General Chemistry

This book serves as an introduction to the principles of chemistry, essential for understanding subsequent descriptive chemistry and preparing students for advanced studies. The second edition emphasizes critical thinking skills, catering to freshman-level, two-semester introductory chemistry courses for science and engineering majors, as well as others seeking a solid foundation in chemistry. Retaining the first edition's approach, it builds on an average high school background in sciences and mathematics, offering a basis for more advanced work. Key features include "Consider This" sections that address common student difficulties with terminology, concepts, or skills, and "Nomenclature Notes" that gradually introduce chemical terminology. Coverage of stoichiometry in Chapter 2 enables early laboratory work on solution properties and reactions, while the early introduction of thermochemistry in Chapter 3 logically follows the stoichiometry discussions. Chapter 4 covers both real and ideal gases, facilitating early lab experiments involving gases. The text includes parallel problems with answers to reinforce concepts from numerous worked examples. Atomic structure and bonding are explored over two chapters, with basic topics in Chapter 8 and more advanced topics in Chapter 19, requiring greater chemical maturity.