General Chemistry

Rating:
Summary: Awesome textbook
Review: I am a Chemistry graduate student, and purchased this book to review some basic concepts prior to the start of teaching duties. The text that I used as an undergraduate was quite poor, so I started reading a 30 year old text that my brother used in college and raved about -- a text written by Holtzclaw. Although this book was pretty good, the material was a little dated and non-SI units were used due to it's age. I looked for newer copies by this author, and stumbled upon this book. I have to say that this is the best undergraduate level general chemistry textbook that I have ever read. I'm actually learning stuff myself as I plow through it. The aspects of the book that I feel are very strong are:

- The writing style. The material is written at the perfect level -- informative, clear, with just enough examples to drive the salient points home. No fluff or self-induljent rambling.
- The organization of the chapters. The material is presented in a very logical manner, which builds as one gets deeper into the book. Material presented earlier on is expounded upon in later chapters as more advanced topics are covered.
- The example problems are well chosen to illustrate the points being discussed, without overwhelming the student with superfluous concepts. The problems are a fundamental part of the learning process of this text.

This is an exellent choice as a primary text for any general chemistry course, or as a supplemental reference for the awful books that you are required to read for your coursework. Due to the quality of the book, it is also well suited for self study. I highly reccommend it.

Rating:
Summary: General Chemistry
Review: This book is very well written and very informative. All of the lessons are supported by excellent visual material. Granted, one needs to order whichever book is required by his or her college, but as far as chemistry books go this one is wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: General Chemistry
Review: This book is very well written and very informative. All of the lessons are supported by excellent visual material. Granted, one needs to order whichever book is required by his or her college, but as far as chemistry books go this one is wonderful.