Introduction to quantum mechanics in chemistry, materials science, and biology
S. M. Blinder
Oxford: Elsevier Academic 2004 | Pp319 | £29.95 | ISBN0 121 06051 9
Reviewed by Philip Camp

The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to quantum mechanics for undergraduates and graduate students in chemistry, materials science, and biology. The style of the text is jaunty, which makes the book enjoyable to read and, more importantly, accessible. Unusual diagrams and schematics provide fresh perspectives on some old topics. Technical details are separated from the main text in appendices to the chapters, and more specialised applications of the general theory are postponed until the final chapters. The ‘chemistry’ component of the book covers atomic structure and the Periodic Table, valence-bond and molecular-orbital theories, Group Theory and spectroscopy. None of the chapters are dedicated to materials science or biology. 

I spotted several misleading statements, of which I give two examples. On page 22 the relations p=mc, E=mc2, E=hv, and c=v, are all used in deriving the Compton-effect formula for photons, p=h/. The first relation is meaningless for photons (zero mass) and this will undoubtedly cause confusion. On page 50, the relation Et=½h is presented as an aspect of the uncertainty principle; it would have been more honest to point out that there is no time operator and hence there is no commutator from which this ‘uncertainty relation’ can be derived. 

Overall, the text achieves its stated objective of providing an ‘up-to-date introduction to the principles of quantum mechanics’. I enjoyed reading this book and I will value its presence on my bookshelf. The tone is slightly more ‘physical’ than ‘chemical’, and for this reason I would suggest that in UK undergraduate chemistry courses this book would be more suitable for background reading than as a dedicated course text. If so, the £29.95 price tag may compromise the book’s impact, especially when compared with larger textbooks like Atkins and Friedman’s Molecular quantum mechanics (OUP, £34.99).