Industrial Polymers Handbook.

Industrial Polymers Handbook Edited by Edward S Wilks 4 volumes, 2367 pp hardback.

The standard reference text devoted to polymeric and non-polymeric chemicals in the industrial world since 1998 is the sixth edition of Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry.

However,

The four-volume set covers polymerisation processes and synthetic polymers, including biopolymers and their derivatives. Volume 1 covers polymerisation processes, nomenclature, step-growth polymers and chain-growth polymers. The treatment of chain-growth polymers continues into Volume 2, which also deals with polymers formed by ring-opening reactions.

Volume 3 considers a number of miscellaneous polymers, such as electrically conducting, high-temperature and inorganic polymers. It also makes a start on the chemistry of biopolymers and their derivatives which is concluded in Volume 4.

The first section of the treatise describes polymerisation processes in detail, addresses trends in polymer reaction engineering, polymerisation mechanisms and kinetics, and polymerisation processes and reactor modelling. This appears to be a comprehensive and informative treatment of what is commonly regarded as a difficult area.

The main body of the four-volume set includes descriptions of synthesis and the characteristics of industrially important polymer classes according to their method of synthesis. My overall impression is that the complete work is a worthwhile and successful attempt at bringing together the considerable know-how in the field of industrial polymers.