Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 81st Edition (Hardcover)

by David R. Lide (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
No physics or chemistry laboratory is complete without this book, which since 1922 has been the authoritative series on chemical and physical data. If you're still using an old edition, now's the time to update. And if you're taking a physics or chemistry class, it's a great investment in your education. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Winner of a Choice magazines Outstanding Academic Title award, January 2001
--The Alchemist/The Chem Web Magazine

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 2556 pages
• Publisher: CRC; 81st edition (June 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849304814
• ISBN-13: 978-0849304811
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,469,161 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's getting out of hand, February 20, 2001

By	Victor A. Vyssotsky "mandvav" (Orleans, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For 50 years this has been one of my primary reference works, and it still is. It's essential. But over the years, as knowledge has expanded and the book has expanded, the editors have had to make more and more hard choices about what to include and what to leave out. By now, so much is necessarily left out of a single-volume work that I find it less useful than I used to.

For example, if I want to find out about the chemistry and toxicology of thorium compounds and the decay processes of thorium isotopes, the CRC handbook doesn't give me enough information to be useful; I must consult more specialized works. Similarly, if I'm interested in a chemical as widely used as hydrogen peroxide, I cannot find enough information here to help me determine the reactivity and hazards of aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide in various concentrations; this is essential information for anyone working with hydrogen peroxide in concentrations varying from 30% to 85%.

Whether it's kept in a single-volume format or not, I will continue to regard this as an essential reference on my bookshelf, and every few years will buy an updated copy. However, I wish the editors would disentangle it into a series of more specialized volumes, to allow better treatment of much of the material.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT Reference for Anyone Interested in Science, November 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (Hardcover)

This is great reference that anyone dealing with chemistry or physics shouldn't be without. It contains countless tables including over 11,000 organic compound and over 2000 inorganic compounds. It also has sections on almost every unit of measure and physical constant known to man as well as a definition section. The book contains various tables on certain chemical properties of different substances. The appendices in the back even include every derivative and integral. This is the ultimate reference guide for science students, majors, and even any scientist.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars _The_ Authoritative Reference, June 14, 2000

By	"pratro" (Edmonton, Alberta) - See all my reviews

For most chemical applications, this book is an invaluable resource for accurate and complete physical data on most common reagents. While it is a bit irrelevant (and perhaps a bit costly) for home/casual use, it is absolutely essential in a lab/academic environment where such information is beneficial or a necessity on a day to day basis. Polished, neat, and comprehensive, it conveys an enormous amount of data in an understandable and easily looked up format.