Solids and Surfaces: A Chemist's View of Bonding in Extended Structures

Book Description

This unique book shows how chemistry and physics come together in the solid state and on surfaces. Using a lively, graphic, descriptive approach, it teaches chemists the language that is necessary to understand the electronic structure of extended systems. And, at the same time, it demonstrates how a chemical, frontier-orbital, approach to solid state and surface bonding and reactivity may be constructed.

The book begins with the language of crystal orbitals, band structures and densities of states. The tools for moving back from the highly delocalized orbitals of the solid are then built up in a transparent manner; they include decompositions of the densities of states and crystal orbital overlap populations. Using these tools, the book shapes a meeting ground between detailed quantum mechanical calculations and a chemical frontier orbital perspec- tive. Applications include a general picture of chemisorption, bond-breaking and making in the solid state, bonding in metals, the electronic structure of selected conducting and supercon- ducting structures, dissociation, migration and coupling on surfaces and the forces controlling deformation of extended systems.

Customer Reviews:

very enlightening!.......2007-10-04

I'm a Ph D student in physics working on the adsorption of molecules at surfaces, but I didn't really know what I was doing until I read this book. It's easy to understand (because it's so well written), also for physicists although it is written for chemists (I barely know anything about chemistry, but I understood everything). The book teaches you the most important things you need to know to understand bonds qualitatively and also e.g. the related shifts in energy, charge transfers,... However people working in the field of chemistry or physics shouldn't bother to buy this book because they'll probably have access to the papers this book is based upon. The most important of these papers is:

R. Hoffmann, A chemical and theoretical way to look at bonding on surfaces, Rev. Mod. Phys. 60, 601-628 (1988).

This is a very interesting article that you definitely should read.

Conceptually brilliant !.......2001-07-28

This is simply the funniest and most enjoyable book on theoretical inorganic chemistry I've ever read. Its format is close to your typical bedside table novel, lively informal and packed with the most awesome qualitative insights on bonding with molecular orbital theory without the need to resort to hardcore mathematics. It also has some amusing puns and jokes mixed with the enthusiasm of conveying this knowledge. The more interested reader should also read Jeremy Burdett's "Chemical Bonding in Solids" for a more detailed account of the quantum chemical and solid state aspects involved. All in all 140 pages of pure pleasure.

A straightforward, visual examination of a difficult subject.......2000-06-21

This book bridges the language gap between chemistry and condensed matter physics. Starting from the language that all chemists are comfortable with - that of molecular orbitals - Hoffman builds up the idea of bonding in extended structures (solids) as if a solid was just a giant molecule. This is done with a minimum of mathematics, mostly using simple and graphical representation. As a primer to the area of solid state chemistry, this book is invaluable.

I'm not sure if physicists, starting from the other end of the language will find it as useful as a chemist, but it should be straightforward for them as well, giving them the chemist's point of view (language).

This is a short book, and wisely does not try to exceed its boundries, that of an introduction/overview. For a more mathematical treatment, I would suggest Burdett's "Chemical Bonding in Solids." If you only want an introduction written in plain language with lots of graphics, this is the book for you.

Every chemist needs to read this!.......2000-02-17

This book bridges a gap between molecular orbital theory and the empirical/intuitive way chemists think about bonding in molecules. From there, it opens up vistas in extended systems (e.g. solids, conductive polymers) that most ordinary "molecular" chemists think of as foreign and forbidding because the language and tools used to treat them are those of solid state physicists with which most chemists are (regrettably) unfamiliar. Hoffmann brings all this good stuff home to chemists, without the bludgeon of complicated mathematics, inviting us in, showing us how much we already know. My own background is both physics and traditional synthetic organic/organometallic chemistry. Until I read this book, I had struggled to see how the physics and chemistry meet. This book has really bridged the gap.

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Nice overview of bonding-not a theory text.

Chemical Bonding in Solids
Jeremy K. Burdett
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Solids and Surfaces: A Chemist's View of Bonding in Extended Structures

ASIN: 019508991X

Book Description

In Chemical Bonding in Solids, renowned chemist Jeremy K. Burdett offers a clear and much-needed synthesis of chemical bonding theory and solid state structural considerations. Over the past fifteen years, the delocalized orbital model favored by molecular chemists--the model of choice for understanding a plethora of organic, inorganic, and organometallic chemistry phenomena--has been effectively used for infinite solid-state arrays. In addition, other concepts originating from molecular chemistry--including overlap population analysis, topological aspects of the Hamiltonian matrix, and eigenvalue and eigenvector forms--have been increasingly added to the physicist's arsenal. Focusing on insights proffered by both chemists and physicists, this book documents cutting-edge approaches to the computation of the electronic band structures of materials, attempts to understand their origin, the use of results to make predictions concerning the properties of such materials, and the extraction of general ideas concerning structure and bonding. Copiously illustrated and extremely well-written, Chemical Bonding in Solids is the ideal introduction for graduate students and for researchers interested in applying the latest theoretical ideas to applied efforts in synthesizing and characterizing important new materials.

Customer Reviews:

Nice overview of bonding-not a theory text........2000-05-21

The author attempts to show that there is an interconnection between all the various model concepts which are used by chemistists to explain the structure and properties of solids. The first time I read this book I found it to be a rather garbled collection of facts which did not seem to fit together the way I and hoped for given the reputation of the the late Prof. Burdett. However, by the time I had finished the book I went back and re-read large parts of it I found that the book is more then just a loose collection of ideas. He really is trying to tie all of this stuff together. I am not completely convinced by the author's view that the metallic bond is a useless concept (there goes all that useful physics based on the free electron gas) nor do I think the author has fully explored all sides of the question. A better bridge between free electron and pseudopotential theory and tight binding theory should have been built and thus the book does not fully link the parts of solids state science which fall under the ``metallic bond'' to the molecular orbital picture. The presentation lacks any hard proof or mathimatical derivation which would have been nice in the case of the method of moments. As an aside the origional papers published in 1985 JACS by the author and Stephen Lee which outline the general theory are not accessable to the genreral chemistry audience and something in between the hard math of 1985 and the no math of this book would have been nice-those interested in more detail should look in Solid State Physics Vol. 35). So for those who wish for a book which gives more physics behind some of these loose concepts this book is not it. Often the book oversimplifies and does not explore topics in more then a superficial way. After I have said all this I will say I liked the book. For a general chemistry audience it is informative and thought provoking. This is not as much a theory text as a philisophical treatise by a man who contributed alot to the way chemists think about solids.

Bonding and Structure of Molecules and Solids

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Bonding and Structure of Molecules and Solids
D. G. Pettifor
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0198517866

Book Description

This is the first book to adopt an unconventional approach to the theory of bonding and structure of molecules and solids. It explains the observed trends in this field within the framework of simple models of electronic structure. Emphasis is placed throughout on recent theoretical developments that link structural stability to the local topology or connectivity of the lattice through the moments of the electronic density of states. This modern real-space approach allows an immediate understanding of the origin of the structural trends within the periodic table for the elements and the AB structure map for binary compounds. Final year undergraduates and graduates following a course in quantum mechanics will find this book to be highly valuable. A chapter on basic concepts is included for readers new to the subject.

Structure and Bonding in Crystals: Volume I

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Structure and Bonding in Crystals: Volume I

Manufacturer: Academic Pr
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Binding: Hardcover

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Bonding, Energy Levels and Bands in Inorganic Solids

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Bonding, Energy Levels and Bands in Inorganic Solids
Jennifer A. Duffy
Manufacturer: Longman Group United Kingdom
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ASIN: 0582034957

The Chemical Bond in Inorganic Chemistry: The Bond Valence Model (International Union of Crystallography Monographs on Crystallography)

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The Chemical Bond in Inorganic Chemistry: The Bond Valence Model (International Union of Crystallography Monographs on Crystallography)
I. David Brown
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0198508700

Book Description

This book describes the bond valence model, a description of acid-base bonding which is becoming increasingly popular particularly in fields such as materials science and mineralogy where solid state inorganic chemistry is important. Recent improvements in crystal structure determination have allowed the model to become more quantitative. Unlike other models of inorganic chemical bonding, the bond valence model is simple, intuitive, and predictive, and can be used for analysing crystal structures and the conceptual modelling of local as well as extended structures. This is the first book to explore in depth the theoretical basis of the model and to show how it can be applied to synthetic and solution chemistry. It emphasizes the separate roles of the constraints of chemistry and of three-dimensional space by analysing the chemistry of solids. Many applications of the model in physics, materials science, chemistry, mineralogy, soil science, surface science, and molecular biology are reviewed. The final chapter describes how the bond valence model relates to and represents a simplification of other models of inorganic chemical bonding.

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Chemical Bonding in Solids and Fluids
M. F. C. Ladd
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall PTR
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Binding: Textbook Binding

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$Electron Density and Bonding in Crystals: Principles, Theory and X-Ray Diffraction Experiments in Solid State Physics and Chemistry$
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Electron Density and Bonding in Crystals: Principles, Theory and X-Ray Diffraction Experiments in Solid State Physics and Chemistry
V.G Tsirelson , and R.P Ozerov
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
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Book Description

Electron Density and Bonding in Crystals: Principles, Theory and X-Ray Diffraction Experiments in Solid State Physics and Chemistry provides a comprehensive, unified account of the use of diffraction techniques to determine the distribution of electrons in crystals. The book discusses theoretical and practical techniques, the application of electron density studies to chemical bonding, and the determination of the physical properties of condensed matter. The book features the authors' own key contributions to the subject as well a thorough, critical summary of the extensive literature on electron density and bonding. Logically organized, coverage ranges from the theoretical and experimental basis of electron density determination to its impact on investigations of the nature of the chemical bond and its uses in determining electromagnetic and optical properties of crystals. The main text is supplemented by appendices that provide clear, concise guidance on aspects such as systems of units, quantum theory of atomic vibrations, atomic orbitals, and creation and annihilation operators. The result is a valuable compendium of modern knowledge on electron density distributions, making this reference a standard for crystallographers, condensed matter physicists, theoretical chemists, and materials scientists.

Hydrogen Bond Networks (NATO Science Series C:)

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Hydrogen Bond Networks (NATO Science Series C:)

Manufacturer: Kluwer Academic
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ASIN: 0792328841

Book Description

The almost universal presence of water in our everyday lives and the very `common' nature of its presence and properties possibly deflects attention from the fact that it has a number of very unusual characteristics which, furthermore, are found to be extremely sensitive to physical parameters, chemical environment and other influences. Hydrogen-bonding effects, too, are not restricted to water, so it is necessary to investigate other systems as well, in order to understand the characteristics in a wider context. Hydrogen Bond Networks reflects the diversity and relevance of water in subjects ranging from the fundamentals of condensed matter physics, through aspects of chemical reactivity to structure and function in biological systems.

Structure and Bonding in Crystalline Materials

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Great Condition, Order it fast

Structure and Bonding in Crystalline Materials
Gregory S. Rohrer
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521663288

Book Description

How can elements be combined to produce a solid with specified properties? This book acquaints readers with the established principles of crystallography and cohesive forces needed to address the fundamental relationship among composition, structure and bonding. Starting with an introduction to periodic trends, the book discusses crystal structures and the various primary and secondary bonding types, and finishes by describing a number of models for predicting phase stability and structure. Its large number of worked examples, exercises, and detailed descriptions of numerous crystal structures make this an outstanding advanced undergraduate or graduate-level textbook for students of materials science.

Customer Reviews:

Great Condition, Order it fast.......2007-02-06

The book came in great condition. However, if you need it for a class, you better order it after the first day of class, because it took a looooong time to get to me and other people in the class.

Amazon.com

Dawn of Man, which accompanies a BBC television series, tells the story of human evolution, warts and all, over the last 4 million years or so. From a shared ancestor with the higher apes, an upright, walking ape-human in Africa, McKie takes our story through the Ice Age to domination by modern humans.

One of the few unique attributes of humans, which sets us apart from our nearest living relatives, the chimps, is a concern with our own history. Although anthropologists and archaeologists have conducted serious scientific investigation of our ancestry for well over 150 years, it is still a bit surprising how little we know.

The quest to discover our story is a bit like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle without a picture to tell us what the finished puzzle should look like. To further the metaphor, we also have no idea how many pieces there are altogether, and the few pieces we do have are mostly incomplete. Practically any new bit of evidence can change our idea of the overall picture, so the story of human evolution is constantly changing. As science editor for Britain's Observer newspaper, McKie is able to provide a very readable and up-to-date account of our remarkable story.

One of the most compelling questions explored by McKie concerns our relationship with the Neanderthal people, who died out 30,000 years ago. Comparison of Neanderthal DNA with that of living humans suggests that our ancestors did not interbreed with the Neanderthals. Recently, however, skeletons have been found that seem to show a complete mixture of Neanderthal and modern human (Cro-Magnon) characters. In Dawn of Man, McKie quotes extensively from interviews with the scientists who work on human prehistory, so we get as close as possible to the bare bones of the story. The excellent text, art work, photos, and graphics in Dawn of Man make it a capable stand-alone, very attractive for the general reader. --Douglas Palmer

Book Description

Why did our earliest ancestors leave the trees and start to walk on two legs? What were the early people like? Did they have language? Were they predators or prey? Dawn of Man tells the remarkable epic of our 5-million-year journey from ape to man. This extraordinary story has been pieced together form a myriad of fossil finds, prehistoric cave paintings, discarded stone tools, and traces of ancient genetic material. In this dramatic and highly readable account, Robin McKie, Science Editor of The Observer, unravels the saga of how these discoveries form a picture of our ancestors' lives. It is a gripping scientific detective story full of paleontologist-detectives whose intellect and foibles add to the adventure. The story arrives at a revelation of how our world became dominated by a single primate species: Homo sapiens. The clues to our past include astonishing human-like footprints, preserved in volcanic ash sediments for over 3.5 million years, made by a half-ape, half-man creature already walking on two legs; a startlingly well-preserved skeleton unearthed at Lake Turkana, Kenya, revealing the grim life-and-death story of an 11-year-old boy who lived on the African savannah 1.5 million years ago; and minute DNA samples which some scientists believe will help them trace back the lineage of Homo sapiens to one African woman who lived 200,000 years ago. Illustrated with evocative recreations of early man and his landscapes, photographs of the human fossils and of the paleontologists who discovered them, and maps of key fossil sites, this book- which accompanies The Learning Channel's fascinating new television series, Dawn of Man- unravels the clues, the setbacks, the human dramas, and the scientific disputes to tell the astonishing story of our ancestry.

Customer Reviews:

Imaging who we were.......2004-04-30

Any book written for/from a TV production is certain to have shortcomings. The usual flaws are oversimplification, errors of omission or outdated information. This book exhibits few of these problems, with the possible exception of the last. The rapid progress being attained in paleoanthropology these dates edges the "most recent finds" boundary almost monthly. We can't fault Robin McKie for falling behind as his frequent columns in The Guardian allow for prompt updating of the material. In this presentation, McKie has made a valiant effort to summarise the most recent information gathered on the nature of our ancestors. His fine prose is supported by some excellent, some good and some almost pitiful graphics. Fortunately, McKie's narrative more than transcends any shortcomings in the visuals.

Human evolution remains the most important scientific topic. Its significance is reflected in the many controversies associated with paleoanthropology. McKie doesn't shy away from these disputes. In fact, he nearly makes them the underlying theme of the book. He follows the revelations about our forebears offered by Raymond Dart, the Leakey family [which has proven a true dynasty in its own right], Don Johanson, Alan Walker and numerous others. Each made contributions, sometimes hotly contested by fellow researchers looking at the same data from different perspectives. McKie is good at examining the views and the evidence supporting them. He follows debates and resolutions closely, leaving the reader well informed and generally convinced by the resolution he selects.

McKie has a fine sense of the issues surrounding excavations and the analysis of revealed data. He explains the dating methods used in properly placing our ancestors on the evolutionary timeline. The evidence demonstrates that a strictly linear progression of human ancestry is difficult or impossible to draw from existing fossil specimens. McKie shows how many of the pre-human species branched off to become "failed" evolutionary experiments. The picture that emerges he equates with "the bar in Star Wars" in which many different types co-exist and intermingle while remaining unique. He returns to this image frequently which might become supportive of the "multi-regional" hypothesis. This idea, that Homo sapiens developed in parallel in different parts of the world, contested for some time with Darwin's proposal that humanity emerged in Africa. McKie, after examining all the arguments and data, declares that Darwin "got it right" all those years ago.

With the resources available, McKie has enlivened his text with excellent illustrations. There are diagrams and photographs of fossils as found and reconstructed. Several good maps of fossil sites and likely routes taken by our wandering ancestors. The only flaw in these images are hazy reproductions of the TV production. Most of these portray our ancestors as hirsute savannah dwellers, an image dispelled by Don Johanson's artist a generation ago. As an overview account, the reading list is brief - too brief, given McKie's qualifications. Even so, this book is an excellent starting point for learning about our evolutionary heritage.
[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Lessons for today from a beautiful book.......2001-04-28

In this book a skilled science journalist surveys the palaeontological and anthropological state of play through to late 1999.

In the course of surveying the last 5m years of human evolution, McKie brings out some fascinating evidence relevant to important contemporary debates. I look at these in this review.

(The page references are to McKie's book.)

In terms of diet, our pre-Homo ancestors were herbivorous (vegetarian) and our digestive system is basically unchanged since that time. However, there were immense evolutionary advantages in our ancestors also consuming meat - indeed, without consuming meat we might still be the Australopithecene genus which preceded Homo through to 2m years ago.

Climate change gave the Australopithecenes the stark alternative: adapt or perish. Some of our ancestors adapted, becoming tool makers and omnivores (and Homo) rather than herbivores. They also survived - as meat eaters with a herbivorous gut.

McKie quotes Richard Potts: "About 2.5m years ago, hominids encountered great fluctuations in the climate. At the same time we see the appearance of stone tools. That is no coincidence. They indicate that at least one hominid species was responding to these changes by becoming even more adaptable, rather than becoming specialized in the way that robustus and bosei did. By making tools, dietary choices became greater. Not only could people skin the large dead and doubtless smelly carcasses they occasionally found, they could crack open their bones for marrow. In addition tools would have helped pound and break down vegetables and nuts that could otherwise only have been eaten by animals with specialized dentures, and also helped dig up tubers rich in protein and calories. Just as Australopithecines responded to oscillating climates by walking, by becoming more versatile movers, so did the first members of the Homo line 2m years later. They made tools and became more versatile eaters" [66f]. The richer diet led to bigger brains, bigger brains led to intellectual growth and intellectual growth led to: (a) improved memory (including mental resource maps of the terrain and the seasons), (b) the ability to co-operate and take advantage of social complexity, (c) the ability to solve problems which led to the ability to create and use tools. These benefits in turn led to a more reliable diet which was also richer [114]. "We became less tethered to our habitats. Our ancestors' behaviour was becoming increasingly diverse, our menus more adventurous" [67]. Meat eaters were more free to migrate so they could survive, herbivores being more limited to the spread of their familiar staple plants [96]. The complexity of societies, the importance of memory and skills led to adults having a benefit beyond their reproductive age - they had knowledge and culture (wisdom) to pass on, not just physical genes[115].

The second theme concerns the evolution of human society and the differentiation of male and female roles.

Humans had a small pelvic gap for the birth canal, yet a more intelligent species would need a larger head to accommodate the large brain. A larger head could not fit through the pelvic gap. The evolutionary response was twofold: (a) for humans to be born while their brain was still relatively small. This means that mothers needed to provide intensive care (suckling, nurturing, warmth) while the brain developed. If mothers devoted themselves to nurturing, they need the reliable support of others [88]. The second response was (b) for women to evolve wider hips. This development survives today: women are less efficient bipedalists than men. The male shape was better adapted than the female shape for many of the activities of being the provider [89]. Because human brains take years to develop, there is a need for sustained social bonds (families) to support the maturing human for the duration of its immaturity (i.e., its childhood).

The third theme concerns the physical activities of our ancestors. "The numerous injuries on Neanderthal skeletons pointed to a dangerous, perhaps violent, side to their lives. Trinkaus analyzed the bones of 17 Neanderthals who had 27 traumatic wounds. They were mostly injured to the head and upper body. I got a statistical fit with rodeo riders; they get thrown off their animals a lot. In other words, it looked like Neanderthals were being flung around by the creatures they hunted. Not for them the low-risk, careful business of stalking and spearing. They went in for the kill and paid the consequences. These were people with physical prowess beyond the aspirations of even the best Olympic athletes [157f]." Survival in this environment would have evolved a body suited to vigorous, intense exercise, not gentle aerobics.

The fourth theme concerns the use of fire. This is important for us as the historical timing of its regular use can indicate whether our diet should - for scientific rather than aesthetic reasons - include cooked meat. Sites 500,000 years old have no signs of fire. Some hearths and the remains of burnt bones have been found in China 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. Fireplaces do not appear regularly until about 40,000 years ago [160], just 1700 generations, not long in evolutionary terms.

The fifth theme concerns mental and emotional skills, apart from quick reactions and coordination. McKie's beautiful account indicates that people who were tenacious and innovative were survivors. More than that, it was those who had social skills - who trusted others and were trusted in return, who showed compassion [90, 154, 156-7], who sustained long-term relationships of trust [80f] (and love?), who contributed to the group who survived best of all. People with good memories and who organized their thoughts in a way that could be communicated effectively (a) for immediate practical purposes [124] and (b) down the generations were also at a premium. Remember, the oral tradition was the only tradition.

This beautiful book is superbly illustrated.

Bones, Stones and Genes.......2001-01-18

This is a very interesting book on the always polemical subject of human evolution. It is light reading with nice explanatory double page boxes. The book can be read by junior high kids with good reading skills and it can also bring the latest developments for the ones who have been following the ongoing discussion.

The book starts at around 6.5 million years ago when our lineage and the chimpanzees' lineage split. At around 4.2 million years ago we were already bipeds as it can be proved by the position of the foragen magnun, the entry point for the spinal cord on the skul, found in ancient fossils. From that point till around 30,000 years ago a bush of different hominid species occupied the planet. The fate of the last non Homo sapiens human species, the Neanderthals is controversial but since their disappearance or assimilation we rule this planet.

By developing bipedalism, mastering the construction of tools and evolving big brains our ancestors survived harsh climate conditions through Ice Ages, settled in virtually every part of the globe and now we prepare ourselfs to leave this planet. It's a wonderful saga wonderfully described in this book.

The book not only covers all the major scientific findings that help us understand our family history but also honors the people behind the findings. Archeologists and paleontologists working under scorching sun, eagle-eyed Kenyans, and technicians in cool, high-tech genetic labs; they all help us to reconstruct our heritage.

This is a very interesting introductory book on a subject that usually brings heated discussion. The book is very didactical and filled with nice pictures, diagrams and maps. It presents scientific discoveries as recent as 1999 what is very desirable since molecular biology is revolutionizing the field. The book is a good complement for the excellent BBC/TLC four hours TV program.

Leonardo Alves - January 2001

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Dawn of Man The Story of Human Evolution
McKie Robin
Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PR7XTY

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Dawn of Man: The Story of Human Evolution
Robin McKie
Manufacturer: Dk Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000L1U25Q

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