Customer Reviews
why you should buy this book - By: , 23 May 2003 
This book is salvation for us poor chemists who spend hours lookingin four thick chemistry text books for one snippet of information. It provides a good overview of all the topics & manages to link them allin a coherent manner. It is very well laid out & easy to use, & is cheaper than the average textbook.
Overall, despite the black & white illustrations, this book is anything but overbearing & would make an excellent introduction for any chemist or potential chemist.
A 'must read' for first year undergrads - By: , 23 Apr 2003 This book gives an excellent explanation of the basic ideasin chemistry. It is different from most other chemistry booksin that it brings together ideas from what are usually considered different areas of chemistry to give a reader friendly (thermodynamics without the maths!) explanation of, well, why chemical reactions happen. The topics covered by the authors are clearly presented with loads of diagrams & everyday examples to support the text. Emphasis is placed on understanding why things happen rather than the learning of 'rules'.
The book is aimed at first year undergraduates/those who are about to begin studying chemistry at university (and I would definitely recommend it as pre-university reading) however, I think it would also be of interest to a wider audience - even though I'm a chemistry graduate I found reading the book useful because it explained the basics more clearly than any other textbook I've read.
The basis for chemistry explained... - By: , 13 Apr 2003 This book provides an excellent basis for the study of chemistry & is ideal for for those about to begin the first year of a chemistry degree. It brings together concepts from different areas of chemistry, ranging from thermodynamics to organic chemistry, to provide a comprehensive explanation of, well, why reactions happen.
I found the topics covered by the authors to be clearly presented &in a logical order, with excellent use of diagrams & examples to support the ideas discussedin the text. Emphasis is firmly placed on understanding why things happen rather than the learning of 'rules'.
The authors suggest that this book would be suitable for those who have just completed A-level chemistry or are first year undergraduates, however, I believe it would be of interest to a wider audience both as a teaching resource & for graduates who want to refresh their understanding of the basics. I found the book easy to read & useful as it reminded me of how I should think about the chemistry with which I am already familiar.
