Introduction to Polymer Chemistry

The following review appeared in the September 2017 issue of CHOICE:
In the autumn of a long, productive career, polymer chemist Carraher (Florida Atlantic Univ.) gives readers a pentimento—a visible tracing of the 1,000 papers and over 75 books—that makes him and now the fourth edition (1st ed., CH, Jun'07, 44-5651) of his opus so distinguished. Any individual who needs an introduction to polymer chemistry should own a copy—especially beginners who otherwise have no reason to know the man and his work. In 16 business-as-usual, unblemished chapters covering 550 pages, Carraher defines one of the penultimate pedagogical limits that anchors science and engineering to the real world of chemistry and materials—the macromolecular scale of length. Nomenclature and morphology come first in early chapters, then a natural progression through natural and unnatural (synthetic) polymers. Methods and mechanisms are included and always interesting; in addition, physical and chemical tests based on useful properties abound. To its credit, the work is not a monograph, yet it has the appeal of one for its attention to practical applications, topical diversity, and currency. It is a tip-of-the-hat to the rich history that marks the development of polymers; and, at a little over 100 bucks, kudos to the author, the editor(s), and the publisher.

--L. W. Fine, Columbia University

Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals.