The first edition of this book established a niche as the only volume with a wide ranging review of analytical chemistry having a focus specific to environmental science. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to take full account of the rapid changes and development in the field over the past five years. Separation science, atomic spectroscopy and speciation determinations are areas in which significant developments have been made, and these are reflected in the new edition. The importance of the assessment of the effects of pollutants on real systems has been recognised by the restructuring of the chapter on biological testing and incorporation of a new one on environmental toxicology. Self-assessment questions have been added.
Both analytical chemistry and environmental science have an extensive literature at varying levels of sophistication. However, there have been few attempts to link the two. This book sets out the background to analytical chemistry and covers the principles of its most important techniques. This is done in a way that enables a user to grasp the strengths and weaknesses of a technique, together with its principles of operation, without becoming enmeshed in the chemical small print. Links to environmental uses are indicated in broad terms and then exemplified in more detail by accounts of specific and important environmental problems.
Written for students of chemistry, environmental science and related disciplines, the book is also an essential reference source for those who use environmental information and need to be aware of the factors affecting its quality and reliability.