Product Description

Set apart by its scientific accuracy, clarity, innovative descriptions, and visuals, Chemistry: The Central Science is the most trusted book available. A comprehensive media package that works in tandem with the text helps students practice and learn while providing instructors the tools they need to succeed. Readers are given a consistent structure and guidelines to enhance comprehension. Problem-solving aids are integrated throughout, including Strategies in Chemistry boxes and dual-column problem-solving strategies for selected samples. Emphasizing visualization, the Tenth Edition has been designed expressly to help readerse better visualize the chemistry required.


Introduction: Matter and Measurement; Atoms, Molecules, and Ions; Stoichiometry: Calculations with Chemical Formulas and Equations; Aqueous Reactions and Solution Stoichiometry; Thermochemistry; Electronic Structure of Atoms; Periodic Properties of the Elements; Basic Concepts of Chemical Bonding; Molecular Geometry and Bonding Theories; Gases; Intermolecular Forces, Liquids, and Solids; Modern Materials; Properties of Solutions; Chemical Kinetics; Chemical Equilibrium; Acid-Base Equilibria; Additional Aspects of Equilibria; Chemistry of the Environment; Chemical Thermodynamics; Electrochemistry Nuclear Chemistry; Chemistry of the Nonmetals; Metals and Metallurgy; Chemistry of Coordination Compounds; The Chemistry of Life: Organic and Biological Chemistry.

A comprehensive reference for chemistry professionals.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6468 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-19
• Format: Student Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1248 pages

Customer Reviews

solid text, no overall change from previous edition
I wrote the review below for the previous edition (9), and having seen the tenth edition, most of my subjects of complaints and praises pretty much remain the same.

First off, having maintained contact with my freshman year chem prof, I have to say that she still tells the students that they can easily get away with buying the previous edition. Interestingly enough, back when I was taking the course and the 10th wasn't even released yet, she told us we can get away with using the 8th. I have not seen the 8th though, so no comments on that. So it seems as if there are no major overhauls from the 8th-10th editions as far as my prof's concerned.

I say this is a solid text primarily because of the glut of problems for you to practice on, and the nice flow of information through the chapters. The text is written with clarity in mind, and with clarity it does convey its topics. With well-placed worked sample problems and excellent charts and diagrams, this is a great book to have in hand if you're taking a college-level chemistry course.

However, this book has its limitations in that there are several topics that are covered at the college level that are not really expounded on by the book. For example, the text gives a half-page introduction on semiconductors and how electron excitation works in semiconductors ; we did one full lecture on it. Furthermore, some of the problems that hit you in the form of the professor's custom-made, self-written problem sets occasionally involve problem solving methods that are not even covered in the book. I experienced a fair share of this when I saw application questions that involved a lot more variables than any of the book's questions involved.

This brings me to talk about my last perceived limitation of the textbook: its lack of good application / integrative exercises. I like the book's armada of additional exercises at the end of the chapter, but I think a better textbook should include more application problems - sort of like 'problem-based learning', if that's a better way to put it. A good example would be the types of questions you can expect to see on a final exam - questions that implicitly expect you to apply all sorts of concepts obtained from the whole chapter, and possibly even concepts from previous chapters - to solve a real world problem.

To conclude, the pros of this book include its clarity in explaining concepts, the decent flow from topic to topic, and its solid arsenal of practice problems and worked sample problems. The cons include its lack of application problems (problem-based learning), need for more in-depth discussions of some topics, and need for more problem solving strategies. Overall a great text, but a better text can bring my B up to an A in this class.

An excellent and understandable introduction to chemistry
While most of the one year chemistry texts cover more or less the same principles, the order varies, the illustrations are similar, but they vary most in the way they explain the material. It is in the vocabulary they use and develop that helps the student develop the intuitions, understanding, and skills the authors are after. This is a very well written text that is useful for non-chemistry majors as well as science students needing an introductory course in chemistry.

I am reading and working through this text with my 13 year old son. Yes, he is bright and interested in science, but the text is clear enough for both of us to be able to grasp and understand the principles each section of each chapter is presenting to us. Not only does this text focus on teaching the basic principles of chemistry, it also includes historical notes in the margins, and the text focuses on the practical uses of chemistry to illustrate its principles through practical applications. While other texts also have these features, I believe this text to be quite accessible to even those without a strong previous grounding in science.

Each chapter begins with a series of bullet points introducing what is going to be discussed along with a short essay. I like the marginal notes and illustrations as well as the "Give it some thought" feature that asks the student a question or two in order to clarify understanding and ensure a grasp of the principles introduced in that section. Like most modern textbooks, there is also a liberal use of color to aid in presentation and guide the eye. The authors also provide occasional "Strategies In Chemistry" boxes that encourage the student to develop a certain kind of thought process and ways in looking at the principles of chemistry.

At the end of each chapter is a section called Summary and Key Terms that hits the highlights of each section in a paragraph or two with the key terms in boldface. Then there is a section called Visualizing Concepts that have basic problems with illustrations in order to get the student to work mentally on the material learned. The section of problems has a series of questions for each section with the red numbered questions having the answers in the back of the book.

There are also a series of handy tables provided as appendices and standard charts on the inside of the front and back covers including the periodic table. Again, many of these features are included in other texts because there has been quite a bit of convergence on what is to be taught in a one year introduction to chemistry course. The differences are in the way things are said more than what is covered.

I think this is an excellent and very useful text for learning the basics of chemistry and why it matters in our world.

Well written introductory course
I am using editions 8 and 9 of this title to teach chemistry to some very bright homeschoolers. It seems to be a great book for the advanced student. I find it well organized, methodical, and clearly written. I would not recommend it for the student who is weak in science/math, as it covers a lot of ground. Still, if your student is homeschooling because school is too slow, go for it. If you buy used, be very sure you are getting the disk, it's an essential element of the curriculum.