The World of Physical Chemistry PDF

Rating: (5 reviews) Author: ISBN : 9780198559191 New from $72.28 Format: PDF

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This book offers an account of the field of physical chemistry as it has evolved over the years, from its emergence as a distinct discipline in the late 19th century through today's miracle discoveries. The book covers all of the main branches of physical chemistry: thermodynamics, kinetic theory, statistical mechanics, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, quantum chemistry, and colloid and surface chemistry. It describes the difficulties faced by early investigators resulting from attitudes of the churches, governments, and even the universities, which tended to emphasize classical studies. The book also discusses the ways in which physical scientists have communicated with each other over the course of the discipline's history. Teachers, researchers and students of physical chemistry as well as physicists and historians of science will find this lively book interesting and informative.

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• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 27, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198559194
• ISBN-13: 978-0198559191
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

The World of Physical Chemistry PDF

This is a wonderful book about the development of ideas in physical chemistry, and particularly on the great (and some cases not so great) scientists who developed them. Keith Laidler starts by comparing the lives and work of two scientists that he knew personally, Henry Eyring and Ronald Norrish, whose characters were different in almost every way. His point is that there is no unique kind of person who makes a great scientist.

The book also includes quite a lot of theory and experimental information about the different domains. Although it is not written as a textbook, therefore, it makes a better textbook than many that are intended as such. This is particularly the case in the first chapter, which deals with thermodynamics. Everybody finds thermodynamics difficult, but why? The mathematics of classical thermodynamics is not difficult, but the ideas that lie behind the equations remain depressingly obscure to many people. With statistical thermodynamics it is the other way round: the ideas are not obscure, but their mathematical implementation is not easy. A historical account is very helpful for understanding the whole subject, for realizing that classical thermodynamics did not spring fully formed from Sadi Carnot's head, but required a lot of argument during most of the 19th century, and most of the key players a great deal of difficulty understanding what it all meant. William Thomson (Kelvin), for example, despite making major advances, was never able to get his head around the concept of entropy --- he's not the only one, a modern student might say. Josiah Willard Gibbs made major advances too, but he wrote in such an obscure style that hardly anyone would have understood his ideas if James Clerk Maxwell hadn't taken the trouble to make sense of them.

Wow. This book is a gem.

This is one of those rare, multi-faceted, scholarly-yet-almost-conversational, history-meets-biography-meets-science, wide-in-scope-yet-judiciously-selected-and-prudently-restrained, nothing-else-like-it -type, wish-it-existed book that one at times wonders if someone will ever write, and if they do, if they'll do it justice, let alone have enough 'meat' to keep those with a technical bent interested, while simultaneously not delving so far into detail that the layman (albeit a scientifically-inclined layman) can't keep up, & weaving it all along a timeline for which various relevant scientists whose work is described are brought in not only in a somewhat classic biographical sense, but also relative to other scientists of their respective times, & what they thought of the others' work, where there was agreement, where there wasn't & why, how aspects of such affected the direction that others took, etc.

It takes remarkable skill to balance the fine lines associated with all of that, especially when the scientific discipline in question happens to be one which many find rather challenging (& with good reason).

To meld the many & varied relevant facts, & produce such a fascinating & descriptive 'biography' of the development of a science, & in this case, one of my favorites, physical chemistry, is an accomplishment for which my words simply cannot do justice to the level of excellence demonstrated, & profound skill in conveying this information in such a conversational style. The result produced by Laidler is far above what most could have attained even if given the same 'notes'.

This book is one of a kind.