Basic ESR

Electron spin resonance: analysis and interpretation

Philip H Rieger 

Cambridge, UK: RSC Publishing 2007 | 274 pp | ?79.95 (HB) ISBN 9780854043552 

Reviewed by Damien Murphy 

Electron spin resonance: analysis and interpretation  is an introductory level textbook which presents the fundamental concepts of the subject in a simple pedagogical manner. It therefore offers an ideal starting point for any student wishing to understand and analyse ESR spectra in solution and solid state. 

The book is concise and clearly written with the beginner in mind, since the extensive use of complex and difficult theory is kept to a minimum. It contains numerous illustrative and worked examples throughout, covering the fundamental core ideas in continuous wave ESR and also providing an excellent overview on the many applications of this technique. The book has a strong ’chemistry feel’, reflecting the author’s life-long interests in organometallic species, so at all times the theory and analyses are constantly related back to solving real chemical problems. Furthermore the numerous subtle perturbations that determine the final appearance of an ESR spectrum are emphasised and explained, enabling the reader to approach an interpretation armed with the best possible advice and guidance. 

The book also contains many excellent features that the expert reader will appreciate, including the treatment of non-coincident axes, second order effects and perturbation theory calculations. It logically progresses from isotropic systems to anisotropic polycrystalline species, followed by more specialist chapters on kinetic studies and high spin systems.  

Overall this is an excellent textbook, presenting the subject of ESR in a straightforward manner and unravelling the complexities of spectral analyses and interpretation. I would thoroughly recommend it.