Book Review

by Paul Ganderton

Harrison RM. and de Mora SJ. 1996. Introductory Chemistry for the Environmental Sciences. Cambridge University Press. pp xvi + 373. ISBN 0 521 48450 2. £19.95. (also hardback 0 521 48172 4 @ £55.00)

This text, part of the Cambridge environmental chemistry series, aims to introduce students (primarily undergraduates) to the basic chemistry needed to understand key ecological and environmental issues. 'Me 6 -chapters start with the fundamentals: atomic structure to properties of matter. Chapter 2 introduces physical chemistry (kinetics, thermodynamics etc.) whilst chapter 3 describes, systematically, the elements. Having set up an understanding of the basics of chemistry chapter 5 deals with analytical chemistry. This leaves the final two chapters to deal with biogeochemical cycles and a range of case studies respectively - the application of earlier chapters. Although this is said to be introductory one clearly needs some grounding in science. That apart it does provide a good overview which at least allows one to appreciate the importance of chemistry to environmental analysis.