<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Take this book
Review: As expected, this book has provided me with the information (and more) for my college chemistry classes. If you're a student or scientist, as you most likely know, you need one of these books to survive.
Rating: 
Summary: It's getting out of hand
Review: For 50 years this has been one of my primary reference works, and it still is. It's essential. But over the years, as knowledge has expanded and the book has expanded, the editors have had to make more and more hard choices about what to include and what to leave out. By now, so much is necessarily left out of a single-volume work that I find it less useful than I used to.For example, if I want to find out about the chemistry and toxicology of thorium compounds and the decay processes of thorium isotopes, the CRC handbook doesn't give me enough information to be useful; I must consult more specialized works. Similarly, if I'm interested in a chemical as widely used as hydrogen peroxide, I cannot find enough information here to help me determine the reactivity and hazards of aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide in various concentrations; this is essential information for anyone working with hydrogen peroxide in concentrations varying from 30% to 85%. Whether it's kept in a single-volume format or not, I will continue to regard this as an essential reference on my bookshelf, and every few years will buy an updated copy. However, I wish the editors would disentangle it into a series of more specialized volumes, to allow better treatment of much of the material.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible resource
Review: If I were allowed only two reference books, they would be the OED and this.
This book doesn't have everything, it just seems that way. Listing the content would take pages, and much of it is chemical or physical arcana - if you need the data, you already know what to look for. At a more accessible level, it lists the frequencies of notes in several musical scales, information about common wire sizes, astronomical information, the chemical makeup of the human body, and ways to create carefully controlled humidity. That last one can be helpful to woodworkers; this book really does have something for almost everyone.
Although it comes out every few years, most people won't need to update very often. The definition of a volt, for example, changes rarely and only in small ways. This is a pricey book, but it holds its value pretty well.
This is the scientific reference book to have. If you know a student interested in any of the sciences, it's also a great book to give, and it's something that will be valued for years to come.
//wiredweird
Rating:
Summary: A Basic Necessity
Review: Like getting hit by a bus, this book will change your life. But for the better. Before I encountered Mr. Lide's coup d'etat, i was alone. And sad. And tired. After some food and rest, and a lot of speed, i breezed through this baby in twenty fun-filled minutes. I am a new person now, all thanks to this watershed monument to the genius that is David R Lide. (p856 is my favorite!)
Rating: 
Summary: Title is not precisely right
Review: The title is not precisely right, the book contain the chemical data and the physics data represented in tables, its not a text book represent the theories and the principals on chemistry or physics as science, its 99% of it volume contain raw data, which is a good reference if you looking for a specific data for certain element like resistance, boiling temp, heat capacity, ...extra, but don't expect to find the theory or the principal applied on the science of chemistry and physics to conclude this kind of data represented in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Basic Necessity
Review: This book is an absolute must for any college student who is serious about chemistry or physics. I have found this book to be especially helpful, so far, in the organic chemistry lab. You can find information about practically any organic compound including but not limited to molecular weight, boiling point, melting point, density, molecular formula, and molecular structure. Also as a physics student, I was pleased to find a wealth of formulas, conversion factors, and even tables of derivatives and literally hundreds of integrals, to help with the calculus aspect. This book is a basic necessity for chemistry and physics students because it provides just about all of the information that you need that you can't readily find in a textbook.
Rating:
Summary: What's to say?
Review: This is THE reference book used by all chemists and physicists. If you need it, buy it. Beats fighting over old beat up copies at school or library.
Rating:
Summary: A FORMIDABLE SUPERLATIVE GEM
Review: Very useful and very relevant, nearly all the chapters of this edition of "CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" have been revised. The book is up-to-date, and provides extensive coverage on all the significant physico-chemical phenomena. Chemists, physicists, biochemists, engineers, pharmacists, and other scientists and professionals would value this textbook. Its CD-ROM version would be of great benefit to mobile users.
I was impressed by the way it analyzed molecular interactions in each of the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Electron transfer, and transformations of pure substances were the focus here. Its biochemical section simplified many of the physiological reactions that are often considered complex.
In the same vein, I am certain that most readers would appreciate the classical exposure which optics, thermodynamics, geophysics, nuclear chemistry, and atomic physics sections received. All the recent advances in rotational and vibrational spectroscopy were included. David Lide did a commendable job in moulding this 2700-paged single-volume gem.
Each chapter indulged in practical analysis; with suggestions on how to improve day-to-day applications. Safety measures, as well as guidelines on how to cope with industrial and laboratory hazards were provided. Also, further information sources were made avalaible in one of its numerous appendices.
This is surely an outstanding text: no major weaknesses! It is a formidable reference tool that would please scientists and allied professionals. I recommend it with all pleasure!
Rating:
Summary: A FORMIDABLE SUPERLATIVE GEM
Review: Very useful and very relevant, nearly all the chapters of this edition of "CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" have been revised. The book is up-to-date, and provides extensive coverage on all the significant physico-chemical phenomena. Chemists, physicists, biochemists, engineers, pharmacists, and other scientists and professionals would value this textbook. Its CD-ROM version would be of great benefit to mobile users.
I was impressed by the way it analyzed molecular interactions in each of the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Electron transfer, and transformations of pure substances were the focus here. Its biochemical section simplified many of the physiological reactions that are often considered complex.
In the same vein, I am certain that most readers would appreciate the classical exposure which optics, thermodynamics, geophysics, nuclear chemistry, and atomic physics sections received. All the recent advances in rotational and vibrational spectroscopy were included. David Lide did a commendable job in moulding this 2700-paged single-volume gem.
Each chapter indulged in practical analysis; with suggestions on how to improve day-to-day applications. Safety measures, as well as guidelines on how to cope with industrial and laboratory hazards were provided. Also, further information sources were made avalaible in one of its numerous appendices.
This is surely an outstanding text: no major weaknesses! It is a formidable reference tool that would please scientists and allied professionals. I recommend it with all pleasure!
Rating:
Summary: a critical reference for chemists
Review: While this doesn't contain *everything* for a single topic, it certainly contains all that a chemist usually needs for easy reference about chemistry and physics. If you (or your current copy of the CRC) are a bit older, you'll probably find some sections in the new edition missing - e.g., no more trigonometry tables with the proliferation of cheap calculators - and new things added. This is the sort of book which has SO much stuff, you will never use it all - but it will (almost) always be able to help you. This is the one reference book I was willing to pay for out of pocket, whether or not my employer paid for it. I found a 1927 copy of this at a used book store a few years ago ... - I still have it, and believe it or not, I do use it. It's got really neat stuff the modern editions don't. Which is why you shouldn't hesitate to drop [money] for one today. It will still be useful 60 years from now. This is not the sort of thing I would replace annually!
<< 1 >>
|
