Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews Introduction to Modern Inorganic Chemistry, 6th Edition by K. M. MacKay, R. A. MacKay, and W. Henderson Nelson Thornes Ltd.: London, 2002. 640 pp, ISBN 0748764208 $44. reviewed by L. L. Pesterfield
K. M. MacKay, R. A. MacKay, and W. Henderson’s Introduction to Modern Inorganic Chemistry, 6th edition is an excellent review and resource of all that is inorganic chemistry. The authors lead the reader from a review of SI units and geometric shapes in a preface chapter to up-to-date treatments of metal-polychalcogenide compounds (Chapter 19) and medicinal inorganic chemistry (Chapter 20). The text is loosely divided into three sections: general principles (Chapters 1–8 and 13), descriptive chemistry (Chapters 9–12, 14, 15, and 17) and selected topics (Chapters 16 and 18–20). The general principles section contains chapters on the electronic structure and properties of atoms, valence bond and molecular orbital theories of covalent molecules, solid state, solution chemistry, experimental methods of analysis, and general properties of transition metal complexes. The descriptive chemistry section includes individual chapters on hydrogen, the “s” block elements, the lanthanides, the actinides, first row transition metals, combined second and third row transition metals, and the “p” block elements. Within the selected topics section are discussions on metal clusters, nitrogen fixation, “superheavy” elements, cluster compounds of “p” block elements, dendrimeric molecules; and biological, medicinal, and environmental inorganic chemistry.
648
Journal of Chemical Education
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Each chapter is loaded with great diagrams, data tables, and structures of compounds. Of particular usefulness to me were the numerous data tables of atomic properties (e.g. ionization energies, radii, and electronegativity), the molecular orbital diagrams of diatomic and polyatomic molecules with the corresponding photoelectron spectrum; and the table of common solid-state structures and their relation to closepacked structures. All of this adds to the well written discussions. There is one weakness in the text: the lack of problems and exercises. There are no illustrative example problems in any of the chapters and only an average of five homework exercises at the end of each chapter. If you consider assigned homework problems an integral part of your inorganic courses, as I do, be prepared to supplement the text. With this said, the best part of the text is found in Appendix A, which is an 18-page catalogue of additional readings that includes textbooks, monographs, journal articles, reference books, and Internet resources on every major theme and concept in the text. The authors have even taken the time to organize the material according to chapter topics. What a gold mine of resources for a student. How many times as a student or researcher have you needed to clarify a point covered in a source and not known where to turn? It will never happen again with this exhaustive list in hand. My overall opinion of the text is that, as a resource and review for first-year graduate students or bachelor-level chemists, it is superb. The lack of end-of-the-chapter problems and exercises causes me to be hesitant about selecting it as my primary text for a senior-level inorganic course. L. L. Pesterfield is in the Department of Chemistry, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101;
[email protected].
Vol. 81 No. 5 May 2004
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www.JCE.DivCHED.org
