When this innovative textbook first appeared in 1984 it rapidly became a great success throughout the world and
has already been translated into several European and Asian languages. Now the authors have completely revised
and updated the text, including more than 2000 new literature references to work published since the first edition.
No page has been left unaltered but the novel features which proved so attractive have been retained. The book
presents a balanced, coherent and comprehensive account of the chemistry of the elements for both undergraduate
and postgraduate students. This crucial central area of chemistry is full of ingenious experiments, intriguing
compounds and exciting new discoveries. The authors specifically avoid the term `inorganic chemistry' since this
evokes an outmoded view of chemistry which is no longer appropriate in the final decade of the 20th century.
Accordingly, the book covers not only the 'inorganic' chemistry of the elements, but also analytical, theoretical,
industrial, organometallic, bio-inorganic and other cognate areas of chemistry. The authors have broken with recent
tradition in the teaching of their subject and adopted a new and highly successful approach based on descriptive
chemistry. The chemistry of the elements is still discussed within the context of an underlying theoretical framework,
giving cohesion and structure to the text, but at all times the chemical facts are emphasized. Students are invited
to enter the exciting world of chemical phenomena with a sound knowledge and understanding of the subject, to approach
experimentation with an open mind, and to assess observations reliably. This is a book that students will not only
value during their formal education, but will keep and refer to throughout their careers as chemists.
Table of Contents
1. Origin of the elements, isotopes and atomic weights
2. Chemical periodicity and the periodic table
3. Hydrogen
4. Lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium and francium
5. Beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium and radium
6. Boron
7. Aluminium, gallium, indium and thallium
8. Carbon
9. Silicon
10. Germanium, tin and lead
11. Nitrogen
12. Phosphorus
13. Arsenic, antimony and bismuth
14.Oxygen
15. Sulfur
16. Selenium, tellurium and polonium
17. The halogens: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine
18. The noble gases: helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon
19. Coordination and organometallic compounds
20. Scandium, yttrium, lanthanum and actinium
21. Titanium, zirconium and hafnium
22. Vanadium, niobium and tantalum
23. Chromium, molybdenum and tungsten
24. Manganese, technetium and rhenium
25. Iron, ruthenium and osmium
26. Cobalt, rhodium and iridium
27. Nickel, palladium, and platinum
28. Copper, silver and gold
29. Zinc, cadmium and mercury
30. The lanthanide elements
31. The actinideand transactinide elements
