Chemistry for Success: Concepts and Calculations for General Chemistry

Here is what a chemistry student said about a previous version of this book in a review on Amazon. "This book is a real find. This book explains things that I have heard over and over and over again in college chemistry classes (4 semesters) but yet did not totally grasp. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a solid foundation in chemical principles or to anyone who has been frustrated and tormented in conventional chemistry class, both college and high school. It is thorough, easy to understand and chock full of examples. It has problems and solutions for each chapter, and excellent, detailed coverage of all the math you need for chemistry." See https://amzn.to/3HLRwrR.

Chemistry for Success: Concepts and Calculations for General Chemistry is an extensively updated and modernized version of the previous book reviewed above. It is designed to help prepare you to take a two-semester or a three-quarter general chemistry course or an AP chemistry course. It will help you acquire the problem-solving skills and a conceptual understanding of atoms and molecules that are needed for such courses. Mastering this book will get you on your way to thinking like a chemist and calculating like a chemist. No previous background in chemistry is assumed or needed.

This book represents the insight gained by the author in teaching general chemistry for over 35 years to students with various levels of preparation. It has many unique features that remedy the problems most students have learning chemistry, while at the same time keeping a clear and friendly conversational tone.

This book is ideal for self-study or it can be used as the textbook in a course. It would also be useful for high school chemistry and AP chemistry as a textbook supplement. In a course where self-study before coming to class is required (called a “flipped classroom structure”), this would be an ideal book in conjunction with the material assigned by the instructor.

It has over 500 worked-out examples and end-of-chapter problems for you to solve At the end of the book there is a glossary in which you can look up the definitions of terms. As a study aid, complete worked-out solutions to all the end-of-chapter problems can be found at the back of the book. All the math you need for this book is reviewed, and scientific calculator instructions are given for all operations except simple arithmetic.

This book purposely covers the following limited number of topics in much greater detail than is usual, with no steps left out. As a result, when you take general chemistry you won't get bogged down puzzling over the following topics:

Atoms and Isotopes, Atomic Weight, Molecules and Balancing Chemical Equations,Elements, Compounds and Mixtures, Scientific Notation, Significant Figures, Units and Unit Conversions, Avogadro’s Constant, Moles, Molecular Weight, Stoichiometry, Percent Composition, Empirical Formulas and Molecular Formulas, Molarity And Solution Stoichiometry and Titrations, Gases and The Ideal Gas Law, The Simpler Aspects of Atomic Structure, Atomic Orbitals and the Periodic Table, Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure, Naming of Simple Inorganic Compounds, Oxidation Numbers, Balancing Redox Equations, pH and Logarithms. Also, an Appendix Contains Essays on the Formation of Elements in the Universe, Rechargeable Batteries, Quantum Mechanics and the Double Slit Experiment Using Single Electrons, Radioactive Isotopes to Treat Cancer, and Balancing Nuclear Equations and their History.

The book also contains numerous photos and essays, and many links to the Web. Both, as appropriate, will supplement the text with photos, graphics, videos, animations, articles and lectures. They will allow you to get a deeper understanding of the many topics discussed in the book.