book reviews The Chemistry ot Silica
Ralph K. Iler, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1979. xxiv 866 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 em. $65.00.
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This book represents an effort to present a ~ O n l p l e tdescription ~ of the rhemirtry of silica and is a greatly expanded and updated verrion of a previous hook by thesnme author ( ' T h e Chemistry of Silica and Silicates." Cornell llnivemitv Press. 19S.i,.The b o ~ k i r divided into seven chaptem-The Occurrence, Dissolution, and Deposition of Silica, 115 pp.; Water Soluble Silicates, 55 pp.; Palymerization of Silica, 150 pp. ;Colloidal Silica-Concentrated Sols, 127 pp.; Silica Gels and Powders, 160 pp.; The Surface Chemistry of Silica, 108 pp.: and Silica in Biology, 83 pp. The author has undertaken a massive effort in summarizing and abstracting approximately three thousand references into a readahle and coherent description of the chemistry of silica. The book is well-written in that sufficient detail is provided to allow one unfamiliar with a particular topic to derive a basic understanding. On the other hand, the detail presented and literature reviewed provides substantial reference material for individuals familiar with the general area. Each chapter is broken down into a number of subtopics generally covering the chemistry, physical properties, preparations when appropriate, and uses of the particular forms discussed. In summary, the book serves as a major reference work for those interested in silica. In addition, the style and detail provided make it a useful b w k for thme with a general interest but with little or no background in the area (including undergraduates and graduate students). Mlchael A. Cusanovich Deparlmsnt of Biochemistry Universityof Arizom Tucson. AZ 8572i
quickly reviews material on the three states of matter a t the level of a standard physical chemistry course. Subsequent chapters deal with intermolecular forces, statistical mechanics of liquids, phase changes, hydrodynamics and acoustics, ultrasonic waves, behavior of liquids under tension and compression, surface effects, liquid structure, mixtures and solutions, transport processes, non-Newtonian fluids, and liquid helium. Both molecular and phenomenological aspects of these subjects are discussed with the emphasis on physical ideas rather than mathematical developments. I found the chapter on intermolecular forces especially gwd. The dipole-dipole interaction, dipole-induced dipole interaction, and London dispersion energy are clearly explained, as is the law of corresponding states. I t is unfortunate, however, that the discussion was not extended a little further so as to include developments beyond the overly simplistic Lennard-Jones pair potential. The diversity of topics and the clarity of prcsentatim make this book suitable for an advanced undergraduate or a beginning graduate student with an elementary knowledge of statistical mechanics. Each chapter contains extensive references to other, more specialized hooks and to the literature. Unfortunately, there are no problems. It is the wide scope and resultant lark of depth, however, that detract from the buuk's vnlue for research workers. Moreover, little recent or current material is discussed. For example, while the Pereus-Yevick integral equation for the radial distribution function is mentioned in nassine. -. the hvoernettedchain integral equation and the vari
