Bonding, Structure & Solid‐state Chemistry . By Mark Ladd. Oxford University Press, 2016. Pp. 527. GBP 32.50 (paperback), GBP 65.00 (hardback). ISBN 978‐0‐19‐872995‐2

According to the author, the book ‘should find its place in any year of the degree studies in the physical and biochemical sciences’ and it ‘presumes a background in science and mathematics of approximately A-level standard’. In fact, some more than basic knowledge of chemistry, physics and mathematics is required, such as integral calculus, symmetry notations and thermodynamics (free energy, entropy, enthalpy etc.). Also, many rather special terms are expected to be known, such as ‘Fourier space’, ‘dimension of an irreducible representation’ and ‘relativistic contraction’. Quantum theory is explained from scratch in Chapter 2 (117 pages), beginning with black-body radiation, Planck’s theory, the De Broglie equation and Heisenberg’s principle and then becoming quite elaborate with wavefunctions. This is well understandable, provided the reader is well grounded in mathematics. It continues elaborately with molecular orbitals, including delocalized -bonds, multicentre bonds, ligand-field theory, character tables (without explaining the meaning of the character symbols) and briefly with VSEPR theory. Less satisfactory is that explanations are given quite a few times using terms that have not yet been introduced. This is a general didactic deficiency throughout the book. For example, knowledge of the terms p electron and -bonding is required to understand Example 2.6 on p. 47, but the terms are only explained later on pages 70ff. In this case, the mentioned terms can be expected to be known to the reader in the first place, so there is no point in explaining them at all. Chapter 3 (68 pages), ‘Molecular compounds’, begins with polarization, dipole interactions and intermolecular potentials, again with lots of mathematical formulae, including very briefly some related physical properties like the refractive index. There is a superfluous section on ‘vibrational bonding’. After a short discussion of the structure of liquids follows Section 3.12 on the structures of molecular solids. This is restricted to a small, unsystematic and arbitrary selection of a few solid-state structures; organic compounds are essentially presented by overcrowded figures and a superfluous table of bond lengths. The reader is referred to two structure databases, leaving unmentioned the Inorganic Structural Database and Pearson’s Crystal Data. The reader is left at a loss with this Section 3.12; it should have been deleted. Chapter 4 (62 pages) is dedicated to ionic compounds, with a main focus on crystal energetics and related topics such as electron affinities, solubilities, ionic radii and heat capacities. The alkali halide and MX2 structures and their relations to ionic radius ratios are worked out clearly (although in Fig. 4.14 the alleged relationship between the TiO2 and NaCl type is not perceivable). A section on silicate structures points out their main structural principles, but not going into detail (e.g. the chrysotile structure is mentioned, but not that its silicate sheets are curled to tubes); nothing more recent than W. L. Bragg (1933) is cited (e.g. Libau’s systematic book on silicates). Point defects, doping and electrical properties are subjects, including an explanation of how image plates work. Chapter 5 (65 pages), ‘metallic compounds’, is something for physicists, hardly understandable for chemists. It is focused on physical properties and bonding theory. In parts (e.g. wave-mechanical free-electron theory, p. 291), the reader will have a hard time understanding much unless he or she already knows what is being explained. There are more obscurities, for example: ‘species such as Ti should be a better conductor than...’ (p. 289); is Ti a single ion or a solid or what? The chapter also deals with semiISSN 2052-5206