Customer Reviews

Chemical Dynamics in Condensed Phases: Relaxation, Transfer, and Reactions in Condensed Molecular Systems (Oxford Graduate Texts)

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

 

 

When I was asked by JACS to write a review of this book, I expected a good concise overview of Prof. Nitzan's many contributions to the field of quantum chemical dynamics. When I received a >700 page text I knew I had my work as a reviewer cut out for me. This book is a milestone in the field. It lays out the foundations of quantum condensed phase dynamics: quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, liquid theory, condensed matter theory, stochastic processes, and spectroscopy, and then builds upon these to present a clear and precise picture of how chemical physicists
and physical chemists view chemical reactions. Most of the results and ideas are from the recent literature--many from Prof. Nitzan's own work over the past 30 odd years. What I really like is the crystal clear pedagogy and development of the topics presented. I am sure that this will be one of the first books I'll turn in doing my own research.

This is really a very specialized book aimed at researchers and graduate students in physical chemistry and chemical physics. However, I think that the presentation is general enough that it will have broader appeal to other areas of physics.
While aimed a a theoretical audience, this will have appeal for experimental researchers. I highly recommend this as a text for an advanced graduate course or as a convenient reference text for researchers in all areas of chemical dynamics.

I am a Grad starting some reaserch in ET field. This book saved me a lot from struggling to understanding basic conceptions, assumptions, models, and theories. It is written so decently and much easier to be understood compared with those original papers.

This book gets 4 stars because it covers so many things so well. It only doesn't get 5 because as I used it, I always found myself back at about page 4 trying to fit the pieces together. The chapters build very strongly on one another, which is generally a plus except when you're only concerned with a few topics covered. If you are interested in powering through this whole book or have a strong background in quantum and statistical mechanics, you will not be disappointed.

I was a graduate student in quantum chemistry, and I knew nothing about chemical dynamics until I read Abe's book as a postdoc. The book is sensational,
and it is by far the easiest place to learn about Marcus theory and Kramer's theory of solvent-controlled reactions. I come back to this book all the time.
There is no book more important for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of chemical dynamics in the condensed phase.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of one of my professors, Andrei Tokmakoff, who gave it strong recommendations. I find it to be ideal as a physical chemist who is interested in getting more into theory. It starts at the level of someone who had a strong background in physics from undergrad but not quite yet a card-carrying theoretician.

Nitzan's presentation is clear, and his breakdown of the topics follows a good flow. I'm basically reading the book a section at a time as bed-time reading, so I'm not exactly plowing through it quickly -- but I find it gives me a good dose of theory to balance each day in the lab. I give it a solid recommendation to anyone who is in my like-minded position.

Any experimental or theoretical researcher of condensed phase chemical dynamics should own this book. It is very methodical and solid. Although very mathematical at points, there are plenty of very insightful discussions. This book connects to experimental reality very well.