Product Description
The study of the environment requires the reliable and accurate measurement of extremely small quantities of chemicals, deemed as either pollutants or naturally occurring species. Aimed at students in all disciplines of environmental science and engineering, but also of relevance to professional environmental scientists and analytical chemists, the authors of this volume present details of the basic analytical science involved in making these measurements. The environment is a huge sink, where materials of all sorts can be dispersed and diluted to very small concentrations. Historically, a 'dilute and disperse' approach was believed to be an acceptable method of disposal of the waste materials generated by society, but growing awareness of the long term consequences of such action, and changing attitudes and legislation, mean this is no longer the case.To examine the effects of contaminants released into the environment requires the measurement of these contaminants, in what is one of the most complex, challenging and diverse systems the environmental analyst is likely to face. Commissioning of the measurements similarily requires a detailed understanding of the processes by which material is sampled and analyzed, in order that valid conclusions may be drawn from reported measurements. By concentrating on the basic principles of sampling and sample preparation, followed by the chemical principles of the major instrumental methods used in chemical analysis, and augmenting this with detailed discussions of the major environmental matrices, the book offers the reader a grounding in this field. This book should be of interest to students of environmental science, professional environmental scientists, and analytical chemists.
From the Back Cover
The study of the environment requires the reliable and accurate measurement of extremely small quantities of chemicals, deemed as either pollutants or naturally occurring species. Aimed at students in all disciplines of environmental science and engineering, but also of relevance to professional environmental scientists and analytical chemists, the authors of this volume present details of the basic analytical science involved in making these measurements.;The environment is a huge sink, where materials of all sorts can be dispersed and diluted to very small concentrations. Historically, a "dilute and disperse" approach was believed to be an acceptable method of disposal of the waste materials generated by society, but growing awareness of the long term consequences of such action, and changing attitudes and legislation, mean this is no longer the case. To examine the effects of contaminants released into the environment requires the measurement of these contaminants, in what is one of the most complex, challenging and diverse systems the environmental analyst is likely to face. Commissioning of the measurements similarily requires a detailed understanding of the processes by which material is sampled and analyzed, in order that valid conclusions may be drawn from reported measurements. By concentrating on the basic principles of sampling and sample preparation, followed by the chemical principles of the major instrumental methods used in chemical analysis, and augmenting this with detailed discussions of the major environmental matrices, the book offers the reader a grounding in this field.;This book should be of interest to students of environmental science, professional environmental scientists, and analytical chemists.
