Smith D.W. Inorganic Substances: A Prelude to the Study of Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry

Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, USA, 1990. – 407 p. – ISBN: 0521331366, 0521337380This introduction to descriptive inorganic chemistry is a systematic survey of the chemistry of the elements according to the Periodic Classification. Written for undergraduates and complementary in its approach to conventional inorganic chemistry textbooks, it allows the reader to acquire a firm grasp of the principles that underlie the inorganic substances that can be made, their preparations, structures, chemical reactions and physical properties. The book presents theory as a background to the facts of inorganic chemistry, rather than as an end in itself. It does not concentrate on structural detail or reaction mechanisms but stresses the interplay between thermodynamic and kinetic considerations in understanding stability. The ways in which the various theories of structure and bonding are related are thoroughly dealt with throughout. The approach of this book makes it a useful text for students of any intermediate inorganic chemistry course, as well as a helpful guide for earth and material scientists.The theoretical framework of inorganic chemistry
Physical methods in the characterisation of inorganic substances
Nomenclature, notation and classification of inorganic substances
Periodicity and atomic properties
The occurrence of simple ions Ew± in crystals and solutions
Covalent bonding in Main Group chemistry: a VB approach
Molecular orbital theory in inorganic chemistry
Coordination and organometallic compounds of the transition elements
Inorganic reactions and their mechanisms
The preparation of inorganic substances
Appendix The literature of descriptive inorganic chemistry