Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews The Essential Guide to Analytical Chemistry G. Schwedt. Wiley: New York, 1997. 248 pp. ISBN 0-47197412-9. $34.95.
This guide is encyclopedic in nature as translated from the second German edition. Its contents range from fundamental analytical principles and sample preparation to basic chemical, biochemical, electrochemical, thermal, atomic, and molecular techniques. There are also a few chapters at the end describing the automation of analytical procedures and specialized analytical applications such as radiochemical methods and chemical sensors. It is apparent that the primary audience targeted by this compact handbook is technicians versed in the fundamentals of chemistry who need a handy manual for basic technique familiarization. In this sense the book serves its purpose well, and the organization, format, and superb color graphics make referencing very convenient, if not complete. For example, the chapter on separation methods is subdivided into physical and chemical methods, chromatographic methods, and electrophoresis, with further subdivisions covering the most important subfields of each technique. Color illustrations provide labeled schematic diagrams of instrumental components, representative data, and various calibration formats. A useful addition would have been the inclusion of comparative tables illustrating the relative strengths and weaknesses and most widely accepted applications of the instrumental techniques discussed. Although basic theory and measurement principles are included in the early discussion for each group of analytical methods, this is neither the strength of this guide nor its primary function, and readers will need to look to more in-depth sources to gain such insight. Explicit procedures associated with method development and practical instructions on the operation of particular types of instruments are also well beyond the scope of this text. In summary, this book will serve well those readers looking for a conveniently sized ready-reference of analytical chemistry. I commend the authors and the publisher on producing a well-translated English edition with logical organization and using a graphics-intensive format. Sandra K. Wheeler Department of Chemistry Furman University Greenville, SC 29613
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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 4 April 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
