Introductory Chemistry

Reviewed by Amanda Hakemian, Chemistry Instructor, Normandale Community College on 2/1/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 3

This text touches on most of the areas of chemistry that would be covered in a typical preparatory/introductory chemistry course. In most cases, these topics are covered in appropriate depth. A glaring exception is the periodic table – much of the vocabulary chemists use to talk about the periodic table (such as periods, groups/families, main group, transition metals, alkali metals, etc.) is completely missing from this text.
The text does not include an index or a glossary – an index in particular would be very helpful.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

In most cases the chemistry, which is by the nature of the text at a basic level, is accurate. There were a few places, however, where the author appears to be trying to simplify things for his introductory audience and this leads to imprecise language that I believe could be confusing to students. A few examples follow:
- In section 3.1, when first introducing atomic theory, the word “orbit” is used to describe the motion of electrons around the nucleus. Based on the Bohr model, this is a popular image of the atom - one which many students have been exposed to before taking chemistry. However, the quantum-mechanical atomic model (covered in section 8.2) tells us this is incorrect. As students often have difficult time letting go of the image of electrons in orbit around the nucleus, it would be better to use a different descriptor here rather than reinforcing an incorrect image.
- When introducing the octet rule in section 9.2, it is stated that “(f)or whatever reason, having eight electrons in a valence shell is a particularly energetically stable arrangement of electrons.” This hand-waving isn’t necessary to keep the discussion at an introductory level. Instead, it could be pointed out to students that eight electrons correspond to full orbitals in both the s and p sublevels, which corresponds with an electron configuration matching that of a noble gas.
- The opening essay for chapter 12 (Acids and Bases) includes a specious argument that bases are more “potentially dangerous” than acids, based on the difference in mass of the hydroxide and hydrogen ions. This argument is illustrated by comparing the hazards of household cleaners with the fact that many food contain acids. Comparing the concentrated bases found in some cleaners with the low concentrations of weak acids in foods sets the students up for lots of conceptual misunderstandings.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The science content of the text is up-to-date, and given that it is at an introductory level, won’t be changing anytime soon. The examples are written in such a way that though they are current, they are not trendy and should not seem quickly dated.

Clarity rating: 4

Ball writes in a clear, straightforward style, and he does a good job of defining vocabulary as it comes up. I believe students would find the text accessible, if dry.
A place where clarity could be improved is the figures. Many times, information is present in as text or as a table, when something more visual would have significantly more impact. For example, the charges of common ions are presented as a list. If this information were presented overlaid on the periodic table, it would be easy for students to notice that certain groups of elements share the same ionic charge.

Consistency rating: 5

Chapters are organized in a consistent manner, and I did not notice any inconsistencies in terminology.

Modularity rating: 4

The chapters of the text are divided into sections that would easily allow organization into short readings assignments. It would also be possible to only cover portions of a chapter, or to cover chapters out of order.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The material is organized in a “chemistry first” order, rather than an “atoms first” approach. There are certainly pros and cons to both approaches, and an instructor who wanted to cover material in an “atoms first” order could present the topics in that order.

Interface rating: 2

Online text: somewhat functional, and basic. Many links did not work, including links into/out of the “Appendix: Periodic Table of the Elements” (this is particularly unfortunate since it is common to want to quickly open a periodic table).
PDF: A linked table of contents, and hyperlinks within the PDF, would both go a long way to the usability of the PDF.
Both editions contained references to figures that were not included. Additionally, the text would be greatly improved by the inclusion of an index.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There were a handful of grammar minor errors, such as an its/it’s substitution.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Though this is not generally applicable to this type of textbook, I can say there was nothing “insensitive or offensive” in the text.

There are enough small issues with this text that I do not think I would adopt it for a preparatory/introductory chemistry course. However, I could see myself using sections or chapters as reading assignments for a liberal-arts chemistry course – perhaps with minor modification, which is allowed by the CC license.