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General Chemistry: Atoms First , Second Editionstarts from the building blocks of chemistry, the atom, allowing the authors to tell a cohesive story that progresses logically through molecules and compounds to help students intuitively follow complex concepts more logically. This unified thread of ideas helps students build a better foundation and ultimately gain a deeper understanding of chemical concepts. Students can more easily understand the microscopic-to-macroscopic connections between unobservable atoms and the observable behavior of matter in daily life, and are brought immediately into real chemistry-instead of being forced to memorize facts. Reflecting a true atoms first perspective, the Second Editionfeatures experienced atoms-first authors, incorporates recommendations from a panel of atoms-first experts, and follows historical beliefs in teaching chemistry concepts based and real experimental data first. This approach distinguishes this text in the market based whereby other authors teach theory first, followed by experimental data.

Educated at Harvard and Columbia,John McMurry has taught approximately 17,000 students in general and organic chemistry over a 30-year period. A Professor of Chemistry at Cornell University since 1980, Dr. McMurry previously spent 13 years on the faculty at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has received numerous awards, including the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (1969–71), the National Institute of Health Career Development Award (1975–80), the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award (1986–87), and the Max Planck Research Award (1991).

 

Professor of Chemistry Robert C. Fay has been teaching general and inorganic chemistry at Cornell University since 1962. Known for his clear, well-organized lectures, Dr. Fay was the 1980 recipient of the Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. He has also taught as a visiting professor at Harvard University and the University of Bologna, Italy. He has been an NSF Science Faculty Fellow at the University of East Anglia and the University of Sussex, England, and a NATO/Heineman Senior Fellow at Oxford University.

Chapter 0 – Chemical Tools: Experimentation and Measurement

Chapter 1 – The Structure and Stability of Atoms

Chapter 2 – Periodicity and the Electronic Structure Atomic Structure

Chapter 3 – Atoms and Ionic Bonds

Chapter 4 – Atoms and Covalent Bonds

Chapter 5 – Covalent Bonds and Molecular Structure

Chapter 6 – Chemical Arithmetic: Stoichiometry

Chapter 7 – Reactions in Aqueous Solution

Chapter 8 – Thermochemistry: Chemical Energy

Chapter 9 – Gases: Their Properties and Behavior

Chapter 10 – Liquids, Solids, and Phase Changes

Chapter 11- Solutions and Their Properties

Chapter 12 – The Rates and Mechanisms of Chemical Reactions

Chapter 13 -  Chemical Equilibrium,: The Extent of Chemical Reactions

Chapter 14 -  Aqueous Equilibria: Acids and Bases

Chapter 15 – Applications of Aqueous Equilibria

Chapter 16 – Thermodynamics: Entropy, Free Energy, and Equilibrium

Chapter 17 – Electrochemistry

Chapter 18 – Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Water

Chapter 19 – The Main-Group Elements

Chapter 20 – Transition Elements and Coordination Chemistry

Chapter 21 – Metals and Solid-State Materials

Chapter 22 – Nuclear Chemistry

Chapter 23 – Organic and Biological Chemistry