Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2017 -

In A Chemical Passion, M. Rayner-Canham, a researcher and author on the history of women in science, and G. Rayner-Canham (chemistry, Memorial Univ., Grenfell Campus, Newfoundland, Canada) present an in-depth study of how a relatively modest sector of girls' education in Britain led to a remarkably large number of noteworthy women chemists. The authors explore archival resources pertaining to numerous British independent girls' schools to examine how these institutions fostered science education for their students during the early 19th through the mid-20th centuries. The authors start by discussing Jane Marcet's significant Conversations on Chemistry (5th ed., 1817), which was specifically written for a female audience. The authors also show how chemistry instruction became institutionalized in independent (read private) girls' schools until after World War I, when the teaching of the subject began to decline. The text contains illuminating illustrations, an extensive list of references, and a detailed index. In addition, there are eight appendixes, which are freely available to download on the publisher's website.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

There are many books on the history of chemistry, but few that provide a comprehensive overview of the field up to the modern day. This book admirably fills that need. The work is divided into four sections. The first three cover the development of chemistry through the end of the 19th century, during the first half of the 20th century, and up to the present day. The latter section is more than a fourth of the book, so recent developments are given extensive coverage. A final section includes a discussion of the Nobel Prizes in chemistry and a look into the future of the field. Each section concludes with a useful chronology of events during the period. The translation of the original Japanese text is very readable, and the coverage seems quite comprehensive. The author has included numerous brief biographical sketches of the various scientists, and major discoveries appear as sidebars. As might be expected, the author has included more material about developments in Japan than might be found in a treatment by a Western author, but this is a plus rather than a minus. Overall, this is an excellent book and is strongly recommended.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals.

This third edition by Lewars (Trent Univ., Peterborough, Ontario, Canada) continues the excellent treatment of computational chemistry (i.e., molecular modeling). The praise that is found in previous reviews of the first (CH, Mar'04, 41-4056) and second (CH, Jun'11, 48-5695) editions of this title continues to be fully justified. Differences in this edition include removing earlier typos, editing previous material for clarity, updating biographical footnotes, and updating developments and references from 2010 to 2015. Connections with experimental tools and well-executed diagrams, illustrations, and examples are pervasive. Some chapter titles include "Molecular Mechanics," "Ab initio Calculations," "Semiempirical Calculations," and "Density Functional Calculations." Strengths and weaknesses of the calculations are assessed. Matrix methods are introduced and used. The last chapter of the book includes valuable literature, software, and hardware materials. Each chapter concludes with easier and harder questions; there are 70 pages of answers provided at the end of the work. This is a thoroughly outstanding and motivational text.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals.

In the autumn of a long, productive career, polymer chemist Carraher (Florida Atlantic Univ.) gives readers a pentimento--a visible tracing of the 1,000 papers and over 75 books--that makes him and now the fourth edition (1st ed., CH, Jun'07, 44-5651) of his opus so distinguished. Any individual who needs an introduction to polymer chemistry should own a copy--especially beginners who otherwise have no reason to know the man and his work. In 16 business-as-usual, unblemished chapters covering 550 pages, Carraher defines one of the penultimate pedagogical limits that anchors science and engineering to the real world of chemistry and materials--the macromolecular scale of length. Nomenclature and morphology come first in early chapters, then a natural progression through natural and unnatural (synthetic) polymers. Methods and mechanisms are included and always interesting; in addition, physical and chemical tests based on useful properties abound. To its credit, the work is not a monograph, yet it has the appeal of one for its attention to practical applications, topical diversity, and currency. It is a tip-of-the-hat to the rich history that marks the development of polymers; and, at a little over 100 bucks, kudos to the author, the editor(s), and the publisher.Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals.