is one of the pioneers in the development of molecular beam studies of reaction dynamics. His long experience in this field, especially his major original contributions to both the experimental and theoretical investigations of molecular collisions and laserinduced processes, make him the best qualified person to review this field.
After introducing the dynamics of elementary chemical reactions and making the connection between state-to-state reaction cross sections and rate coefficients in the first two chapters, the main body of the text covers such subjects as crossed molecular beam techniques of reagent state preparation and product state analysis, elastic and inelastic scattering as a manifestation of intermolecular forces, various aspects of scattering including reactive scattering on adiabatic potential surfaces, the relative efficiency of vibrational, rotational, and translational energy in promoting elementary reactions, and electronically nonadiabatic collisions. In the final two chapters, he covers the information-theoretic approach to the analysis of state-to-state chemical dynamics and laser molecular beam methods applied to chemical reaction dynamics.
Bernstein has done an excellent job of presenting a rather complete and unbiased picture of the field of molecular beam chemical dynamics. Readers will certainly be encouraged by the excitement of and the opportunities for scientific discoveries, and by the enthusiasm of the author toward chemical dynamics, which can be felt everywhere. Bernstein has certainly accomplished the goal of bringing to the reader the flavor of current research in the dynamics of elementary gaseous reactions, especially the contribution to this field made by molecular beam and laser techniques. This book will be a useful resource for advanced undergraduate students or graduate students who intend to fully understand the subject matter covered in the book. For example, reading both the text and most of the references cited in Chapter 7, students will be able to understand the relative efficiency of vibrational, rotational and translational energy in promoting elementary reactions. On the other hand, because of the lack of adequate basic material, students will not find it easy to go beyond obtaining an impression of what has been done and who has done it from this book alone. For example, the lack of a figure showing the deflection function in Chapter 5 will make it difficult for many students to follow the discussion on elastic scattering. This book should be regarded as a review or a reference book, rather than an introductory textbook on chemical dynamics.
Although this book is entitled Chemical Dynamics uia Molecular Beam and Laser Techniques, the material presented is overwhelmingly molecular beam-related; laser techniques are not covered as extensively. However, the important role to be played by laser techniques and the laser-molecular beam methods in the future has been clearly indicated.