Customer Reviews

Basic Chemical Thermodynamics (Oxford Chemistry Series)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a great way to introduce ones self to the area of thermodynamics as applied to chemistry. The text is very informal, yet covers everything one would expect to see in an undergraduate physical chemistry or thermodynamics corse. The layout of the book is simple starting with simple physical analogs of the systems to be examined and from there developing the more complicated relationships between thermodynamic quantities. This book is excellent for those who wish to have a good basis going into further studies in the field or else wish to have a reference of the material.

I would describe this short introduction to thermodynamics as a step above the treatment given in most first year undergraduate General Chemistry courses but a step below the more broad exposure one would receive in the first term of a senior undergraduate Physical Chemistry course.

The subjects covered lean heavily on ideal gases and ideal solutions for about half the book, then short treatments of calculation of thermodynamic quantities, non-ideal solutions, and a basic introduction to statistical mechanics. A familiarity of first year calculus is a requirement but there's very little application of it except in the derivation of some important concepts. All of the problems at the ends of the chapters can be solved with algebra only.

The author, E. Brian Smith, displays a quaint idiosyncracy when performing example calculations involving natural logarithms. For example, when given the opportunity to perform a calculation involving ln(x), he consistently opts to calculate the same value using the base-10 log via the conversion ln(x) = 2.303*log(x), even when the expression in the text clearly calls for the ln(x). The answer is perfectly fine using 2.303*log(x) but it leads me to believe that either the "ln" button on his calculator is broken or he has some irrational phobia for natural logs.

Overall, the book is what I would call a "nice to have" if you want some extra practice problems in General Chemistry but for senior undergraduates I would recommend the first section of "Physical Chemistry" by P.W. Atkins (one of the editors of this book). Graduate students in chemistry or physics will likely find this book to general.