Physical Chemistry

Book Description

Ira N. Levine's fifth edition of Physical Chemistry provides students with an in-depth fundamental treatment of physical chemistry. At the same time, the treatment is made easy to follow by giving full step-by-step derivations, clear explanations and by avoiding advanced mathematics unfamiliar to students. Necessary math and physics have thorough review sections. Worked examples are followed by a practice exercise.

Customer Reviews:

Very good introduction to physical chemistry.......2007-07-23

A previous reviewer stated that physical chemistry is complicated. As a retired NASA researcher with 44 years experience specializing in physical chemistry I readily acknowledge that physical chemistry can be a very challenging subject. But, personally, I have also found it to be immensely fascinating and rewarding. There are several good textbooks on physical chemistry but, in my opinion, none is better than this one. Levine has done a very good job of presenting the material contained in an understandable fashion without compromising scientific rigor.

An earlier reviewer stated that this book is full of inaccuracies, but I strongly disagree with this statement. One example of an alleged inaccuracy which this reviewer cited is Levine`s statement that, at the velocity of light, photons have mass. This is a true statement; photons do indeed have both mass and momentum and thus can cause pressure on objects they strike. I beg you not to be biased against this outstanding book by this flawed review.

The topic of physical chemistry -- in which chemistry, physics, and mathematics overlap and interact -- clearly does not appeal to everyone. Even many chemists shun the rigors of physical chemistry as much as possible. But for those studying this important subject, I highly recommend this book. And some of you may even come to love this fascinating subject as I do.

for those who don't like Levine.......2007-04-25

If you want the most student friendly book get Physical Chemistry , 4/e by Laidler, Meiser, Sanctuary, ISBN 061815292X.

Description on their website says "With its clear explanations and practical pedagogy, Physical Chemistry is less intimidating to students than other texts, without sacrificing the mathematical rigor and comprehensiveness necessary for a junior-level physical chemistry course. The text's long-standing reputation for accessible writing provides clear instruction and superior problem-solving support for students." I second that.

see my review here Physical Chemistry I mention the alternatives as well.

Terrible semester.......2007-03-31

Physical Chemistry is complicated, there is no way of getting around that. This book will go through the derivations, but never include units. That is a huge problem.

Terrible. Absolutely terrible........2006-09-24

I don't know why so many other people think this book is good. I feel just the opposite.

First, it is filled with factual inaccuracies. Let me quote just one howler, from page 604. "At speed c, the photon has a nonzero mass m." Yes, you heard right, Dr. Levine thinks photons have mass. He then goes on to give an incorrect statement and explanation of the De Broglie wavelength. (Among other things, he uses "mv" instead of momentum, which is of course true only in the case of Newtonian mechanics with massive particles. Sigh.) These gaffes are rarely typos, they are generally the sort of thing which someone with a fundamental understanding of the underlying physics cringes at.

Second, Levine is incapable of going a paragraph without interrupting himself. Given the choice of stating something simply, or filling a paragraph with fifteen references (placed in the text, not in footnotes) and a few asides, he always goes for the latter. References are a fine thing, but placing them inside the text and doing it constantly interrupts the reader's thinking.

Taking an example a few pages earlier in the text, it is not sufficient for Levine to start to explain the photoelectric effect, he has to add in a few lines about practical applications of photocells. All fine and well, but it distracts from the flow of the logic, and frankly the applications of photocells aren't germane to what is being taught here, which is that light is quantized. Levine can never resist the temptation to add a little aside -- there are even spots in the book where he interrupts his own interruptions.

Third, Levine is also incapable of writing without making what he discusses somehow seem meaningless and uninteresting. Take thermodynamics. In the hands of a bad author, thermodynamics can seem like a swirling vortex of formula manipulations, but if you read, say, Enrico Fermi's pamphlet from the 1930s, you instead feel as though you're seeing the power of a few ideas applied rigorously to an interesting domain -- you feel the relevance of the topic to the world and you feel the sparkle of the author's intellect. Levine takes this same topic and makes it feel like an endless parade of noise.

Indeed, Levine can take all sorts topics that are full of inherent interest and relevance and make them seem utterly abstract, boring and lifeless. In order to cover up for this, he throws in lots of asides (see above) and the occassional several paragraph digression about the life of some famous scientist. Sadly, you don't make a topic more "interesting for the kids" by throwing in random asides and distractions -- you do it by knowing how to teach. A good teacher can make anything interesting -- a bad one can't make up for it by doing a few juggling tricks.

Between Levine's self-interruptions, asides and dry presentation, somehow the length of the text always seems an order of magnitude longer than necessary to explain any given subject. I often mentally scream "get to the point already!" as I read.

There is also the question of order of presentation. Honestly, I think that starting a discussion of thermodynamics without first at least glossing to the kinetic theory of gases is a mistake. Abstraction has to be tempered with good mental models of what is going on and why it is going on or the student becomes lost. Even a couple of pages showing that the Ideal Gas Law is an emergent result of a simple classical mechanical model would ground the student better to the material. This sort of thing happens over and over in Levine, with discussion being often both too rigorous and unfounded in basic principles at the same time -- quite a trick to pull off.

Levine's text is, of course, in its fifth edition. Presumably, had the earlier revision been left alone, sales might have flagged as used copies from bored students uninterested in holding on to them filled the market. The publishers have therefore done the usual thing and produced trivial updates every few years to assure that used copies become worthless. Does this new fifth edition come with snazzy new diagrams and all the other stigmata of the modern textbook industry? No. The diagrams in the text -- a text you pay a kings ransom for -- were clearly done in MacDraw and MacPaint in the mid-1980s. I am not that upset about this -- I just find it another irritation. Truthfully, I don't need snazzy illustrations -- my favorite physics and chemistry texts are often decades old -- but if you're going to pretend that you're doing a new edition for some reason other than to keep your sales numbers up, at least have the decency to spend a small amount of money on production to keep up appearances. Milking the students is an embarrassment, especially at the inflated price this book commands.

Oh, and did I mention that the book is insanely heavy? That's not a small thing if you have to haul it around a campus constantly.

As I said, I don't know why other reviewers like this book so much. I'm a confirmed science geek who loves reading science texts for their own sake and I'm having a great deal of difficulty reminding myself that this text (which is being used for a class I'm taking) is not reason enough to find the entire subject of physical chemistry an unbearably boring waste of time -- the topic is in fact interesting, it is this book which is the problem.

To survive the course I'm taking with my mind intact, I've used a succession of small texts by people like Fermi and Pauli. The contrast between people who understand a topic well enough to explain it clearly and simply and the people like Levine that churn out heavy uninteresting textbooks is striking. If you're a professor considering the use of this book, please, please, please don't do it. Find something else. there has to be a decent book on this topic out there somewhere.

As a final comment, let me say this is not the worst text I've ever used. That would be H.J. Pain's "The Physics of Vibrations and Waves". To damn Dr. Levine with faint praise, this book doesn't even come close to being as bad as that other text.

Great Book.......2006-04-22

I took both semesters of P.Chem, failing the first because I took way too many upper level Chem Classes & working as well as a weak background in Calc 3. After studying Calc III by myself over the summer and retaking the class, I am able to absorb so much more and I'm ripping a new one in this class. It is truly an amazing book. Having a solid math background helps one to 'connect the dots' so-to-speak whenever Dr. Levine makes these 'shortcuts'. Tons of worked examples, difficult yet definitely possible homework problems and an acutual intelligent sense of humor are woven into the this book making an extremely complex and difficult subject..... engaging, lol. I spend close to 40hrs. per test and I'm thankful I'm putting myeself through this. Great book, just make sure you have a solid understanding of partial diff eqns. and complex algebra before you take it. Not meant for the weak of mind.

March's Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure (March's Advanced Organic Chemistry)

Average customer rating:

Pleased
eh
6th March is an excellent buy
very fast shipping and very good conditions of the book
Good oganic chemistry

March's Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure (March's Advanced Organic Chemistry)
Michael B. Smith , and Jerry March
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471720917

Book Description

The Sixth Edition of a classic in organic chemistry continues its tradition of excellence Now in its sixth edition, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry remains the gold standard in organic chemistry. Throughout its six editions, students and chemists from around the world have relied on it as an essential resource for planning and executing synthetic reactions.

The Sixth Edition brings the text completely current with the most recent organic reactions. In addition, the references have been updated to enable readers to find the latest primary and review literature with ease.

New features include:

More than 25,000 references to the literature to facilitate further research
Revised mechanisms, where required, that explain concepts in clear modern terms
Revisions and updates to each chapter to bring them all fully up to date with the latest reactions and discoveries
A revised Appendix B to facilitate correlating chapter sections with synthetic transformations

Customer Reviews:

Pleased.......2007-09-27

The book arrived on time and in the condition indicated. Pleasure to do business with.

eh.......2007-08-31

i always thought this book was overrated. it's just not a text you can sit down, relax, and enjoy. it's definitely a reference text, and for a reference text, it's definitely not the first one I go to.

6th March is an excellent buy.......2007-08-08

It is very difficult to rewrite reviews for 6th edition of the "March". Classical flagships among textbooks and reference books in organic chemistry, unbeatable. With 7000 new refernces it brings unbelievable 25k reference citations, very well organized on the bottom of the pages. Excellent indexes, very good cross view between 5th edition and 6th edition aligning chapters of different numbering, perfect drawings made in CamSoft ChemDraw, etc. etc. As the text and accompanying material is polished and polished edition to edition, it is very difficult to do anything else but to praise this excellent reference book, which hardly could be omitted in any chemical laboratory. Not only that but hardcover book of 2357 pages for $73 at Amazon is not only a good book but also a good buy.

very fast shipping and very good conditions of the book.......2007-05-13

very fast shipping and very good conditions of the book

Good oganic chemistry.......2007-03-22

As for the 5th edition this new one is really clear and fully of bibliografic reference. I really appreciate that, now, the references are below at the page and not at the end of the chapter, form me this change help to finding the information. I think that this is one of the most complete book for the organic chemist.

March's Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure, 5th Edition

Average customer rating:

Nice book, for sure
The Best Reference for Organic Chemistry
An investment that'll last you for years.
The Green Bible of Organic Chemistry
1495 Page Bible Of General Reactions And Mechanisms

March's Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure, 5th Edition
Michael B. Smith , and Jerry March
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471585890

Book Description

From the reviews of the Fourth Edition ...
"March has been uncompromising in his search for clarity and utility in presentations of a wide variety of essential organic chemistry. It remains an accessible and useful tool for both specialists and nonspecialists in the field. It does an excellent job both as a text for first-year graduate students and a handy reference for others."-Journal of Chemical Education
"The ratio of information to price makes this book a wonderful bargain."-American Scientist
New to this Fifth Edition:
* Michael Smith from the University of Connecticut joins as coauthor for the Fifth Edition
* Contains 20,000 valuable, selected references to the primary literature-5,000 new to this edition
* 40 entirely new sections covering the most important developments in organic chemistry since the previous edition
* Updated illustrations of molecular structures

Customer Reviews:

Nice book, for sure.......2006-11-06

I'm pretty sure that you _must_ have this book if you are studying advanced organic chemistry. Maybe it's not the best one to use as a study guide, but it's extremely helpful as a reference book both for undergrads and graduate students. However, one can argue that this edition is a bit out-of-date.

The Best Reference for Organic Chemistry.......2005-10-09

This is by far the best text I have found. Although it is considered a text book, it is more handy as a reference tool. I have seen no other book that contains more information than March's. This book is actually worth the price.

An investment that'll last you for years........2004-09-04

I bought a copy of this text (2nd Ed) after finishing my sophomore year of college, and it proved to be the best single investment I've ever made in chemistry. I used it so often, I had to duct-tape the book together.

I think the happiest moment of my career was when my name appeared in the index of a later edition. Anyway, buy it and treasure it.

The Green Bible of Organic Chemistry.......2004-08-15

March never leaves my desk. It covers everything. From functional group transformations to mechanisms to FMO theory - you name it it's there. Highly recommended for any advanced undergraduate, graduate or post-doctoral researcher. It's a bookshelf staple that any organic chemist should have available.

1495 Page Bible Of General Reactions And Mechanisms.......2004-02-09

I paid more for my 4th ed. new, and find it to be worth even more. It is not a cookbook per se, but it is a very comprehensive textbook that details general reactions by functional group. It outlines every way known to remove, add to, or otherwise modify every functional group. There is as much commentary as is needed, if not more, and every pathway is mentioned regardless of how exotic or primitive and low-yielding. The corresponding OS synth refs for specific cpds. are given for each type of reaction, along with a total of 15,000 other refs in footnotes. This was cutting-edge in 92, with much updating of the 3rd ed. The index will take you to the section that shows how to make the manipulations you want - if it doesn't, it probably can't be done.

Schaum's Outline of Physical Chemistry (2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great Supplemental/Review Material
No good, stick to your textbook!
GOOD, BUT OBSOLETE CONTENTS
Excellent supplement!

Schaum's Outline of Physical Chemistry (2nd Edition)
Clyde R. Metz
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0070417156

Book Description

If you want top grades and excellent understanding of physical chemistry, this powerful study tool is the best tutor you can have! It takes you step-by-step through the subject and gives you accompanying related problems with fully worked solutions. You also get hundreds of additional problems to solve on your own, working at your own speed. This superb Outline clearly presents every aspect of physical chemistry. Famous for their clarity, wealth of illustrations and examples, and lack of dreary minutie, SchaumÕs Outlines have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Compatible with any textbook, this Outline is also perfect for self-study. For better grades in courses covering physical chemistryÑyou canÕt do better than this SchaumÕs Outline!

Customer Reviews:

Great Supplemental/Review Material.......2005-04-06

For as cheap as it is, this is a great value. It reviews every concept in physical chemistry very well. Obviously it won't replace your textbook, but it will at least cover subjects that maybe your textbook omits. The outline was last updated in 1989, but, honestly, physical chemistry has not changed in at least the last twenty or thirty years. Conceptually, all of physical chemistry has remained the same, so I would not say that this book is obsolete.

No good, stick to your textbook!.......2005-01-21

The examples are from a different planet! The text is very general in the important concepts and too detailed in the obscure stuff; this is definintley not intended for someone new to PCHEM. Stick to you textbook, like Atkins, which probably has better explanations and problems.

GOOD, BUT OBSOLETE CONTENTS.......2003-03-02

The over-five hundred pages that make-up this "Schaum's Outline of Physical Chemistry" were dedicated to giving overview of every aspect of the subject. The book's presentations and analyses are easy-to-follow; and would be appreciated by any Physical Science undergrad.
I valued its exploits in the fields of: Thermodynamics, Equilibrium Properties, Chemical Kinetics, and Intermolecular Forces. Its information are concise; yet, detailed enough. There are both tutorials and worked examples in every chapter: hence, making it a fine revision tool.
However, bear in mind that the contents of this book are more or less obsolete. The fact that it has not been revised since 1988 is discouraging. In view of this, I am reluctant to recommend it!

Excellent supplement!.......2000-11-06

This book is a fabulous supplement to any physical chemistry text. It even includes reviews on quantum and solid state. I found this book especially helpful as i am a physics major taking p.chem with little chemistry background.

The Iron Oxides: Structure, Properties, Reactions, Occurrences and Uses

Average customer rating:

very detailed book

The Iron Oxides: Structure, Properties, Reactions, Occurrences and Uses
Rochelle M. Cornell , and Udo Schwertmann
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Iron Oxides in the Laboratory: Preparation and Characterization

ASIN: 3527302743

Book Description

This book brings together in one, compact volume all aspects of the available information about the iron oxides. It presents a coherent, up to date account of the properties, reactions and mechanisms of formation of these compounds. In addition, there are chapters dealing with iron oxides in rocks and soils, as biominerals and as corrosion products together with methods of synthesis and the numerous application of these compounds. Their role in the environment is also discussed. The authors are experts in the field of iron oxides and have worked on all the topics covered. Much recent data from the authors' own laboratories is included and opportunities for further research are indicated.

Special features are the electron micrographs and colour plates together with the many different spectra used to illustrate properties and aspects of behaviour. Numerous tables and graphs enable trends and relationships to be seen at a glance. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography.

This book should prove invaluable to industry and to all researchers who, whatever their background and level of experience, are interested in this rapidly expanding field. It is an essential volume for any scientific library and is now in its second, completely revised and extended edition!

Customer Reviews:

very detailed book.......2005-04-29

This is an excellent book about the iron oxides. as the book says it talks about everything you every wanted to know about iron. It helped me understand a great deal about iron chemistry in a very short amount of time. the book is very user friendly and divided very well into different chapters. If you want to learn about iron chemistry this book is by far worth every penny.

The Chemistry of Heterocycles: Structure, Reactions, Syntheses, and Applications

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piridyne's chemistry

The Chemistry of Heterocycles: Structure, Reactions, Syntheses, and Applications
Theophil Eicher , and Siegfried Hauptmann
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3527307206

Book Description

The second edition of this "classic" among textbooks on heterocycle chemistry. Here, Theophil Eicher and Siegfried Hauptmann, both renowned authors of many successful such works, present all the important aspects of this fascinating field in a clear manner.

- completely revised
- enlarged
- numerous Q&As help readers to deepen their knowledge
- covers the very latest topics, such as metal-catalyzed coupling reactions
- systematic substance nomenclature
- comprehensive overview of all the important substance classes.

A must-have for advanced students of organic chemistry as well as for chemists looking for a quick overview of the field.

Customer Reviews:

piridyne's chemistry.......2001-04-16

synthesis:2-aminepirydine

Advances in Chemical Physics, Geometric Structures of Phase Space in Multi-Dimensional Chaos : Applications to Chemical Reaction Dynamics in Complex Systems ACP Vol. 130 2V SET

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Advances in Chemical Physics, Geometric Structures of Phase Space in Multi-Dimensional Chaos : Applications to Chemical Reaction Dynamics in Complex Systems ACP Vol. 130 2V SET
Stuart A. Rice
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Edited by Nobel Prize winner Ilya Prigogine and renowned authority Stuart A. Rice, the Advances in Chemical Physics series provides a forum for critical, authoritative evaluations in every area of the discipline. In a format that encourages the expression of individual points of view, experts in the field present comprehensive analyses of subjects of interest. Advances in Chemical Physics remains the premier venue for presentations of new findings in its field.

Volume 130 consists of three parts including:

Part I: Phase Space Geometry of Multi-dimensional Dynamical Systems and Reaction Processes

Part II Complex Dynamical Behavior in Clusters and Proteins, and Data Mining to Extract Information on Dynamics

Part III New directions in Multi-Dimensional Chaos and Evolutionary Reactions

Highly Excited Molecules: Relaxation, Reaction, and Structure (Acs Symposium Series)

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Highly Excited Molecules: Relaxation, Reaction, and Structure (Acs Symposium Series)

Manufacturer: An American Chemical Society Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Integrating both theoretical and experimental approaches, this unique book examines transition states and chemical reactivity, and will be a useful tool for anyone studying the chemical dynamics, nature, and behavior of molecules in an excited state. The subject has important applications in atmospheric chemistry, plasmas, high-temperature materials processing, combustion, photosynthesis, detonation, and explosives.

Advanced organic chemistry: reactions, mechanisms, and structure.

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Advanced organic chemistry: reactions, mechanisms, and structure.
Jerry March
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HCNLCA

Chemiluminescence in Organic Chemistry (Reactivity and Structure)

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Chemiluminescence in Organic Chemistry (Reactivity and Structure)
Karl-Dietrich Gundermann , and Frank McCapra
Manufacturer: Springer-Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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