Chemistry Essentials For Dummies^®

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Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019936131

ISBN 978-1-119-59114-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-59113-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-59111-5(ebk)

Introduction

Congratulations on making a step toward discovering more about what I consider a fascinating subject: chemistry. For more than 40 years, I’ve been a student of chemistry. This includes the time I’ve been teaching chemistry, but I still consider myself a student because I’m constantly finding out new facts and concepts about this important and far-reaching subject.

Hardly any human endeavor doesn’t involve chemistry in some fashion. People use chemical products in their homes — cleaners, medicines, cosmetics, and so on. And they use chemistry in school, from the little girl mixing vinegar and baking soda in her volcano to the Ivy League grad student working on chemical research.

Chemistry has brought people new products and processes. Many times this has been for the good of humankind, but sometimes it’s been for the detriment. Even in those cases, people used chemistry to correct the situations. Chemistry is, as has been said many times, the central science.

About This Book

My goal with this book is to give you the really essential information and concepts that you would face in a first semester chemistry class in high school or college. I’ve omitted a lot of topics found in a typical chemistry textbook. This book is designed to give you the bare essentials.

Remember, this is a light treatment. If you want more, many other books are available. My favorite, naturally, is Chemistry For Dummies. I understand the author is really a great guy.

Conventions Used in This Book

Here are a couple of conventions you find in For Dummies books:

I use italics to emphasize new words and technical terms, which I follow with easy-to-understand definitions.
Bold text marks keywords in bulleted lists and highlights the general steps to follow in a numbered list.

In addition, I’ve tried to organize this book in approximately the same order of topics found in a one-semester general chemistry course. I’ve included some figures for you to look at; refer to them as you read along. Also, pay particular attention to the reactions that I use. I’ve attempted to use reactions that you may be familiar with or ones that are extremely important industrially.

Foolish Assumptions

I don’t know your exact reasons for picking up this guide, but I assume you want to know something about chemistry. Here are some reasons for reading:

You may be taking (or retaking) a chemistry class. This book offers a nice, quick review for your final exam. It can also give you a refresher before you plunge into a new course, such as biochemistry or organic chemistry.
You may be preparing for some type of professional exam in which a little chemistry appears. This book gives you the essentials, not the fluff.
You may be a parent trying to help a student with his or her homework or assignment. Pay attention to what your child is currently studying and try to stay a little ahead.
Finally, you may be what people call a “nontraditional student.” You knew most of this material once upon a time, but now you need a quick review.

Whatever the reason, I hope that I’m able to give you what you need in order to succeed. Good luck!

Icons Used in This Book

If you’ve read any other For Dummies books (such as the great Chemistry For Dummies), you’ll recognize the two icons used in this book. Here are their meanings:

This icon alerts you to those really important things you shouldn’t forget. These are ideas that you most probably need to memorize for an exam.

This icon points out the easiest or quickest way to understand a particular concept. These are the tricks of the trade that I’ve picked up in my 40+ years learning chemistry.

Where to Go from Here

Where you go next really depends on you and your reason for using this book. If you’re having difficulty with a particular topic, go right to that chapter and section. If you’re a real novice, start at Chapter 1 and go from there. If you’re using the book for review, skim quickly starting at the beginning and read in more depth those topics that seem a little fuzzy to you. You can even use this book as a fat bookmark in your regular chemistry textbook.

Whatever way you use this book, I hope that it helps and you grow to appreciate the wonderful world of chemistry.