Page 14 - Basic physical chemistry for the atmospheric sciences

x Preface

on chemistry, prior to courses in which chemistry is applied to one of
the geosciences. In addition to students (and I use this term in its
broadest sense) of atmospheric sciences, I hope this book will be
useful to others. It should be suitable, for example, as a precursor to
undergraduate and graduate courses in which chemistry is applied to
any of the geosciences and environmental sciences.
In keeping with the didactic approach of this book, and the view
that any science is best learned by solving problems, I have provided
solutions to 50 exercises in the text and posed 1 1 2 exercises for the
student. Answers to all the quantitative problems, and hints and solu­
tions to selected problems, are given in Appendix VII.
In preparing this book I benefited from the following texts, which
are recommended to the reader. Chemistry: An Experimental Science
)
edited by G. C. Pimentel (W. H. Freeman, 1 9 63 ; this book gives a
broad introduction to chemistry with emphasis on its experimental
foundations. Chemistry: The Central Science by T. L. Brown and
H. E. LeMay Jr. (Prentice-Hall Inc., 1 9 8 1 ) and General Chemistry:
Principles and Modern Applications by R. H. Petrucci (Macmillan
Pub. Co., 1 9 82), which provide more extensive accounts of most of
the topics discussed in the present book as well as dealing with many
other aspects of chemistry. Finally, for the student who wants to take
the next step in chemistry beyond that presented here, University
Chemistry by B. H. Mahan (Addison-Wesley, 1965) is highly recom­
mended.
This book was started in 1 9 84 when I was an Alexander von Hum­
boldt Foundation Senior Scientist in Germany, and it was essentially
finished in 1993 during a sabbatical at the Instituto FISBAT-CNR,
Bologna, Italy. Thanks are due to both of these organizations for
their generous support. It is also a pleasure to thank my colleagues
Professors Dean Hegg and Conway Leavy, and many students, partic­
ularly John Herring and Cathy Cahill, who commented on various
drafts of this book and made suggestions for its improvement. I am
grateful to the National Sciences Foundation for supporting my own
research in atmospheric chemistry over many years.
Any suggestions or corrections related to this book will be grate­
fully received.

Seattle
May 1994