Chemistry DeMYSTiFieD

by Linda Williams

 The proven formula for mastering chemistry Fully updated with all-new quizzes and test questions and a completely refreshed interior design  Chemistry DeMYSTiFieD, Second Edition provides an new, intuitive arrangement of topics. The book adds new material that is now part of introductory chemistry curricula and national subject tests such as ACT, SAT, and AP Chemistry. New chapter quizzes, final exam, and glossary, as well as a Periodic Table of Elements, are included. Clear and conversational writing presents science on an accessible level to students and adults alike. The book‘s content and educational features offer a sound chemistry foundation from which to pursue further scientific education in chemistry and related fields such as biochemistry, environmental science, and thermodynamics.   Chemistry DeMYSTiFieD, Second Edition features:  Brand new chapters on thermodynamics, biochemistry, and an expanded section on electrochemicals Revised presentation order of topics follows the most current curriculum for chemistry classes and associated ACT/SAT/AP exams Periodic Table of Elements Glossary with all critical terms defined and explained in context of book. Chapter-opening objectives offering insight into what you‘re going to learn in each step Questions at the end of every chapter to reinforce learning and pinpoint weaknesses “Still Struggling?“ icon providing specific recommendations for those having difficulty with certain subtopics A final exam for overall self-assessment “Curriculum Tree“ that shows how the topic covered in the book fits into a larger curriculum  Hard stuff made easy! Chemistry; Pure and Applied; Scientific Method; Measurements; Precision vs. Accuracy; Conversion Factors; Atomic Theory; Beginnings of Atomic Theory; Parts of Atomic Structure; The Bohr Model; Chemical Compounds; Elements, Symbols, and The Periodic Table; Properties; Symbols; Chemical Nomenclature; Atomic Number & Weight; Classes of Elements; Solids & Liquids; Types of Solids; Crystalline Structure; Surfactants; Precipitation Reactions; Gases and the Gas Laws; Empirical Gas Laws; Ideal Gas Law; Dalton‘s Law of Partial Pressures; Gay-Lussac‘s Law; Kinetic Theory; Molarity and Concentration; Types of Solutions; Electron Configuration & Energy Levels; Chemical Bonds; Electron Energy Levels; Quantum Numbers; Orbitals; Affinity; Spin Magnetism; Subshells; Ionization Energy; Acids and Bases; Arrhenius Theory; Brönsted-Lowry Theory; Types of Acid-Base Reactions; pH Scale; Precipitation Reactions; Ionization of Water; Neutralization; Buffers; Hydrolysis; Ions and Bonding; Naming Ionic Compounds; Lewis Electron-Dot Structures; Ionic Bonds; Covalent Bonds and Bond Polarity; Molecular Geometry; Molecular Orbital Theory; Electrochemistry; What is Oxidation/Reduction?; Thermodynamics; What is Standard State? Equilibrium; Enthalpy; Heats of Reaction, Vaporization and Fusion; Entropy; Reactivity; Catalysts; Organic Chemistry; Alkanes, Alkenes, and Alkynes; Carbon; Structural Isomers; Ring Structures; Substitution Reactions; Biochemistry; Hydrocarbons; Carboxylic Acids; Phenols; Amines; Amides; Proteins; Environment; Nuclear Chemistry; Radioactivity; Isotopes; Nuclear Reactions and Balance; Rate of Radioactive Decay; Gamma and Positron Emissions; Electron Capture and Energy Shift; Nuclear Bombardment; Radiation – Detection and Biological Effects; Nuclear medicine

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Textbooks, Nonfiction

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Also published as Linda D. Williams.

Linda Williams is a writer in the fields of science and medicine. She has worked as a technical writer and chief scientist at NASA and McDonnell Douglas, and currently works at Rice University. She has served as a science speaker for a number of years. Ms. Williams is the author of the popular "Chemistry Demystified, " another volume in this series.

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay, not edited very well though.

[Nina Castellano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this book as a reference when I took an exam. (I might read it again because I didn't pass the exam) On the lighter side of things, when I read this book (as an adult), it made so much sense! I mean, I learned A LOT from it. I don't know why I didn't like Chemistry in high school. (I do know why, my Chemistry teacher was a horrible terror teacher!) This book made learning Chemistry so much easier!

[Alec Julien · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, after finding three pretty absurd mathematical errors in the early parts of the book, I lost all faith that the author knows even basic arithmetic, let alone chemistry. Into the recycle bin with it!

[Anthony Shull · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't get this book. I was a little put off by some seeming inconsistencies in the first few pages. Then I got to the section where they convert Celsius to Fahrenheit; my answer didn't match theirs. So, I read their solution and it looked like the made a basic error disregarding the distributive property. I looked it up online and their conversion was absolutely wrong. I decided to recycle the book so nobody else has to encounter it.

[Ellyanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn’t have every big topic, but had good explanations

[Sam Sepiol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great for armchair scientists, not chemistry students. It is somewhat slow and doesn't have good quizzes that require applying formulas or the like, but instead the quizzes test your memory of the different facts.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an entry-level chemistry book, most likely engineered for school children. Although these may never read a chemistry book that is not their school text-book. All subjects are presented very simply indeed, making it an easy book to read. But the style is a little uncomfortable, as if deliberately trying to appeal to its readership.



It has been a joy returning to a favourite subject in however basic a form. The periodic table is a marvelous tool and a source of endless fascination. Not enough is done in terms of experimental chemistry and measurements, which I am more interested to relearn. The material here is made to impress, I feel, not to go into any level of detail.



There is an element of the unknown in chemistry, which no book attempts to express. There are many laws and many theories about how materials behave, but explanations about why material behaves as it does is yet only theories. The natural sciences, of which chemistry is one of the greatest, continue to promise that one day all will be known. I await a book that will raise itself even briefly above the self-congratulations about the last few centuries to express some appreciation for mysteries that may never be made clear.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is NOT going to teach you chemistry or even begin to teach you to "do" any chemistry. What it will do is familiarize you with some key ideas or concepts and provide you with a very brief history or highlights of the history of chemistry. It is a nice book with which to prepare to begin to study chemistry or to have on hand while taking that first class to provide additional explanation of certain concepts.

[G. Branden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful. Abysmal.

I can't say enough bad things about this book.

I never could bring myself to write a detailed takedown of this book, but it is packed with errors; they abound on practically every page. Some are obvious only to a person who has already learned the subject, rendering this book cruel and misleading, a profound disservice to its audience.

[Quinn Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original book had several typos that were identified in proof but not corrected before going to print. The 2nd edition is great for introductory chemistry, home schooling or for adults wanting to change careers.

[Daniel Ulm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book