Writing a book on this topic must be a daunting task because the subject is extraordinarily complicated and involves every facet of chemistry and many other areas of science and human behavior. I had imagined that at least a bachelor’s degree in chemistry was needed before a person is prepared to understand and appreciate the subject. I was wrong. This book—actually a textbook—surprisingly is geared to an audience that has only completed general chemistry. (Because organic chemicals play a prominent role in environmental chemistry, there is a short primer on organic chemistry in an appendix.) I was pleasantly surprised by how well the authors carry off this seemingly impossible job. Take for instance their discussion of the chemicals involved in the greenhouse effect. They nicely explain why monatomic species such as the rare gases and homonuclear diatomic molecules such as N₂ and O₂ do not absorb infrared radiation, whereas CO₂ (through its bending and antisymmetric stretching modes) and H₂O do. These are subjects ordinarily covered in physical chemistry. The authors also show how the intricate interplay between molecules emitting infrared radiation at certain frequencies, whose spread of wavelengths is dictated by the molecules’ rotational states (another topic usually discussed in physical chemistry) and molecules absorbing infrared radiation at other wavelengths leads to the greenhouse effect. There is also an interesting discussion on the pros and cons of the so-called hydrogen economy. Burning hydrogen, which will have to be synthesized in energy-intense processes and is difficult to store, produces polluting nitrogen oxides. Some hydrogen will inevitably escape into the atmosphere. Even though the homonuclear H₂ is not a greenhouse gas, it will react in the upper atmosphere with the hydroxyl radical to produce H₂O, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Many other examples of complicated material, explained in easy-to-understand language, are sprinkled throughout the book.

Perhaps the word anthropomorphic should be added to the title of any book dealing with environmental chemistry, because human behavior is at the heart of virtually every aspect of the subject. Not only do people cause environmental degradation but they are also the recipients of its adverse effects. It is not pleasant to read about these issues, but environmental problems will not go away by ignoring them. The authors do a thorough, nonjudgmental job of explaining how humans impact the environment and what steps if any have been taken to remedy problems. People have by and large unconsciously been the cause of a great many environmental problems that science has the potential to alleviate. One outgrowth has been the development of the new discipline called green chemistry, which attempts to find environmentally friendly ways to carry out chemical processes. The authors present about a dozen examples of exciting and often ingenious ways of making current chemical practice more environmentally friendly. The book, not surprisingly, has lots of figures, tables, and text printed in green. The symbolism may be appropriate but unfortunately the color appears rather wan.

As I noted earlier, this is a textbook geared to lower division college students. The authors have included review and additional problems at the end of each of the book’s 13 chapters in addition to having lists of articles and books for further reading to aid the student in learning the material. A solutions manual and Web site are also available to assist the student. When completing what I assume to be a one-year course, the student should be conversant in every significant environmental issue. I do wonder, however, why the authors did not discuss what the average citizen can do to make the environment better—for example, use less, recycle more. Perhaps this is because environmental improvement is not a chemical issue per se, but one of self-interest, self-indulgence, and cost. Science can help alleviate environmental problems but changes in people’s behavior are also needed.

In conclusion I found the book to be thorough, well written, easy to comprehend, especially important for second-year college students, and free of mistakes. If I were to teach a course on environmental chemistry, I would consider its adoption.