Photochemistry (Oxford Chemistry Primers)

Photochemistry (Oxford Chemistry Primers)

Photochemistry is the study of the interaction of light with matter, and this concise and clearly written book provides a very accessible introduction to the subject. When visible or ultraviolet light is absorbed by a molecule, the result often is its apparently erratic behavior, with chemical properties distinct from those of the unexcited molecule. The primary part of this volume explores the role of light in this metamorphosis, and explains the chemical processes that occur after the absorption of light. The emission of radiation as fluorescence and phosphorescence is explained in depth in a separate chapter. The final two chapters are dedicated to the impact photochemistry has on life, and to the ways Man has made use of this discipline in a variety of applications. `an acceptable standard, and it will therefore be useful to students for consolidating the subject matter of a lecture course and providing a deeper understanding' Michael Oelgemöller, Organisch-Chemisches institut der Universität Köln, Cologne, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1997, 36, No. 11`An outstanding text in this series provides a highly authoritative, lucid, concise account of the subject and a more detailed presentation than is available in most undergraduate textbooks of physical chemistry. It covers both underlying fundamental aspects and applications especially in nature and in medicine.' Aslib Book Guide, vol.61, no.12, December 1996. Richard P. Wayne is at University of Oxford.