Advances in Colloid and Inter-face Science, 37 (1992) 335-337 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam

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Book Reviews

Aquatic Chemical Kinetics: Reaction Rates of Processes in Natural Waters, edited by Werner Stumm, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1990, 545 pp., $89.95 (E70.501, ISBN O-471-82995-1.

Understanding of processes occurring in the aquatic environment has increased enormously in the past few years. Advances have come about both by fundamental modelling approaches and by detailed laboratory and field studies. Both aspects are very well covered in this collection of 18 chapters, mainly concerned with the rates of chemical reactions taking place at, or mediated by, solid surfaces.

Many of the authors are leading researchers in their subject and the standard of presentation is uniformly excellent. The level of exposition varies quite widely, ranging from fairly elementary discussions of basic chemical kinetics and catalysis, through treatment of catalysis by extra- cellular enzymes to molecular orbital approaches and ab initio quantum- mechanical calculations.

It is often remarked that much environmental research is too con- cerned with highly idealized systems, inapplicable to “real world” prob- lems. At first glance, several chapters of this book appear to justify such criticism, However, it soon becomes apparent that the authors are well aware of model limitations and the need to adopt more empirical ap- proaches in many cases. Fundamental studies in such areas as oxide surfaces, trace metal complexation, photochemical oxidation, particle capture in porous media and many others, provide a sound basis on which informed discussion of environmental problems can take place. Compari- sons of model predictions, laboratory studies and field data can be very fruitful.

There is considerable emphasis on rates of dissolution and the weathering of soils and rocks, reflecting the Editor’s own research inter- ests. Considering the complexity of such processes, especially in the natural environment, an impressive amount of progress has been made and real insights have been gained into the factors affecting the transport of inorganic constituents. The scale is literally global and in one chapter it is possible to find quantities measured in km3/day and nm/year.

As so often occurs with compilations of this kind, there is some overlap of material. For instance, the subject of linear free energy relationships

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occurs in several chapters (rather confusingly indexed by either the full name or LFER). Nevertheless, different treatments of a subject can offer new perspectives and help to develop a deeper understanding.

I spotted only a few trivial errors and the book is very well produced. It will be a lasting source of ideas and information on the subject. Researchers in the area of aquatic science, especially newcomers to the field, would greatly benefit by having access to this book.

John Gregory Dept. of Civil & Municipal Engineering,

University College, Gower Street, London, WCl.

Interfacial Phenomena in Biological Systems, (Surfactant Science Series Volume 391, edited by Max Bender, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1991, xiv + 448 pp., $155.25, ISBN O-8247-8436-7.

To those of us who have been trained in the physical sciences and particularly surface and colloid scientists the biological world offers a vast and interesting range of phenomena which to varying degrees depend on the properties of interfaces. The surface to volume ratio in biological systems is very large so that the surface properties are often of great importance in determining functional behaviour. For example the early ideas (ca. 1925-1935) on the structure of cell membranes depended on the classical, although in modern terms crude monolayer experiments of Gorter and Grendel in conjunction with the measurements of membrane interfacial tension by amongst others Harvey and Cole. It is a pleasure to see a volume in the surfactant science series devoted to interfacial phenomena in biological systems and to see the breadth of important topics which now come under this umbrella,

The volume is divided into 5 parts: Biological Surfaces, Membranes, Corpuscular, Interactions and Transport and contains 15 chapters by experts in particular areas. The editor probably had some difficulty in allocating chapters to the various parts to keep a balance of contributions. For example it is difficult to see why the chapter by Vroman on interac- tions of proteins in blood plasma comes under Biological Surfaces rather than under Interactions together with the rather too brief chapter by Magdassi and Garti on Surface Activity of Proteins.