Rating: 
Summary: Get 4th edition if you can
Review: 4th edition of this book was quite superior. Well written and coherent. Upon changing the edition from 4th to 5th, editors, it appears, have torn out pieces of text in a random manner. The only new material added were some new color pictures (yeah, let's use as much graphics and color as possible, that'll drive up the price of the book). The purpose of such "editing" escapes me; the result is an inconsequent and disjointed text which is very hard to digest.
If you're getting this book for a class, see if you can use the 4th edition. If you are getting it for your personal reading, definitely get the 4th edition. Chemistry doesn't change that much.
Rating: 
Summary: Ack!
Review: Chemistry is a hard enough subject for me without having to deal with incorrect answers in the back of the book. I'm so confused. Why did my school choose this book, better yet, why the hell did this get published? When I'm in an angry enough mood I may write a letter to the publisher, too.
I like the content of the book, and I can understand the stuff the way they explain it, but the incorrect answers in the back of the book is just unacceptable.
Rating: 
Summary: I Loved it!!!!
Review: I am a new student of chemistry who has previously struggled with the subject (believe me: I hated it), but I have found this text absolutely understandable and brilliant at explaining the concepts. (For the first time ever, I totally understand what a mol is, AND can use it in conversion equations!!! I am STOKED.)Here's what I reckon about this book: the text is written in such a way that it makes chem concepts understandable to the average joe. If you are a literary person who loves reading and finds language and English usage easy (eg. you find essays easy to write) YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. It is in your language!! It relates chemical and mathematical concepts to words in such a way that you can relate to the subject without stress. It will open up the world of chemistry to you and you will get an understanding of it you never thought possible! I found it logical, easy to follow, and the study questions at the end of each chapter invaluable to my understanding. This text will seriously be the difference between a fail and a good grade in my course. On the other hand, there is a possibility that if you are the 'classic' maths, physics, chem student, maybe you won't like the way this book uses language to explain things, because you are more of a mathematical thinker. But for anyone who is a conceptual thinker, get it fast!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of bells, whistles, and smoke screens
Review: I found this text to be very difficult for my students to understand. It approaches the subject of chemistry in a very disjointed way. Many steps are left out in the problem solving examples. The students were totally lost on the concepts without lecture. The CD-rom is a nice addition, but the text should be self-explanatory. Several errors have been found in the text, as well as contradictions of facts. More time should have been spent on the text itself, instead of all the bells and whistles. For example: Chapter 8 was quite confusing, as the authors write electron configurations in numerical order instead of fill order. This made it very difficult for students to follow. The authors approach many subjects in a unique way that completely throws the students off course. I highly recommend Silberberg or Brown. I used Silberberg's book in lecture, and the students comprehended the material well. I spent a lot of extra time in class trying to undo the confusion caused by this text. The only thing I liked about the book was the test writing software that came with it, but that does not make up for the difficulty the students have with the text.
Rating:
Summary: Did anyone even edit this book????
Review: I have never been this disappointed with a text book since I started my education. This is coming from someone who was originally excited to take Chemistry. It was poorly written and organized, to the point that information you needed to solve examples were in later sections instead of the section you were studying. And worse of all - I have never seen a textbook with so many typographical errors - anywhere from misspelled words, to wrong solutions in the back of the book (my instructor and I went through the problems in which I thought were incorrect - and yes they really were incorrect in the book) to inconsistency in the chemicals they used in the problem. How could this book have even been released in this condition? I am also writing a letter to the publisher of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Did anyone even edit this book????
Review: I have never been this disappointed with a text book since I started my education. This is coming from someone who was originally excited to take Chemistry. It was poorly written and organized, to the point that information you needed to solve examples were in later sections instead of the section you were studying. And worse of all - I have never seen a textbook with so many typographical errors - anywhere from misspelled words, to wrong solutions in the back of the book (my instructor and I went through the problems in which I thought were incorrect - and yes they really were incorrect in the book) to inconsistency in the chemicals they used in the problem. How could this book have even been released in this condition? I am also writing a letter to the publisher of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book
Review: I have to differ from earlier negative reviews: this is a great book. It is clearly written, lavishly illustrated, and the CD is outstanding. The authors have put great effort into this book. They take it upon themselves to lead the student in many ways that make learning more effective. They cross-reference topics from earlier chapters that I as the student may have forgotten. They illustrate topics to make them tangible. They provide both theoretical and practical context for most topics. They created an exhaustive CD with great tools and movies and aids to learning. I may have a different perspective than some because I am a returning student and am familiar with some of the material. But unlike other textbooks I am also reviewing, this one feels complete instead of feeling that the author didn't quite complete a topic and expects me to go hunting for answers. I (obviously) recommend this book heartily, and I am not connected with any of the authors!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book
Review: I have to differ from earlier negative reviews: this is a great book. It is clearly written, lavishly illustrated, and the CD is outstanding. The authors have put great effort into this book. They take it upon themselves to lead the student in many ways that make learning more effective. They cross-reference topics from earlier chapters that I as the student may have forgotten. They illustrate topics to make them tangible. They provide both theoretical and practical context for most topics. They created an exhaustive CD with great tools and movies and aids to learning. I may have a different perspective than some because I am a returning student and am familiar with some of the material. But unlike other textbooks I am also reviewing, this one feels complete instead of feeling that the author didn't quite complete a topic and expects me to go hunting for answers. I (obviously) recommend this book heartily, and I am not connected with any of the authors!
Rating:
Summary: Is this book or hell!
Review: I really liked chemistry. I thought it was fascinating. But this book completely made me loathe it. You won't understand a thing in this. It explains one thing and when you think you are getting the hang of it, it skips the whole thing and goes in a completely confusing way to a completely confusing topic. The formulas, which are considered to be really simple are given in the most complicated way, and there are times I really threw the book at the wall out of frustation. Don't ever buy this book. You will be doomed. Buy anyone's else. Nothing could be horrible than this. After reading the other reviews, I think, my review is justified.Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written
Review: Kotz's Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity is a very disappointing textbooks. As a student using this textbook, I found myself highly confused due to the poor explinations as well as well as how unorganized the format of the book is. If it was not for the fact that I had taken Chemistry earlier I would not have understood half of the material that was taught to me by the book. I am highly disappointed in the textbook.
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