Basic Physical Chemistry for the Atmospheric Sciences

Updated and expanded in 2000 from its first publication in 1995, this book provides a clear, concise grounding in the basic chemical principles required for studies of atmospheres, oceans, and Earth systems. It is designed for students with little formal training in chemistry, before they move on to more advanced texts.

Revised and updated in 2000, Basic Physical Chemistry for the Atmospheric Sciences provides a clear, concise grounding in the basic chemical principles required for studies of atmospheres, oceans, and earth and planetary systems. Undergraduate and graduate students with little formal training in chemistry can work through the chapters and the numerous exercises within this book before accessing the standard texts in the atmospheric chemistry, geochemistry, and the environmental sciences. The book covers the fundamental concepts of chemical equilibria, chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, solution chemistry, acid and base chemistry, oxidation-reduction reactions, and photochemistry. In a companion volume entitled Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry (2000, Cambridge University Press) Peter Hobbs provides an introduction to atmospheric chemistry itself, including its applications to air pollution, acid rain, the ozone hole, and climate change. Together these two books provide an ideal introduction to atmospheric chemistry for a variety of disciplines.