化学专业英语

化学专业英语

学院：化学化工学院

姓名：李红红

班级：05级专升本班

学号：200507010407

February 2006 Vol. 83 No. 2 p. 217 Environmental Chemistry, 3rd edition

(Colin Baird and Michael Cann)

Even though I have published a modest number of research and review articles in environmental chemistry in the last two and a half decades, until now I have not had occasion to read any of the dozens of books on environmental chemistry. The book in question is the third edition of Environmental Chemistry by Colin Baird and Michael Cann.

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 bachel or’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 N2and O2do 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’ rota tional 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 H2is 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 rev iew 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.

2006年2月第83卷第2期217页

环境化学，第3编辑

(Colin Baird和迈克尔Cann)

在最后二十五年里即使我在环境化学方面已经出版了许多研究和评论的文章，但直到现在我还没有机会去读许多有关环境化学的书中的任何一本。在考虑中的书是由Colin ?Baird和迈克尔Cann编辑的环境化学的第三版。

因为主题是非凡复杂的并且介入化学每个方面以及许多其他科学领域和人类行为，写一本关于这个主题的书一定是一项艰巨的任务。我想象一个人至少化学学士学位是必要的在准备去理解和欣赏这个科目之前。其实我错了。这本书作为实际的课本惊奇适应了那些只完成了一般化学的观众。 (由于有机化学制品在环境化学扮演一个突出的角色，有机化学里有一个简短的主要附录)我非常惊奇作者是如何运载好这个表面上不可能的工作的。例如采取在他们的化学讨论中引入温室效应。他们很好地解释为什么单原子种类例如稀有气体和同核的双原子分子例如N2和O2不吸收红外辐射，而二氧化碳(通过它的弯曲和反对称的舒展的方式)，和H2O却吸收的。这些主题通常在物理化学中被报道。作者也展示了在分子之间复杂的相互作用是如何以某些特定的频率散发红外辐射的，分子的波长传播通过分子转动态被口授(另一个在物理化学通常被谈论的题目)，并且分子吸收导致温室效应的其他波长红外辐射。也有关于所谓的氢经济的利弊的一次有趣的讨论。灼烧氢的过程将肯定合成强烈的能量，这些能量是很难存放，而且会产生污染的氧化氮。一些氢将不可避免地逃脱入大气。即使同核的H2不是温室气体，它在大气层上部将与羟基对发生根本性的反应生成H2O，它是一种强有力温室气体。用一种简单且易理解的语言被解释的复杂的材料的许多其他例子，贯穿于正本书中。或许，因为人类的实际行为是主题每个方面的中心应该在的一些书的标题增加似人的词来应用到环境化学。人类不但是的原因，而且他们也是环境退化的不利影响的接收者。闻悉这些问题是不宜人的，但环境问题不会因忽略他们而消失的。作者做一个详尽，无偏见的工作去解释人类是如何影响环境的，并且什么步，如果去补救问题的话一些什么步骤应该被采取。人们基本上没有意识到他们是许多大环境问题的起因而这些问题科学有潜力去缓和的。称为一个新的学科的发展的绿色化学的一分枝，正试图发现对环境友好的方法去进行化学过程。作者提出十二个有趣的和经常巧妙方式的例子使目前化学实践更加对环境友好。毫不奇怪，书上有打印有许多绿色的图、表格以及文本。这些象征主义也许是恰当的，但不幸的颜色看上去相当苍白。据我早期的了解，这是一本适应降低大学生分散力的课本。作者为了在学习材料方面帮助学生更深层的去阅读在每一本书的13章节的结尾包括有回顾和另外的问题的基础上又添加了文章和书名的单。解答指南和网站对帮助学生也是有力的。当学生完成我提出的1年的课程时，应该精通每一个重大的环境问题。然而，我想知道为什么作者没有谈论一般的公民能做什么可以使环境更好——例子，使用较少，回收更多。或许，这是因为环境改善不是就其本身而言一个化学问题，而是一个利己主义、放纵和费用。科学虽然可以帮助缓和环境问题，但在人行为上的变化也是必要的。

总而言之我发现这本书不但是前面的，而且写得很好，容易领会，对大二的学生特别重要，也没有什么差错。如果我将去教一门有关环境化学的课程，我会考虑去采纳这本书的。