchemistry, t,he ext,er~sivetahleof r:ertair~ physiea-chemical properties, and the ~eotiono n illnritrat,ive pnhlems and their d u t i o n s . Additions to this, I he second English edition, irdude a hrief chapter on wsociertion and i r ~ n m p l e t e dissoeistion of slrong eler:tmlyt,es and a chapter on certain applieatims of electrochemical proceqses. The chapter on eleclmdepolariastiorl and electode kinetics and that a n pobential diifereneex xl phase houndariev wpeeially have hem rewritte~, 118 include the results of recent work. The presentation is lucid, not xuperficial. Where poasihle, explaniltio~isare hwed ou first, principles. I n this sense the "Treatise on Electrochemist,ry" should be couridered as a "Lehrhuch," and not as it w m p r e hermive treatise. It mn serve as a rigomw introduction into those branches of physics1 chemistry whieh have come lo be called eleetrochemirtry, hut which for one reason or another are mentioned only briefly, if a t all, in wldergraduste physical rhemist.ry textbooks. The level of presentatim is t,hat of such texts, hut with much more material on 311 ameels of iilw III .olulim awl I I ~II~ c I I : ~HYI I ~ I ~ Irw~.d:iri+. The prinar? u - e d 1 1 . t i s . *< wodd seem to he as a source of cullatersl reading for courses in physical chemistry ;md electrochemistry. T h e price virtually preclude3 its use as a reqnired text, and relegates it, ta t,he library reference shelf. The translation appesm to he without Raw. A bibliography follows chapter sect,ionn and an extended list of refereucw is given a t the end of each ch&ptpter.The latter include work up to a t lea-t 1964. A short, appendix mntaina, for inriiance, a table of the I e r c u v and Ammoniwn." matter, starting a. research in the solid J. V. D. state or materials field shnnld certainly
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