Equilibrium Between Phases of Matter

Harry A.J. Oonk is Emeritus Professor of Thermodynamics at Utrecht University; the University where he studied, taught and carried out research. Research interests: the phase behaviour of condensed matter, with an accent on materials in the interior of the Earth; the structural and thermodynamic properties of (molecular) mixed crystals. He is one of the founders of the REALM (Réseau Européen sur les Alliages Moléculaires), a network, uniting research groups at the Universities of Barcelona, Bordeaux and Utrecht, and devoted to the study of mixed crystals. He is the author of Phase Theory (Elsevier, 1981); and with Teresa Calvet of “Equilibrium Between Phases of Matter. Phenomenology and Thermodynamics” (Springer, 2008). Michael H. Jacobs is specialized in computational thermodynamics, geophysics, and material sciences. He earned his Ph.D in Chemistry at the Utrecht University and carried out research at the Utrecht University, RWTH Aachen University, and Clausthal University of Technology. His research interests are the coupling of thermodynamics and quantum mechanics to the dynamics of planetary interiors and computational thermodynamics applied to oxide and metal systems.

Central role of Gibbs energy.- Slopes of curves in phase diagrams.- Retrograde equilibrium curves.- Three cases – Phase theory in practice.- Multicomponent systems.- Systems under high pressure and high temperature.- Phase-equilibrium analysis for the future.

Endorsements:"The new volume Equilibrium between Phases of Matter, Supplemental Text for Materials Science and High-pressure Geophysics, radiates the time-honoured tradition of phase theoretical knowledge accumulated worldwide.     Jacobs and Oonk are scientists whose thermodynamic expertise covers the fields from chemistry (e.g. n-alkanes) to materials science (e.g. Mg2SiO4 + Fe2SiO4) up to geodynamic modelling of the system MgO + SiO2 under pressure.    A series of carefully selected well documented exercises with solutions facilitate comprehension of the notoriously difficult thermodynamic basis and provide excellent learning by doing."Heinz Gamsjäger"With this second volume Equilibrium between Phases of Matter, Supplemental Text for Materials Science and High-pressure Geophysics - Prof Harry Oonk completes the project of writing two text books on heterogeneous equilibrium.  While the first book, written with Dr Teresa Calvet, was mostly a textbook, presented in a very original way and in a sequence of increasing complexity parts, this second volume, with Dr Michael Jacobs, is both an advanced textbook, for use on a graduate level, and a brilliant exposition of the practical thermodynamic experience of Prof Oonk and his collaborators.    A very well organized introduction dealing with the relation between phase diagrams and thermodynamics is presented, where several complexities and particularities of phase diagrams are discussed.  As the focus is on binary systems, the discussion can be supported by good graphs and figures.  As the treatment is accurate, no generality of the concepts is lost.    The book excels in the presentation of practical examples of the relations between thermodynamic data and phase diagrams where the experience of the authors brings to the reader a wealth of practical examples of the assessment of experimental data and theirrelation to phase diagrams.  The book is supported by a large number of very good exercises (with solutions!) and presents a very interesting discussion on systems at high pressure, that will certainly be of great interest for those in the Earth Sciences but which is also a much welcome contribution to the understanding of the relation between thermodynamic variables and phase equilibrium for metallurgists and material scientists."A. Costa e Silva  Equilibrium between Phases of Matter, Supplemental Text for Materials Science and High-pressure Geophysics, by M.H.G. Jacobs and H.A.J. Oonk is an original and excellent addition to the literature of the field. The book is the follow-up of the textbook by H.A.J. Oonk and M.T. Calvet, where an introduction is given to phase diagrams and classical thermodynamics, including a transparent description of the route from thermodynamic properties to phase diagrams.    Some parts of the new text are related with the scientific work of the authors. Special mention is deserved by the chapters on high pressure and high temperature and their geological implications. The formalism based on lattice vibrations coupled with the thermodynamic model parameters is applied in geodynamic modelling to elucidate material heterogeneity in the transition zone of the Earth.     The text will be useful to postgraduates, PhD students, professionals and teachers in geology, materials science, thermodynamics, and related fields. The style of the text is lucid - just as it is in previous contributions of Professor Oonk and colleagues: a pronounced pedagogical effort to assist the reader; a careful and rigorous presentation of the, sometimes complex, subjects - combined with a beautiful collection of instructive exercises (and, not to forget, their solutions).Miquel Àngel Cuevas-DiarteThis second volume of “Equilibrium Between Phases of Matter, Supplemental Text for Materials Science and High-pressure Geophysics”, constitutes a primary source of thermodynamics on binary and ternary systems on isobaric conditions, for postgraduate students, teachers and researchers for acquiring the fundamental understanding of “mixed” systems. Among them, organics, inorganics, and some relevant systems for geological sciences, with especial attention to the rarely deemed pressure variable. The authors’ teaching tradition together with their fruitful researches on materials science provides a unique enlightening source for chemists, physicist and material engineers.Josep Lluis Tamarit