The Physics and Chemistry of Colour The Fifteen Causes of Colour

About this book

An updated and revised second edition of the acclaimed classic Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue, or a ruby red? This classic volume studies the physical and chemical origins of color by exploring fifteen separate causes of color and their varied and often subtle occurrences in biology, geology, mineralogy, the atmosphere, technology, and the visual arts. It covers all of the fundamental concepts at work and requires no specialized knowledge. Author Kurt Nassau includes hundreds of illustrations, tables, and photographs--as well as end--of--chapter problems--that aid in visualizing the concepts discussed. An updated bibliography permits readers to pursue their own particular interests and an expanded series of appendices cover advanced topics. The Physics and Chemistry of Color, Second Edition is a one--of--a--kind treatment of color that provides both detailed physical and chemical properties of color and a more general overview of the subject. It will prove highly useful to specialists and non--specialists alike--and fascinate those with varied interests from optics to art history.

Contents

Preface to the Second Edition.Preface to the First Edition. Acknowledgments for the Second Edition. Acknowledgments for the First Edition. LIGHT AND COLOR. Some Fundamentals: Color, Light, and Interactions. COLOR INVOLVING VIBRATIONS AND SIMPLE EXCITATIONS. Color Produced by Incandescence. Color Produced by Gas Excitations. Color Produced by Vibrations and Rotations. COLOR INVOLVING LIGAND FIELD EFFECTS. Color Caused by Transition Metals in a Ligand Field. COLOR INVOLVING MOLECULAR ORBITALS. Color in Organic Molecules. Charge Transfer Color. COLOR INVOLVING BAND THEORY. Color in Metals and Semiconductors. Color Centers. COLOR INVOLVING GEOMETRICAL AND PHYSICAL OPTICS. Dispersive Refraction and Polarization. Scattering and Nonlinear Effects. Interference and Diffraction. COLOR--RELATED TOPICS. Colorants of Many Types. Vision, Luminescence, Lasers, and Related Topics. Appendix A: Units, Chromaticity, and Color Order Systems. Appendix B: Incandescence Equations. Appendix C: Atoms and Simple Molecules. Appendix D: Crystal Fields, Ligand Fields, and Molecular Orbitals. Appendix E: Band Theory. Appendix F: Prism, Thin Film, and Layer Diffraction Grating. Appendix G: Recommendations for Additional Reading. Index.

Customer Reviews

Biography

KURT NASSAU, PhD, spent thirty years as a research scientist at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey before retiring in 1989 as Distinguished Research Scientist. He is the holder of seventeen patents and author of over 450 publications, including four other books: Gems Made by Man, Gemstone Enhancement, Experimenting with Color, and Color for Science, Art and Technology.