Customer Reviews

Handbook of Instrumental Techniques for Analytical Chemistry

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Have you ever tried to explain what analytical chemistry is, to a friend, relative, or stranger feigning interest in what you do? The attempt quickly reveals the depth and complexity of a field so easily named with two simple words. Where do you begin? What do you leave out? Trying to write a textbook on the many facets of analytical chemistry is even more difficult; some attempts run to many volumes. Some texts focus on the physical principles of a technique, others on the applications. Prentice-Hall's new Handbook of Instrumental Techniques for Analytical Chemistry (Frank Every lab occasionally faces a problem outside the usual routine - questions their normal instruments can't answer. The Handbook helps them figure out what instruments might do the job. The goal of the book is to introduce nonspecialist scientists to the major techniques, outlining how each works, what it does, its limitations, the information produced, plus practical matters such as costs to buy and operate, and the expertise required of an operator. Each chapter has a list of manufacturers and a bibliography for further self-education. A person who goes through a chapter will be ready to ask intelligent questions of experts in the field and understand the buzzwords peculiar to each discipline. The book contains a CD-ROM with software for selecting appropriate methods for a sample and analysis; since it runs on Windows (3.1, 95, or NT), I couldn't test it on my Macintosh. The authors of the chapters are a mix of university researchers, innovators from industry, and a few carefully-selected experts from instrument companies, who avoid the temptation to promote their own products. For example, the STM/AFM chapter was written by Huub Salemink of the IBM labs in Zurich, where the technique was pioneered. Although I don't want to slight any of the excellent authors who contributed chapters, some areas are truly outstanding texts in their own right. Ron Majors' discussion of organic sample preparation is as thorough as readers of his LC*GC columns would expect. Robert Megargle covers LIMS with the knowledge of many years as user and observer. Defining categories for the overlapping techniques of analytical chemistry is always a challenge. Settle wisely avoided the traditional choice of categorization by underlying physical principles and grouped them according to logical applications. The result includes some based on the instrument types (separation methods, for example) and others on broad application areas (polymer analysis). While purists might fret over this organization, in fact, it makes for easy access, without having to shuffle through the whole book to gather information on a specific analysis. In a single volume covering fields that are often evolving rapidly, there are bound to be a few omissions. The ones I noted were: near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, which has become so important recently; microscopy other than SPM, especially the analytical use of electron microscopes (SEM and TEM); better discussions of time-of-flight and ion trap mass spec; ion sources other than ESI for LC-MS; microwave ovens used for digestion and extraction of inorganic samples (Majors covers its use in organic extraction); flow injection (and segmented-flow) analysis; arc-spark emission spectrometers (mentioned in passing). To really pick nits, there was no mention of solid phase microextraction (SPME) or of specialized analyzers such as CHN, TOC, BOD, or systems for Hg, CN, or S analysis. At the same time, it includes a chapter on the truly exotic and rare technique of atomic fluorescence. Any manageable text will overlook some methods and cover some obscure favorites; this criticism is hardly fatal. Any book on an evolving technology is a snapshot in time and will fairly quickly become dated. The newest techniques have already gone beyond the descriptions in their chapters. This text, nevertheless, will be an excellent introduction to analytical instrument techniques for some years, even if the published prices and suppliers' names may age. I hope some of the more enlightened professors of instrumental analysis will use it as a text; their students will emerge as better analytical chemists. It will certainly help me better understand the techniques I survey each month. Excerpted with permission from Analytical Consumer, Jo Rita Jordan, Editor and Publisher

This book is a must for the instrumental chemist. It covers it some detail most general and specialized instrumental techniques employed by chemist. It also gives specific applications of these techniques, manufacturers of instruments and supplies, and estimates on costs. In my lab I often find people first refering to this book when reviewing a new technique or wishing to 'brush up' on a technique they have not used in a while. It is a good first reference and I reccomend it to any analytical chemist.

The content of the book is great and I have no complaints. The coverage of instrumental analysis techniques is quite complete, although some procedures such as Mossbauer spectroscopy and instrumental neutron activation analysis are not discussed. My problem is that I paid for a new book and was sent an inferior "Low Cost Edition" that was printed in India and expressly for sale only in Asia - I live in the U.S. The book was also used and had the previous owner's name whited out in the inside front cover. An illegal, low cost used book is not what I ordered.

I bought the 1997 edition of this book, with CD, in 2001 for $70.00 -- I cannot recommend it as being worth more than that. I really didn't find it to be very useful for my original intent, which was to have a good reference for instrumental techniques, including those used in pharmaceutical and biological research. The CD included with the book has a simple, almost DOS level, program that installs and aids to some small extent in picking specific methods to do analysis of some sample type you input. My only comment is that, if you need this kind of gimmick to choose your analytical method, you would be better off getting into a job or a class that uses current analytical instrumentation.

Having seen the current offering price and since I still have the book, little used, my quandary is whether I should be offering it for some highly inflated price, or go ahead and give it to the Goodwill as I was about to do.