Non-aqueous solvents

by John R. Chipperfield

Solvents other than water are used in chemical analysis, chemical manufacturing, and in specialist syntheses. This book covers the principles and uses of non-aqueous solvents at a level suitable for first- or second-year undergraduates. It first discusses the general properties of solvents, and introduces the necessary concepts for making rational choices of solvents for different applications. There is a discussion of the various chemical interactions between solvents and the substances dissolved in them, and how solvents change the course of reactions. The chemistry of 16 common solvents is discussed, emphasising the advantages and disadvantages of each. The book concludes with an account of the chemistry of molten salts and discusses the use of low-melting-temperature compounds as synthetic media. The book expands on the brief treatment of non-aqueous solvents given in many textbooks, but avoids the complexities introduced in research treatises.