The first essential in chemistry is that you should perform practical work and conduct experiments, for he who performs not practical work nor makes experiments will never attain the least degree of mastery.” J≈bir ibn Hayy≈n, 8th century
“One of the wonders of this world is that objects so small can have such consequences: Any visible lump of matter even the merest speck contains more atoms than there are stars in our galaxy.” Peter W. Atkins, 20th century
Chemistry is at once practical and wondrous, humble and majestic. And, for someone studying it for the first time, chemistry can be tricky. That’s why we wrote this book. Chemistry is wondrous. Workbooks are practical. This is a chemistry workbook.
About This Book
When you’re fixed in the thickets of stoichiometry or bogged down by buffered solutions, you’ve got little use for rapturous poetry about the atomic splendor of the universe. What you need is a little practical assistance. Subject by subject, problem by problem, this book extends a helping hand to pull you out of the thickets and bogs.
The topics covered in this book are those most often covered in a first course of chemistry. The focus is on problems like those you may encounter in homework or on exams. We give you just enough theory to grasp the principles at work in the problems. Then we tackle example problems. Then you tackle practice problems.
This workbook is modular. You can pick and choose those chapters and types of problems
that challenge you the most; you don’t have to read this book cover to cover if you don’t
want to. If certain topics require you to know other topics in advance, we tell you so and
point you in the right direction. Most importantly, worked-out solutions and explanations are
provided for every problem.
