Spectra of Atoms and Molecules (Topics in Physical Chemistry) [Hardcover]

Peter F. Bernath (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195075986 | ISBN-13: 978-0195075984 | Publication Date: March 23, 1995

Spectra of Atoms and Molecules is a very thorough and pedagogically organized textbook. It emphasizes the fundamental principles of spectroscopy with its primary goal being to teach students how to interpret spectra. The book reviews the basic skills needed to understand the material, including a clear presentation of group theory. A large number of excellent problems, many stated in the language of matrices, are found at the end of each chapter. In keeping with the visual aspects of the course, the author provides a large number of diagrams and spectra specifically recorded for this book. The author discusses such topics as molecular symmetry, matrix representation of groups, quantum mechanics and group theory. Analyses are made of atomic, rotational, vibrational, and electronic spectra. The Raman effect is also discussed. Undergraduate senior and first-year graduate students studying molecular spectroscopy will find this text indispensable. It will also be of interest to professionals in chemistry, physics, astronomy, and engineering.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is written in a lucid, explanatory style at a level that should be accessible to readers having some minimal knowledge of quantum mechanics, and it will serve as an excellent introduction to the spectra of diatomic and polyatomic molecules." --Physics Today

"An excellent text for our Spectroscopy course. Good use of group theory." --Mary Jane Shultz, Tufts University

"A solid treatment of basic spectroscopy." --J. Steinfeld, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"Excellent for graduate level introductory spectroscopy! It is well written, clear and logically organized." --Jin Zhang, University of California at Santa Cruz

"I can hardly wait for my next chance to teach spectroscopy from this book!" --Howard Stidham, University of Massachusetts

"Really very beautiful! Students will appreciate its tight economy and organization." --Howard Mettel, Youngstown State University

"Excellent! One of the clearest approaches I have seen." --John Guthrie, University of Central Oklahoma

"First and foremost, I would like to highlight the very readable nature of this text, which derives from the conversational style and the natural flow and connection of the material as the text develops. There is a good balance between informal explanatory discussions and more formal presentations. . .Errors are bound to occur, particularly in a first edition, but in my reading of the text I did not encounter any errors at all. . .The problems at the end of the chapters appear quite good with a sufficient distribution of straightforward and more difficult questions. . .I am very enthusiastic about this text and certainly plan to use it the next time I teach an entry-level spectroscopy course. I recommend that instructors take a serious look at this text when planning their future courses.--American Journal of Physics

"This book. . .sets out to introduce beginners, who have a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics, to modern spectroscopy based on the matrix approach. . .It will interest postgraduate molecular spectroscopists who are happy to formulate their problems in terms of matrix operations rather than differential equations." --Chemistry and Industry

"This book deals with major topics in spectroscopy from a theoretical standpoint and in a detail not usually encountered in a standard text. Teachers of spectroscopy will find it useful in providing background material and detail on many subjects." -- Education in Chemistry

About the Author

Peter F. Bernath is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 23, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195075986
• ISBN-13: 978-0195075984
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,296,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It was a textbook for a course I took., April 9, 2010

By 

Vanessa Castleberry "P. Chem. nut" (Waco, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spectra of Atoms and Molecules (Hardcover)

I took a course in Laser Spectroscopy and this was the suggested text. Overall, the book covered most topics relevant to the course. I don't think this would be the book I would purchase, if there were no course, as some of the information is severely attenuated and leaves important details/concepts out.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent spectoscopic textbook, April 6, 2005

By 

John Sutton "John Sutton" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spectra of Atoms and Molecules (Topics in Physical Chemistry) (Hardcover)

This is a comprehensive exposition of the concepts in spectroscopy essential to the graduate student. As a student, I found this textbook an invaluable learning tool and reference. It is no surprise that "Spectra of Atoms and Molecules" is highly recommended and widely used.

9 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book isn't any good, February 23, 2003

By 

Lemas Mitchell "Libertarian/ Empiricist" (Hunan Changsha) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spectra of Atoms and Molecules (Topics in Physical Chemistry) (Hardcover)

Where do I begin?

If I could have given it zero stars, I would have.

1. Examples: There are almost no examples. Many of the formulae that he uses are actually quite simple when put into practice. But he doesn't give any good examples.

2. Partitioning: The book is not partitioned into discrete parts that deals with each subject, one at a time.

3. Application: One uses this book in a course on spectroscopy, which is something used in the lab in *real life* (picture someone in academia knowing about that!). But he does not give us any examples of how this could apply to a real life problem. That may have been the best way to solidify some of these rigid, technical formulae.

4. Problems: There are no answers to the problems. The Atkins book (Physical Chemistry) is used for about 95% of Physical Chemistry classes in the USA. But they give the answers to the odd numbered problems, so that you can go through and work them out and check your answer. The even numbered problems are not given answers, but are usually a variation of the odd numbered ones.