154 Book Reviews
They cover analyte excitation mechanisms in the ICP,
laser-induced ionisation spectrometry, sample intro-
duction, background correction in AAS and flow injection techniques. Each chapter describes, in
considerable detail a technique which is under-
utilised by the vast majority of practitioners outside
either academe or the large research organisations. All the chapters are well constructed and easy to read
with good use made of diagrams. The theoretical
sections have been clearly and concisely explained.
The reader is lead logically through the fundamental principles and directed to the original research work and relevant reviews. The use of tables for technique
applications is particularly useful in assessing their analytical utility for a specific analyte or matrix. It
was also pleasing to note that many of the
applications mentioned were concerned with some quite demanding samples. Every chapter has been
prepared from an extensive list of references with a
notable contribution made from the authors own
work. Overall, this volume serves to highlight the efficacy of several techniques not normally associated
with commercial analytical atomic spectrometry. As such, this text will be of significant benefit to both the young researcher and the innovative scientist
wishing to embark upon some of the more challen- ging areas of atomic spectrometry and sample introduction in order to meet specific measurement
requirements.
Neil W. Bamett
WHO IARC Monographs on the evaluation of
carcinogenic risks to humans, Vol. 62, Wood dust andformaldehyde, IARC, Lyon, 1995 (ISBN 92-832- 1262-2). viii + 405 pp. Price SF 80.00.
This latest volume is a very detailed series of
monographs dealing with occupational exposure to wood dust, and to formaldehyde, sometimes in association with wood dust. Formaldehyde has often been suspected for carcinogenic activity, but this review puts that suspicion clearly in context: “Cancer has not been associated with exposure to formalde- hyde in an environmental context, nor with the occurrence of formaldehyde as a constituent of living tissue!”
B.E. Conway, J. O’M Bockris and R.W. White (Eds.),
Modem Aspects of Electrochemistry, Plenum Press, New York, 1996. No. 28 (ISBN o-306-45146-8).
xii + 404 pp. Price US$95.00. No. 29 (ISBN 0-306-
45162-X). xi + 490 pp. Price US$llO.OO.
Volume 28 of this well-respected review series contains chapters on UHV surface analytical methods
in electrochemical studies of single-crystal surfaces, potential-modulated reflectance spectroscopy studies
of the electronic transition of chemisorbed CO, low temperature electrochemistry at high-T, supercon-
ductor/ionic conductor interfaces, quantum theory of charge-transfer processes in condensed media, and a modern approach to surface roughness applied to
electrochemical systems.
Volume 29 deals with energies of activation of electrode reactions, electrochemical reactivation of
catalytic reactions, effect of surface structure and
adsorption phenomena on the active dissolution of iron in acid media, electrochemical investigations of the interfacial behaviour of proteins, and chemisorp-
tion of thiols on metals and metal sulphides.
W.O. George and D. Steele (Eds.), Computing Applications in Molecular Spectroscopy, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, 1995 (ISBN O- 85404-519-8). xi + 242 pp. Price g39.50.
This soft-cover volume is an up-date of “Computer
methods in UV-visible and IR spectroscopy” edited
by W.O. George and H.A. Willis, 1990. It contains ten chapters, dealing with general data handling, data
manipulation in spectroscopy, Fourier theory and its use in spectroscopy, spectroscopic databases, networking of IR spectrometers and computers,
multivariate methods for automated spectrum inter- pretation, computer methods in vapour-phase IR
spectroscopy, industrial applications of vibrational spectroscopy and the role of the computer, develop- ment and applications of Raman microline focus spectrometry, and near-IR spectroscopic techniques. All the articles are written by well-known practi- tioners, and are well illustrated.
Joseph Sherma and Bernard Fried, Handbook of Thin-Layer Chromatography, 2nd edn., Marcel
