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Ronald G. Harvey. Wiley, VCH: New York, 1997. 667 pp. ISBN 0-471-18608-2. $125. This text is a timely and welcome addition to the evergrowing literature on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) chemistry and an essential addition to the chemist's library. It is the most comprehensive and complete account of the synthesis and chemical properties of polyarenes to date. The author has brought together, in one volume, detailed information on the physical and spectral properties, synthetic methods, chemical reactions, and molecular structures of a broad range of polyarenes, both alternant and nonalternant, and their substituted derivatives. (A total of 358 ring structures are covered, 233 of which are nonalternant PAH compounds.) The author does not deal with the environmental, medical, and biological aspects of polyarenes; thus, it may prove a disappointment to the environmental chemist.
The text is targeted at graduate-level courses in polyarene...