Chemical Education Today
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Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Edition
by Gary L. Miessler and Donald A. Tarr
Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1999. xiv + 642 pp.
Figs., tables, charts. 21.0 26.0 cm. ISBN 0-13-841891-8.
$92.00.
reviewed by George B. Kauffman
The first edition of this text by two chemistry professors
at St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, appeared in 1991 but
was not reviewed in this Journal. As in the earlier edition,
the authors emphasize molecular orbitals and symmetry to
explain many aspects of the bonding, structure, and reactivity
of inorganic compounds. The new edition is one-third longer
than the first (480 pp). In contrast to more traditional
encyclopedic texts (e.g., Cotton and Wilkinsons Advanced 16 chapters: Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry, Atomic
Inorganic Chemistry or Greenwood and Earnshaws Chemistry of
the Elements), which present the descriptive chemistry of the
elements according to periodic table groups, it is a balanced
blend of theory and facts, organized on a topical basis. How-
ever, considerable descriptive chemistry is integrated into the
books chapters, many of which begin with historical back-
ground material.
In addition to selecting what they consider the most
appropriate and interesting topics for an upper-level under-
graduate inorganic course, Miessler and Tarr have once again
succeeded in making their text accessible to students by
increasing the number of examples and exercises within the
chapters. Answers to the examples are included in the chapters
themselves, while answers to the 90 exercises are relegated to
one of the 9 appendices (the other appendices present valu-
able dataionic radii; ionization energy; electron affinity;
Pauling electronegativities; absolute hardness parameters; CA,
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu Vol. 77 No. 2 February 2000 Journal of Chemical Education
Edward J. Walsh
Allegheny College
Meadville, PA 16335
EA, CB, and EB values; character tables; and electron-dot
diagrams and formal charge).
Numerous problems (338 in all) conclude all chapters
except the first; answers are not provided, so they may be
assigned as homework. To encourage use of the literature by
both students and instructors the authors have retained the
extensive references in the first edition, many to historical or
classic papers or books, and they have increased the number
of problems taken from recent articles. References cited in
the text (some as recent as 1998) appear at the bottom of
the pages, while general references are given in single para-
graphs just before the problems. Numerous equations and
reaction schemes, 361 figures, and 132 tables are provided.
An extremely detailed index (7 quadruple-column pages in
small type) facilitates location of material.
The scope of the text can be seen from the titles of its
Structure, Simple Bonding Theory, Symmetry and Group
Theory, Molecular Orbitals, AcidBase and DonorAcceptor
Chemistry, The Crystalline Solid State (new to this edition),
Chemistry of the Main Group Elements, Coordination
Chemistry (four chapters on Structures and Isomers, Bonding,
Electronic Spectra, and Reactions and Mechanisms), Organo-
metallic Chemistry, Organometallic Reactions and Catalysis,
Parallels Between Main Group and Organometallic Chemistry,
and Bioinorganic and Environmental Chemistry.
I am pleased to recommend heartily this thoroughly up-
dated and revised edition of a relatively brief and user-friendly
survey of inorganic chemistry, with its strong coverage of
molecular symmetry and group theory as well as inclusion
of important and chemically and socially relevant topics.
George B. Kauffman is in the Department of Chemistry,
California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740.
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