Analytical Chemistry: An Introduction (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) [Hardcover]

Douglas A. Skoog (Author), Donald M. West (Author), F. James Holler (Author), Stanley R. Crouch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0030202930 | ISBN-13: 978-0030202933 | Edition: 7

The new edition highlights some of the latest techniques such as supercritical fluid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. The addition of spreadsheet exercises and problems throughout the text provides students with a more modern approach to analytical chemistry.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 880 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 7 edition (August 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0030202930
• ISBN-13: 978-0030202933
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #411,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Alternative to Skoog and West's Fundamentals of..., December 2, 1999

By 

"thed0ct0r" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Analytical Chemistry: An Introduction (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) (Hardcover)

This text is a worthy contender to the classic "Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry' by Skoog and West. I feel it is easier to read, and the examples given in the inserts should provide students with a "real world" need for the topics covered. The coverage is very similar to Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry. The example problems and homework problems are illustrative and challanging. The experiments presented in the final chapters are well documented. My only observations for improvement would be the use of more detailed analysis of some of the insert examples. For example, a battery technology that is discussed in a step by step fashion in terms of equilibria, balancing redox equations, and problem solving. Also, a modernization of laboratory experiments to include topics in biochemistry, food and environmental science would be helpful in any future editon.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good text for intro, general analytical course(s), January 22, 2003

By 

Craig MACKINNON (Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Analytical Chemistry: An Introduction (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) (Hardcover)

We use this text (now in its 7th edition) for both our Analytical I (chemical analysis) and Analytical II (instrumental analysis) courses. They are both 1-semester courses at the sophomore year, and this text is just the correct level and length to cover both courses. There are a number of broad sections, each of which is divided into several chapters. Roughly the 1st half covers chemical methods and the second half covers the instrumental methods. There are also a few chapters devoted to statistical analysis.

The sections are reasonably independent and can be done in pretty much any order, giving a great degree of flexibility. The text itself is easy to read with numerous descriptive diagrams. I say this for second-year level courses - the text is too superficial for higher levels. There is a good mix of descriptive chemistry to give the student a feel for the chemistry behind the analyses. Finally, there are adequate exercises at the end of the chapters, some of which are cumulative with previous sections. There is also a very handy tutorial on the use of Microsoft's Excel for use in a course like this, including some specific exercises in using the spreadsheet. I find it very helpful, and not at all exclusive for those using Excel since Quatro-Pro (and Lotus?) is very similar and contains help files that translate from Excel parlance.

My biggest issue is lack of a section on mass spectroscopy. Skoog's own "Instrumental Analysis" text has a fine section on mass spec, but this text contains virtually no mention of the technique, in spite of the fact that it is an increasingly important technique for both quantitative and qualitative trace analysis. However, that's the only real negative point - this text is very good and useful for 2nd year level analytical courses. (P.S. students find it straightforward and clear as well.)

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Very Poor Book, December 14, 2006

By 

David Smith "doctorjn" (Richmond, VA. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Analytical Chemistry: An Introduction (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) (Hardcover)

I am a CHEM major and I was consistently surprised at how many typos and flat-out errors the SEVENTH edition of this book had - seven editions and still poor editing! The examples that are provided are for simpler problems and when you go to do homework, you're lost. Also, instead of using less than a penny's-worth of ink and printing the equation that they are using in an example, it will just refer you back to another page in the book where it was introduced. Some problems require several equations, and you're flipping back and forth all-over the book just to see what equations they are using.

If you're stuck with this book, I recommend you somehow obtain the INSTRUCTORS' solutions manual (or at least the students' solutions manual) so you can actually do the homework.

I also bought a used, previous edition of the Harris Quantitative Analysis textbook. You can get it and a solutions manual pretty cheap if you get a previous version and it's a good book that will explain what Skoog tries to explain so poorly.