Inorganic Chemistry (3rd Edition)

Book Preface

The third edition of Inorganic Chemistry is not radically different from the second edition, and our principal objective is to give a foundation of physical inorganic principles and theory, followed by descriptive chemistry of the elements, finishing with a number of more specialized topics. With current trends often being towards the development of materials science or life sciences, it is tempting to add further chapters on, for example, nanosciences and environmental chemistry. Given that there are now a number of excellent texts available dedicated to these topics, we feel that the pages of Inorganic Chemistry are more usefully dedicated to fundamental inorganic chemistry, with links to materials science, life sciences, the environment, everyday applications and industry being made through boxed discussions with key literature references. On going from the second to the third edition of the book, these discussions have been visually enhanced by the introduction of photographs. A significant change from previous editions of Inorganic Chemistry is an increased coverage of experimental techniques. In addition to a detailed description of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, methods such as X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy were covered in boxed text in the second edition. In the present edition, these discussions have been expanded and more techniques included (e.g. computational methods, cyclic voltammetry, EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), transmission electron microscopy).

The pedagogical features of the second edition of Inorganic Chemistry have contributed to the book becoming a popular choice among lecturers and students. In response to feedback, we have increased the number of self-study exercises, using them to strengthen links between descriptive chemistry and theory. The descriptive chemistry has been updated. Results from the recent literature that have been incorporated will make students aware of how current research contributes to the development of modern inorganic chemistry.

On going from the first to the second edition of the text, we significantly modified the chapters on symmetry and molecular orbital theory. These changes have been well received, and as a result, we have developed the discussion of vibrational spectroscopy still further to include the use of character tables to determine the symmetry labels of the vibrational modes and which modes of vibration are IR and/or Raman active. We have also significantly altered the discussion of term symbols and microstates in the introduction to electronic spectroscopy of d-block metal complexes.

During the writing of the three editions of Inorganic Chemistry, the IUPAC has put forward a wide range of recommendations in a series of reports. One change arises from the 2001 recommendations of the IUPAC concerning the reporting of chemical shifts in NMR spectroscopy. The recommendation to write, for example, 6.0 ppm, reverses the previous recommendation (1972) to report the value as 6.0. The new edition of Inorganic Chemistry incorporates the 2001 recommendation. A major overhaul of inorganic chemical nomenclature was published in the 2005 recommendations of the IUPAC, and we are grateful to Professor Neil Connelley for answering a number of our queries. After careful consideration, we have decided to adopt some, but not all, changes. Most obsolete names (e.g. tetrahydroborate, now tetrahydridoborate in line with tetrahydridoaluminate) have been eliminated from the book, and Box 7.2 gives examples of additive nomenclature. We will consider further nomenclature changes in future editions of Inorganic Chemistry. At regular intervals, the IUPAC updates atomic weights, and the third edition of our text is consistent with the latest report (M.E. Wieser (2006) Pure Appl. Chem., vol. 78, p. 2051).

As in previous editions of Inorganic Chemistry, the 3D-molecular structures have been drawn using atomic coordinates accessed from the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Base and implemented through the ETH in Zu¨ rich, or from the Protein Data Bank (http:// www/rcsb.org/pdb). Accompanying this text is a Solutions Manual written by Catherine E. Housecroft. The accompanying website includes sites for both students and lecturers and can be accessed from www.pearsoned.co.uk/housecroft.

In addition to the review panel set up by the publisher, we are very grateful to many colleagues who have provided ideas, comments and criticisms for our consideration. In addition to those whom we acknowledged in the prefaces to the first and second editions, we extend our thanks to Professors Duncan Bruce, Wayne Gladfelter, Henry Rzepa, Helmut Sigel, Tim Hughbanks and Gregory Robinson, and Dr Owen Curnow. Dr Clive Oppenheimer and Professor Gilbert Gordon are acknowledged for their positive responses to requests for reprints of their work, and we thank Professor Gary Long for providing figures to illustrate Mo¨ ssbauer spectroscopy and Professor Derek Corbridge for a copy of Phosphorus World. A number of colleagues have spent time reading parts of the text or discussing approaches to teaching various topics. We owe particular thanks to Professors John P. Maier, Greg Jackson, Silvio Decurtins and Dr Cornelia Palivan. The production of Inorganic Chemistry would not have been possible without the dedicated work from the team at Pearson Education. For the third edition, particular thanks go to Kevin Ancient, Melanie Beard, Pauline Gillett, Kay Holman, Martin Klopstock, Simon Lake, Mary Lince, Paul Nash, Julian Partridge, Darren Prentice and Ros Woodward.

One of us spends many hours discussing ideas with her husband, Edwin Constable. His critical contributions, especially with respect to term symbols and ways in which to teach microstates, are greatly valued. Finally, this book is dedicated to Philby. After sixteen years of contributing to chemistry texts, he left his sister, Isis, to oversee the completion of this project. She has sat and slept by the computer throughout all of the writing, occasionally assisting in a feline manner when she felt it was necessary.

Catherine E. Housecroft (Basel)