Applications of Phase Equilibria

Dirk Leemans, P.Eng., lived in Toronto.

This little volume is a well-produced, pleasant introduction to phase equilibria and their importance in chemical engineering. The intended audience is the undergraduate student in a chemical engineering department. The focus is on two-component systems, with three-component systems given only a summary description. Also the solid-solid equilibria, so important to metallurgists, are not dealt with. This can be understood on the basis of their limited interest to chemical engineers; nevertheless, they should have a place in a book on phase equilibria.

The book gives a good introduction to each topic covered without going into great theoretical explanations. Every chapter has clear examples and relevant exercises which will give the student a good mastery of the subject. One quibble is the absence of a good bibliography on phase equilibria. Within its limitations, the book is fine.