Chemistry - 2e
Paul Flowers, Pembroke, North Carolina
Klaus Theopold, Newark, Delaware
Richard Langley, Nacogdoches, Texas
Copyright Year:
ISBN 13: 9781947172616
Publisher: OpenStax
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution
CC BY
Reviews
The OpenStax Chemistry- 2e covers core concepts and required course learning outcomes of a two-semester general chemistry course. I have been using it for my general chemistry 1 lecture (Chapter 1 – Chapter 9) in the last three semesters. It is... read more
The OpenStax Chemistry- 2e covers core concepts and required course learning outcomes of a two-semester general chemistry course. I have been using it for my general chemistry 1 lecture (Chapter 1 – Chapter 9) in the last three semesters. It is very comprehensive.
The content is accurate. I haven't encountered any errors.
This textbook covers how chemistry concepts apply to our daily lives and the world around us. My students find all examples very helpful. Their favorite example is making a grilled cheese sandwich in section 4.4.
Learning objectives at the beginning of each section, figures and examples are very helpful. I assign the “Check your learning” questions and exercises at the end of each chapter to reinforce the key concepts covered in each lecture.
The textbook is consistent throughout. Every chapter contains an outline consistent of an introduction, several sections, key terms, key equations, summary and exercises.
Most sections can be covered in a 75-minute class time. In some lectures, we covered more than one section.
This textbook includes interactive exercises and real-world applications that are very helpful. The clickable “table of contents” and “exercises” are easy to navigate. We cover Chapter 9 (Gases) after Chapter 4 (Stoichiometry of Chemical Reactions) and before Chapter 5 (Thermochemistry). For Lewis structure examples introduced in section 7.3, we go through steps 1-5 for each molecule/ion instead of going over each step for all five examples.
Throughput the semester, we accessed the textbook online from our learning management system (Blackboard). I also downloaded a pdf version to my computer for easy access when I am working offline. PhET simulation links have been very helpful for my students to learn challenging topics such as molecular shapes covered in section 7.6.
I haven't encountered any grammatical errors.
This textbook is available in both English and Spanish. Being a faculty in the second largest Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the continental United States in terms of enrollment of Hispanic students (92% of UTRGV students are Hispanic), I choose this book because of its bilingual content.
I have been using this textbook for my general chemistry 1 lecture since Spring 2023 semester. It is well organized and overall, my students find it very helpful. Since it can be incorporated into Blackboard, it is readily accessibility. Two-thirds of UTRGV students are first-generation college students. This open-source textbook has been instrumental for students who cannot afford to purchase a textbook. “Check your learning” questions, exercises at the end of each chapter and linked answers to odd questions have been very helpful to reinforce the examples covered in lectures.
This textbook is comprehensive and covers all key topics of general chemistry I and II at a college level. The indices and appendices provided are very friendly. read more
This textbook is comprehensive and covers all key topics of general chemistry I and II at a college level. The indices and appendices provided are very friendly.
The content itself is accurate. There are no noticeable errors except very few typos.
The textbook is up to date. It contains a lot of linked YouTube videos, PhET simulations, Ted talks which are convenient for current students to learn and understand relevant topics.
The textbook is presented in a straightforward way. All chapters are well laid-out. Learning objects of each topic are clearly shown at the very beginning. The everyday life examples used allow students to relate to the material easily.
The textbook is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework. Each chapter has the same layout, which is easy for students to navigate.
The chapters can be divided into sections. Some topics could be reorganized by instructors without having a significant impact on student learning.
The overall sequence of the topics in this textbook is arranged in a logical order. In each chapter, the content is well structured. I do like some features in this text, including the learning objectives listed at the very beginning of each section and the Chemistry in Everyday Life,
I didn’t find significant interface issues. All links worked so well. All images and charts are clearly shown with good resolutions. However, there are a lot of blank spaces which could be effectively used. Some figures and charts are too big. In addition, the captions of figures could be a little smaller than the text.
At least I didn’t note any grammatical errors.
I didn’t find any content that appears to be culturally insensitive.
Overall, this is a very good textbook considering its quality and accessibility. It has many good features that are convenient and helpful for students to understand the material. I hope more end-of-chapter exercises can be added for students to practice.
The material covered in this textbook includes what is generally found in a two-semester General Chemistry course textbook, in the appropriate detail. There are also a few "bonus" chapters that people could supplement their regular curriculum with... read more
The material covered in this textbook includes what is generally found in a two-semester General Chemistry course textbook, in the appropriate detail. There are also a few "bonus" chapters that people could supplement their regular curriculum with based on student interest or need.
To be a bit "picky," I was surprised that Arrhenius acids and bases were not defined in the textbook or glossary. There is mention of an Arrhenius acid in the Brønsted-Lowry section of the acid-base equilibria chapter, and some historical perspective is given, but it was less than I've seen elsewhere.
The content is correct; I found no egregious errors.
The material gets linked to outside resources in order to make sure that it is modern and relevant. Examples given are interesting and common enough to be engaging and interesting to today's students.
Text is written at a level appropriate for college freshman/general chemistry students.
Language is used similarly throughout the text; the flow is good and the format is consistent.
The sections make sense and are manageable. Sections within a chapter are independent, but also flow well into each other.
The flow of this book make sense and follows the organization that most gen chem books follow. Gases are later in the semester, which I prefer (but I know some don't.) There's also an Atoms First version of this text, so if someone prefers that order, they wouldn't have to go out of order with this text, but could instead choose that option.
Navigating within the PDF was incredibly simple and easy. The clickable Table of Contents was fantastic, and the search feature simple and user friendly. The document resized easily and no distortion of graphics was observed.
As far as I know, the grammar is correct. The text reads very well and easily.
The Portrait of a Chemist sections intentionally include women. More scientists of color could definitely be included; this is something we as a field have a lot of work to do.
The OpenStax Chemistry textbook covers all the expected topics for general chemistry 1 and 2 in sufficient depth. This book covers all the required course learning outcomes at my college. Each chapter contains helpful worked examples,... read more
The OpenStax Chemistry textbook covers all the expected topics for general chemistry 1 and 2 in sufficient depth. This book covers all the required course learning outcomes at my college. Each chapter contains helpful worked examples, images/diagrams, key terms and equations, summary, and end of chapter questions.
I have not found any errors in the accuracy of the content presented. As an online resource the publisher can correct errata quickly.
This book presents the foundations of general chemistry, which will continue to remain relevant over time. The only updates that might be needed in the future would possibly be updated examples or applications of the chemistry content.
The content is presented clearly. The text is written in an accessible style and the technical words are appropriately defined. There are worked examples of the math-based problems and images/diagrams that help to clarify the conceptual topics.
I have not found any cases of inconsistency in the text. Each chapter follows the same format and terminology is used consistently.
The modularity is appropriate. The text is broken down into easy-to-read sections and there are sufficient images and examples throughout each chapter to aid in understanding. I like that I can provide my students with a link to a specific section.
Each chapter seems well organized. I do not cover the chapters in the order presented, but that is often the case in any chemistry textbook. The only negative aspect of the organization I found was that the length of the chapters can vary greatly.
The book is available as a pdf, as a printed copy, and as an eBook which gives the students the ability to choose the option that works best for them. I have not had any problems with the online interface. I like that I can provide links to specific sections or images for my students. The textbook navigation is straightforward.
I have encountered minimal grammatical errors in the textbook.
I have not noticed any insensitive or offensive content, but it would be nice if the book contained more diverse examples.
I have used this book for my general chemistry 1 and 2 classes for over two years with success. It is comparable to the expensive textbooks that I had used previously, but it can be provided to the students for no cost.
This is a very comprehensive text book which covers all aspects of General chemistry I and II. It is exhaustive and students can use this book both as a reference and also as a study guide for understanding the concepts of chemistry. read more
This is a very comprehensive text book which covers all aspects of General chemistry I and II. It is exhaustive and students can use this book both as a reference and also as a study guide for understanding the concepts of chemistry.
Yes the content is accurate and nearly error-free except for a few errata mentioned by fellow reviewers.
Highly relevant and up to date.
Well written and any student can understand concepts by just reading the relevant chapter.
Very consistent in terms of terminology, framework and language used.
I really like the modularity of the book. It has divided chapter into various concepts which can be clearly understood.
Topics are presented in a logical and clear fashion. There is clarity of thought as one navigates from one paragraph to another.
NO issues regarding navigation. I read the book online and had a pleasant time.
Very low grammatical errors except for the errata mentioned by fellow reviewers.
Does not apply to this text book.
I like this book as any student of Gen chemistry will benefit from it. The principles are well explained and easy to comprehend under various headings. The examples given to understand the concepts are relevant. The language has been kept simple and precise. Diagrams, images are self explanatory and it supplements in understanding the concepts.
I have used this textbook for 2.5 years. The contents are comprehensive and the indices and appendices are very user-friendly. Students generally take the standardized exams for General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I/II. Some students can... read more
I have used this textbook for 2.5 years. The contents are comprehensive and the indices and appendices are very user-friendly. Students generally take the standardized exams for General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I/II. Some students can obtain scores with the percentiles being above 90% and even 100% .
While the majority of the contents is accurate, there are some minor errors. For example, the caption of Figure 6.30(b) says "Covalent radii of the elements are shown to scale. The general trend is that radii ... decrease across a period." However, Figure 6.30(b) doesn't support the claim that "radii decrease across a period".
Most of the science discussed in General Chemistry was developed long time ago. This textbook make the contents relevant to our modern society in different ways. One example is that the introductions many, if not all, chapters discuss very recent things that are related to the science to be discussed. I personally like this part.
This text is written using simple languages and is easy to understand without any ambiguity according to my 2.5 years of using experience.
I have not seen any inconsistency
I frequently change the orders of the sections in a few chapters w/o any problems in order to go through these chapters following my own idea flow. For example, for Chapter 7, I first discuss 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, and 7.6 b/c they are mainly about covalent bonds/compounds; then I will discuss 7.1 and 7.5. Also, I don't go through Chapter 1 directly to Chapter 9 for General Chemistry I. I normally first discuss Chapters 1-4, then Chapter 9, and then Chapters 5-8.
The topics are organized in a way as the contents go deeper and deeper, making it especially user-friendly for students with weak chemistry background
I have not encountered any interface issues.
I have not seen any grammatical errors.
This textbook is inclusive in different ways. For example, when it discusses the science history/how some knowledge was developed/initiated, it mentions contributions by people in different regions/time and of different background
The questions in the exam bank can be improved significantly to better prepare students for the American Chemical Society standardized exams for General Chemistry I/II. Faculty members using this textbook including me are expected to make this happen.
This text contains 21 chapters and covers all material in a typical 2-semester general chemistry course. It is clearly written with chemistry majors in mind. Appendices included with the text are appropriate for a general chemistry course. read more
This text contains 21 chapters and covers all material in a typical 2-semester general chemistry course. It is clearly written with chemistry majors in mind. Appendices included with the text are appropriate for a general chemistry course.
The content appears to be accurate, although I have not solved all the in-chapter and end-of-chapter problems. It does seem from the list of errata that the text is updated and corrected as needed, so if you came across an issue, it would be reasonably easy to suggest a correction/clarification.
I see no reason why this text would not be relevant in years to come; general chemistry topics tend to be widely accepted. They include the most current periodic table and a section with the updated definition of a kilogram, so it appears to be updated regularly.
I think the book is very clear in most instances, although a student with no previous experience with chemistry may find some sections a bit difficult to get through. I don’t know that this is any worse than most general chemistry textbooks. I appreciate the way the text explained topics, especially in the beginning chapters. Differences between commonly confused terms were stressed. Later on, I also found concepts that were explained in multiple ways to help students understand fully. Example problems are worked out step-by-step, especially in the beginning of the book. Some problems later on are less explicitly worked and could cause some students confusion.
The text is consistent. Chapters are organized the same way throughout: introduction, sections of material, key words, key equations, summaries, end-of-chapter problems.
The text was modular. I teach general chemistry in a slightly different order, but I feel that this text would allow me that freedom to move a later chapter or section up and push an earlier part back without much confusion. In terms of navigation, it would be nice if the different headings in the sections were also included in the table of contents.
The text is organized in a reasonable way and flows nicely. Transitions between chapters didn’t feel choppy despite the modularity of the text.
The online version of the textbook is easy to navigate and works well/looks nice. I’ve looked through the pdf and didn’t see any issues.
While I’m sure there are some, I haven’t noticed any.
The book doesn’t explicitly include cultural references and is in no way offensive. It does include these great “Portrait of a Chemist” in different sections. Some of them are more “historical” chemists, but there are some more recent ones. These do insert some sense of diversity to the text.
There are many things I like about the text. The learning objectives included at the beginning of each section are great and book is well illustrated. The key words, key equations, and summaries at the end of the chapters are great quick resources for students. I love the “Portrait of a Chemist”, “Chemistry in Everyday Life”, and “How the Sciences Interconnect” sections. These make the text relevant to experiences the students are familiar with. The text includes links to videos and simulations that students can watch or manipulate systems. A few of the simulations required Flash Player, which I don’t have. It also appears that there are resources available online and faculty are able to integrate the book with classroom management systems.
This text book covers basic topics of General chemistry I and II that are traditionally taught for science majors in the US. There are a few other specialized topics that are given at the end of the book that can be taught if time permits in... read more
This text book covers basic topics of General chemistry I and II that are traditionally taught for science majors in the US. There are a few other specialized topics that are given at the end of the book that can be taught if time permits in addition to the learning pace of the students in the class. Although the contents of the subject matter are well organized in a way to enhance learning, the location of the chapter of gas laws (chapter 9) seems to me is in out of sequence a bit. My belief is that once the students learn stoichiometry and limiting reagent concepts in aqueous solution (Chapter 4), they are ready to apply these concepts for the gas phase reactions (chapter 5). However, the individual instructor can tailor the instructional sequence keeping in mind his/her students’ ability, and prior understanding of the subject matter. Overall, the text book well serves the need for our students.
The presentation is generally straightforward and uses typical introductory chemistry terms and conventions. The content is mostly error free and easy to read. If there are any minor typographical errors or numerical inaccuracies, those could be easily spotted by an instructor. As a stand-alone reference for a student working alone, it is light on providing motivation and context for the subject. As such, this book is better suited as a course text, where an experienced instructor can provide some of this additional framing.
This book deals with fundamental concepts of chemistry such as understanding of the periodic table, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, chemical kinetics, electrochemical reactions, and chemical equilibria involving acid-base and gas phase reactions. These concepts are universal for general chemistry I and II classes, and its applications are noticed in all upper level chemistry courses.
Key concepts pertaining to different chemical processes are clearly presented and discussed throughout this book. The text is written and formatted well keeping students in mind. In addition, different sections of the text appear to be designed to build upon each other, and the flow of material allows readers to cover material in a reasonable amount of time. Students may also find individual topics and sections to be accessed easily without going through a lot of extraneous material.
The terminologies, conventions and units used in this book are consistent with science education all over the world, and are maintained throughout the entire textbook.
The subsections within each section are not listed in the table of content, and neither have they been listed anywhere in table of content. This brings a little challenge for new students as they are mostly unfamiliar with the subject matter and makes it difficult to plan what to read without reading through the whole book or section. Although in this instance instructors can guide students to choose a section and help students browse through other subsections, if needed.
The sections and subsections in this book follow a logical progression with each being very concise.
The table of content is not elaborate and detailed enough to include subsections. The sections and subsections are not labeled appropriately, this presents navigational issues in locating topics without going through the whole book. A couple of images are also not very clear either due to the quality or resolution of the pictures used.
This is an easy to read book with the use of simple sentences and appropriate grammar.
Although this textbook contains information or reference of real-world situation, those may not be viewed as culturally sensitive, and is written in an overall inclusive voice.
The book is well written and organized for students interested in learning the basic concepts of chemical phenomena in two semesters. No prior chemical background is required for using the text. There are a few books that combine the visual, theoretical, and historical perspective of chemistry with contemporary chemical processes. Additionally, this is also a great resource for students on a budget.
This text is well laid-out. It is easy to navigate while comprehensive enough for a majors chemistry course. read more
This text is well laid-out. It is easy to navigate while comprehensive enough for a majors chemistry course.
The text is edited well. I'm sure there must be one but I haven't noticed any typos!
The text is relevant and is updated as needed.
The text is clearly written. Context is added when appropriate.
The text presents a consistent framework with many links connecting content across chapters.
The chapters are divided into sections and also contain chapter summaries.
The text is presented in a logical flow.
You can view the text online or as a pdf. Both modalities are free of interface issues.
There are few if any grammatical errors.
There is no specific focus on inclusive examples however the text is not offensive in any way.
The text has a test bank, power points and end-of-chapter problems/selected answers associated with it. Overall, this is very easy to implement.
Chemistry - 2e is a very comprehensive first year (2 semester) text for freshmen general chemistry. Some chapters may be on the lighter side, but this missing information is nothing that an instructor cannot bridge him/herself. read more
Chemistry - 2e is a very comprehensive first year (2 semester) text for freshmen general chemistry. Some chapters may be on the lighter side, but this missing information is nothing that an instructor cannot bridge him/herself.
I did not find any obvious inaccuracies with the data presented in this textbook.
The textbook is up-to-date and does not contain information that will soon make it irrelevant --- it is, after all, a general chemistry textbook and most of its contents have been "settled science" for decades.
Information is presented in a clear, accessible way. Of note is the fact that each chapter starts by connecting the contents of that chapter to some real-world example.
The text is internally consistent.
The book is modular. However, the material is not divided equally across chapters. For example, some chapters might take 2-3 weeks to cover, while others could be covered in less than a week. In addition, a lot of the material is dependent on material that came before it --- this is not a criticism, this is just science --- but it means that I cannot rate it a "5" for modularity.
The book is well organized. Most of the material is modular (see my comment on modularity), which means that an instructor can (mostly) reorganize it as he/she sees fit.
I love the book's interface!
I found no major grammatical errors --- though I'm hardly an expert on this.
This textbook is not culturally insensitive or offensive.
I've been using this textbook for 2 semesters now. It is adequate for introductory general chemistry and I love how accessible it is for my students --- particularly my financially -disadvantaged students. I don't see myself switching away from it unless a better free/open source general chemistry comes along. I will never go back to a costly textbook for general chemistry again!
This textbook covers all essential topics normally covered in a one-year general chemistry course taught to both science and non-science majors. The topics are covered in a logical sequence and are consistent with most textbooks. The one topic... read more
This textbook covers all essential topics normally covered in a one-year general chemistry course taught to both science and non-science majors. The topics are covered in a logical sequence and are consistent with most textbooks. The one topic that is out of sequence is the chapter on gases which is normally covered earlier. However, personally, I have always covered it later and just before the chapter on solids and liquids. This allows students to study all three states of matter sequentially.
Improvements could be made by the addition of learning outcomes, page numbers, and the inclusion of more challenging and conceptual problems.
Overall the textbook doesn’t have any glaring errors. In chapter 2 when discussing the use of Roman numerals when naming ionic compounds that contain metal ions that have variable charges, it was pointed out that the old nomenclature of using -ous and -ic was out of date. However, some of the end-of-chapter problems still use out-of-date nomenclature. Also, for a simulation on measuring density (Example 1.2), Flask player is required. However, my computer no longer supports Flash player.
This textbook has in general kept up with any significant changes that have occurred in the last couple of years. One specific example being the SI standard definition for a kilogram. The inclusion of YouTube videos, PhET simulations, Ted talks throughout the textbooks gives students access to relevant topics.
However, the addition of current topics such as climate change and other real-life situations could be added to make the topics even more relevant.
The textbook is generally well written and so should be easy to read by students. It is organized and easy to navigate. The embedded figures and pictures are good and clearly aid in making the textbook more appealing to the reader. Maybe the addition of Learning Outcomes at the start of each section would be helpful for students. This is especially important because faculty are currently required to report how well students meet learning outcomes to the administration for accreditation purposes.
The presentation of the material is consistent throughout and makes for easy reading and navigation by the reader.
Chemistry is in general taught using a scaffolding approach. Meaning some topics that are taught earlier need to be recalled for later chapters. So most chapters are not completely independent. However, instructors can rearrange the topics to their liking without significant impact on the student’s ability to learn the material. For instance, an atom first approach rather than the traditional approach is preferred by some instructors.
The textbook organization is not that different from most textbooks. I personally like the coverage of the gases chapter being later and prior to the chapter on solids and liquids. This does impact the coverage of the First Law of Thermodynamics. However, this topic could be discussed in the Thermodynamics chapter which is normally covered in the second semester of the general chemistry class.
I only looked at the online version and found the textbook easy to navigate and links worked as expected. The ability to navigate between sections and chapters with a single click is a great strength of the online version. The quality of the pictures and figures was good.
Although I did not look at the pdf version I am happy that it's available for those who prefer a physical copy.
I didn’t note any grammatical errors or other typos.
I didn’t see any discussion or pictures that appear to be culturally insensitive.
Overall this opportunity to review the textbook has been a good experience. I see that the authors have produced a good textbook that provides a solid foundation for a two-semester General Chemistry class. I feel the authors could include more end of chapters questions that bridge the gap between the macroscopic and nanoscale world. Also, more challenging problems that expect students to demonstrate the overall understanding of the topics covered in the chapter would be beneficial.
The text covers all the standard topics you find in a general chemistry text for science majors. I found there were certain sections I had to provide more supplemental materials for students compared to other texts, but it wasn't overly burdensome. read more
The text covers all the standard topics you find in a general chemistry text for science majors. I found there were certain sections I had to provide more supplemental materials for students compared to other texts, but it wasn't overly burdensome.
I did not find any errors or issues with accuracy in the text but I have not personally worked out every question at the end of each chapter.
Examples used are relevant to ordinary life. Where appropriate, metaphors are used that are applicable and approachable by most readers.
The writing is clear for the most part. There are only a few places that I recall thinking something could be reworded to enhance clarity, but nothing beyond what I'd find in any other text. For my student audience (a PUI with a high number of first-generation college students), the text was much easier for students to read and understand compared to other texts on the subject.
The book is consistent with it's use of terminology and the degree it expects the reader to retain information. The writing follows a very similar framework topic to topic which seems to provide students a structure to help orient their reading and learning throughout the semester.
I find this text to be quite modular with only a few examples where sections are noticeably longer than others. The text could be reorganized chapter-wise to an extent without causing major issues for readers without prior experience on the topic.
The topics are presented in an order that is fairly standard for general chemistry texts that are not atoms first in nature. That stated, the gas chapter appears after thermodynamics so the ability to talk with students about PV work during thermo is quite difficult to the point of being impractical. I personally don't find this to be a deal breaker.
The interface is completely fine. It did not overly impress me nor did it leave me feeling ill toward it. It was what I would expect from a book that is available in a hard copy, PDF, and online format.
I did not find any major grammatical issues.
I found no material presented, examples, or metaphors that would be culturally insensitive or offensive.
The value to price ratio of this text is incredibly hard to beat. I did have to provide supplemental readings and sources for a few areas I personally wanted to cover more in class. The amount of these extra materials was definitely double what I provided using previous books but even at double it was not an onerous burden. I would advise anyone considering this book to look through each section briefly to determine how much you would need/want to supplement for yourself, content-wise. Students largely have commented they were comfortable using the book as their main text and all appreciated the cost significantly.
This book is directly comparable to other references published by major companies such as Pearson Publishing. read more
This book is directly comparable to other references published by major companies such as Pearson Publishing.
Only a few small typos were found but the content itself was scientifically accurate.
Fortunately, chemistry has not changed much since I learned the material as an undergraduate. The source material is accurate and the examples used to emphasize these are current.
The book is well written and concise. This allows students to get the required material directly. Additional real-life examples allow the student to relate to the material more easily.
Each chapter has the same layout and the navigation of the text is straight forward.
Each chapter could be used as a stand alone module to emphasize that concept. For example the acid-base chemistry chapter could be used to compliment a Biochemistry course that needs to review this material for amino acid functionality.
The basic concepts are introduced and then built upon systematically to create a culmination of material used to dive into more complex topics.
The text is easily navigable and using the search bar function is one of the major benefits of the online version.
Several grammatical errors and typos were found but nothing to significantly impact learning.
No cultural insensitivities were discovered by me and I have not had any reports from students.
I was reluctant to use OER material when I started teaching because I was so familiar with the well-known text books. But, once I started reading this text I realized how similar the material was and how important it was for me to provide accessible references to my students. The major difference would be the quality of the pictures and diagrams but these are supplemented with other OER material from various sources to emphasize each topic.
I have used this textbook for a General Chemistry I class and this has everything that is needed to successfully introduce the student to chemistry topics in a general chemistry I class and meets the needs of the learning outcomes of a General... read more
I have used this textbook for a General Chemistry I class and this has everything that is needed to successfully introduce the student to chemistry topics in a general chemistry I class and meets the needs of the learning outcomes of a General Chemistry I class. I especially like the key terms and equations per chapter – it helps so much summarizing all the pertinent information in a chapter, and it’s just a click to access this. The book also covers topics for a full sequence of General Chemistry.
There have been no issues with accuracy in the problems I have worked with or used thus far.
The examples used can withstand the test of time – the examples will always be relevant and will always be applicable.
The language that the textbook uses is approachable and straightforward, so it’s perfect for a learner.
The textbook is fairly consistent – even the arrangement is consistent per chapter, which is divided into introduction, the parts of the chapter, key terms, equations, summary and exercises. The students like this because they know what to expect per chapter.
I used a different textbook before where the sequence of topics are different from this textbook. I wanted to stick to my previous textbook's sequence because it made more sense to me, and I was able to reorganize the sequence of some of the topics of this textbook with no problems and not much difficulty, so I am satisfied with the way the sections are divided.
I prefer a slightly different sequence in some topics from chapter 2-7, but that’s just my personal preference because it’s something I’m more used to. However, the way that this textbook is organized works very well and it flows well with no big gaps, in terms of content, between each section.
Between the pdf and viewing it online, I like viewing it online because I can just click on the table of contents tab and go to whatever chapter I need to. I like the online interface a lot – it’s easy to search terms, jump between chapters and just overall more convenient than a physical textbook. The pictures are of good quality and no distortion has occurred and there are no formatting errors, everything seems to be well-aligned.
I have not noticed any grammatical errors during my use of the book.
The textbook is purely scientific and focused on chemistry, so the examples don’t really focus on cultural backgrounds or diversity.
This is a great textbook to use for a General Chemistry sequence for the first year.
This book includes material covered in a one-year general chemistry course. read more
This book includes material covered in a one-year general chemistry course.
I have not noticed any errors.
This book presents fundamentals and examples of general chemistry that do not change rapidly.
The language and style in this book are straightforward. It is clear and at an appropriate level.
The book is well organized and consistent.
Every chapter presents the content in several sections and includes an outline, key terms, summary, key equations and problems.
The content is organized in a logical way.
The book is available in pdf and online format and both have good quality pictures and text.
I have not noticed any errors.
This is a technical culturally neutral book.
The book covers all the topics found in a full year general chemistry course and is aimed at chemistry majors and other science majors. It covers all essentials included in the comprehensive ACS exams. The chapters and chapter contents are similar... read more
The book covers all the topics found in a full year general chemistry course and is aimed at chemistry majors and other science majors. It covers all essentials included in the comprehensive ACS exams. The chapters and chapter contents are similar to comparable commercial textbooks.
So far I have not found any errors within the text.
General Chemistry is well enough established that the book will remain relevant. This textbook does do a very good job connecting various chemistry topics to everyday life.
The text is written at an appropriate level. The book was very clear. Chemistry is a very difficult subject to understand no matter how it is written. I think the multitude of written examples, practice problems with solutions, and external links really help the students.
The text maintains a consistent format from chapter-to-chapter, which will help students in navigating the text. I did not notice any inconsistencies with terminology or abbreviations.
This seems pretty typical for introductory chemistry texts. The fact that there are a lot of modules or sections is advantageous especially when instructors may need to bounce around modules or exclude some for time constraints. I did think that the end-of-chapter problems could be broken down better.
The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion-- it seems to be consistent with the other texts out there. I think the authors did a good job of arranging the subject matter such that the fundamental principles students need to build a chemical foundation are presented first.
I viewed the online version of the text. The on-line interface is easy to use and the search box and embedded links are useful. I did not experience any issues related to distorted images or images that would not appear. Also, all of the external links I clicked on worked with no problem and didn't have any problems with the content displaying properly. I love the integration of PhET simulation links/suggestions which help students dive deeper into specific concepts than conventional texts, so that is a major plus.
Correct grammar is used throughout the book.
There is a good balance of representation of female vs males, which is good. However, I do feel the book could add more cultural diversity in its examples.
Overall, the quality of this textbook is similar to textbooks I have used in the past. The one area where this textbook could improve, is in the end-of-chapter problems, which include relatively few challenging problems or problems that ask students to draw on multiple concepts within the chapter or between chapters. The book isn't perfect but none are and for the price, seems like a very reasonable option for general chemistry students. I do think that the availability of a print copy is advantageous, as some students preferred a paper copy.
The textbook is certainly adequate for a typical 2-semester college-level General Chemistry. It covers all essentials included in the comprehensive ACS exams but also contains some extra topics to use in more customized courses. My only issue is... read more
The textbook is certainly adequate for a typical 2-semester college-level General Chemistry. It covers all essentials included in the comprehensive ACS exams but also contains some extra topics to use in more customized courses. My only issue is that the included end-of-chapter problems are very limited.
I have not found any glaring errors. In fact, I am impressed that some common issues migrating from one publisher to another for years have been avoided in this textbook.
This textbook is doing much better job than competitors connecting various chemistry topics to everyday life. There is still plenty of room for improvement but even the current content/examples will stay relevant for at least a decade.
The text is written at an appropriate level. I wish though, that not only the key terms were highlighted but the entire sentences explaining those terms. Maybe this was an issue of pdf rendering, but it was somewhat difficult to quickly find key terms in the text and their meaning with a lot of other graphics and headings.
The notation and conventions are used consistently throughout the text. This is really impressive considering that this is only the 2nd edition and the number of authors involved.
Various units are sufficiently self-contained. They are also easy to link.
I primarily use pdf of the textbook and there are significant formatting issues. Besides the difficulty of finding key terms mentioned above, there are multiple large blank spaces throughout the book. We normally keep undergraduate students to a higher standard of formatting and presentation.
I primarily use the book in its pdf format, so I cannot comment on the web interface. The pdf format has enough hyperlinks helping to quickly move between different parts of the book (eg., to Appendices, etc.).
I did not notice any grammatical issues.
The authors did a better than average job finding relevant examples and staying culturally sensitive.
Arguably, this textbook is better than anything available from the major publishers with the neverending stream of “new” editions, issues and typos not fixed for years, etc. The fact that a free textbook is at least as good is truly remarkable. However, what makes me pause is a very limited choice of end-of-the-chapter problems and no obvious Canvas/Blackboard question banks. Historically, online homework systems were one of the main deciding factors in adoption of specific textbooks.
This is a comprehensive textbook for general chemistry. It covers all areas and topics of the subject matter that would be covered in a two-semester general chemistry sequence. The textbook has an effective index and glossary. The symbols and... read more
This is a comprehensive textbook for general chemistry. It covers all areas and topics of the subject matter that would be covered in a two-semester general chemistry sequence. The textbook has an effective index and glossary. The symbols and topics listed in the index have the page numbers highlighted so the reader can be directed to the page in the textbook where the symbols and topics are discussed.
As for the glossary, key terms for each chapter are listed at the end of each chapter as opposed to listing the key terms in the entire textbook at the end of the textbook. I find this approach easier to follow and useful. If there is one change I would recommend, it would be to include page numbers indicating where to find each key term.
I did not come across any content that was inaccurate, erroneous, or biased in my view.
The content is up-to-date and the “Link to Learning” feature will allow for any updates to be added easily. Also, the “Portrait of a Chemist” is another feature that will allow for recent updates as you can highlight young chemists who are at the height of their careers and their discoveries. For example, the textbook directs students to watch a 2012 TED talk by Lee Cronin entitled “Print Your Own Medicine”. In addition, the “Chemistry in Everyday Life” is another feature that will allow for any necessary updates to be implemented easily. And finally, the “How Sciences Interconnect” section provides the space for necessary updates to be made such as the BRAIN initiative which is a federal initiative announced in 2013.
The text is well written and easy to follow. The illustrations are clear, effective and have good color contrast. I particularly liked the “Check your Learning” section. Most textbook have examples of solved problems for students to read. However, what I liked about this textbook was that it followed each solved problem with a section to “Check your Learning” so students can solve a problem like the one they just read about. The answer to the problems in the “Check your Learning” sections are listed below the problem.
In addition to providing adequate new context, the textbook provides context that students need to review to understand new material. One aspect of the “Link to Learning” feature is the direct access to math review skills (https://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-scnot.html). I found this resource useful and needed as many students struggle with math. It is useful to have a math resource to direct students to at the outset and throughout the semester as different math concepts are employed in the chemistry.
The textbook is consistent and well organized. The three sections: “Key Terms”, “Key Equations”, and “Summary”, at the end of each chapter are helpful and a good summary. Also, the chapter outline at the beginning of each chapter is useful. Also, any terminology definition is a click away with an eBook. One main advantage of using an eBook that a hard copy textbook could never compete with is the easy access to integrative links. The “Link to Learning” feature is useful as it makes interactive exercises and animations a click away for students. How wonderful is it that I can watch a TED talk related to what I just read by simply clicking a button? I found the PhET simulations, IUPAC interactives, YouTube videos, and TED talks a useful feature.
The textbook is divided into smaller reading sections. This allows the instructor to assign smaller reading sections at different points within the course. This is also a nice feature for the online homework system. The fact that the textbook is conveniently divided into smaller reading sections is a useful feature. This allows, for example, for problems in the online homework system to be linked to a specific subsection of the chapter or a similar solved problem in the textbook and not an enormous block of text.
The coverage and scope of this textbook is like the scope and coverage of many of the chemistry textbooks used worldwide for General Chemistry courses. The contents of this textbook are organized in an effective way that carries the reader from the basic concepts to the more advanced ones in chemistry. That is also the case with most chemistry textbooks. However, the order or the material presented varies from one textbook to another. For example, the chapter on gas laws is covered here in chapter 9. In another textbook this chapter might be covered earlier. The content however is no different.
It is wonderful for students to have access to a textbook for free in an eBook format through a web view, PDF format (students can download through OpenStax.org), or even a hard copy textbook for a low cost. The most important interface aspect of this textbook is the fact that it is integrated with several online homework systems which will hopefully encourage students to read the text. There are several reasons to convert from a traditional hard copy textbook to the chemistry OpenStax textbook. Among them and firstly, it is free for students to use and is no different that the hard copy textbooks we have been using for years. Secondly, switching to an online homework system that integrates OpenStax textbooks into its problems allows for students to directly access the section of the eBook that they need to review to answer the questions.
I did not come across any grammatical errors.
I did not come across text that is culturally insensitive or offensive. I think the textbook has features that allow more examples of inclusiveness to be added through “Chemistry in Everyday Life”, “Portrait of a Chemist”, and “How Sciences Interconnect”. It is not easy to get students excited about science topics, particularly the ones that seem so abstract. Over the years I found it useful to introduce one or two examples or phenomena in each chapter to help students relate the chemistry concepts they learned in class with an example from everyday life that they can relate to. I want students to figure out the purpose of learning each chapter and how they can take that knowledge to solve a real-world problem. On that front, I liked the “Chemistry in Everyday Life” section of this textbook. This section is not uncommon in other chemistry textbooks but what I thought was neat and less common to see in other textbooks is the section entitled “How Sciences Interconnect”. I also enjoyed reading the “Portrait of a Chemist” section. These sections are what could get a student interested in science and I find them as valuable and powerful as teaching the science itself.
No.
The textbook is appropriate for a college-level, two semester general chemistry sequence. read more
The textbook is appropriate for a college-level, two semester general chemistry sequence.
I have not found errors, nor have my students reported errors to me.
The use of examples recognized by students as being relevant to their future careers could be improved.
I think that the text is written at an appropriate level for college students to read & understand.
I haven't found any inconsistencies, nor have my students reported any.
Each chapter is reasonably self-contained, to the extent that it's possible to do so with a general chemistry text.
While I don't think the text is disorganized, some content is not in the chapter I would have chosen to place it in.
Most of my students use the pdf version and don't appear to have difficulties with accessing portions of the text.
I haven't encountered any grammatical errors.
I haven't observed any cultural insensitivity. However, the inclusivity could probably be improved somewhat.
This is a good textbook suitable for a two-semester general chemistry course. I've used it for the last two years and continue to be happy with it. My students have the textbook from day one and this is one fewer area where financial issues can impact their learning.
This general chemistry book includes 21 chapters. The topics presented extend through all of the typical curriculum of an ACS-assessed general chemistry full year course. For example, measurement, dimensional analysis, nomenclature, atomic and... read more
This general chemistry book includes 21 chapters. The topics presented extend through all of the typical curriculum of an ACS-assessed general chemistry full year course. For example, measurement, dimensional analysis, nomenclature, atomic and electronic structures, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, gases, chemical bonding and structure are presented in Chapters 1-9. Inter-molecular forces, properties of solutions, kinetics, equlibria (general, acid/base, and other) are presented in Chapters 10-15, and chemical thermodynamics, electro-chemistry and nuclear chemistry are presented in Chapters 16, 17 and 21. Chapters 18 and 19 focus on descriptive chemistry of the elements, transition metals and coordination compounds. Chapter 20 presents a strong introduction to organic chemistry functional groups and properties with an emphasis on applications within the students' experiences (food, medicine, etc.)
The text is quite comprehensive. Sub-topics are well organized and clearly presented. The majority of specific skills and concepts likely to be taught in general chemistry are covered here and covered well, if somewhat more briefly than the non-OER books with which I am familiar. I feel the presentation of topics is not only sufficient, but may prove less overwhelming to students unfamiliar with reading and using textbooks. Also, the flexibility of using an OER textbook is that an instructor can readily insert content and skills sections that are of particular interest to the class at hand. If there's a particular topic that an instructor feels should be supplemented, that process is straightforward.
Each chapter includes a short introductory paragraph, list of key terms, key equations, a set of short summaries identified by section and a set of practice problems by section.
No errors or inaccuracies have been noted.
I was especially impressed with the living nature of this book. Since its first publication, the community of users has identified a limited set of errors and these have been corrected or are currently in review. Unlike a publisher-produced textbook (in which one can find several errors even in the fifth edition, for example), the community debates and improves this book. From the front matter: "Subject matter experts review all errata suggestions. OpenStax is committed to remaining transparent about all updates, so you will also find a list of past errata changes on your book page on OpenStax.org." And you do.
This book presents content that reflects our current understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry but also reflects current best practices in chemistry education at the college level. The process by which this book could (and likely will be) modified to reflect changes in our understanding of either content or educational process are easy to envision.
My experience suggests that students struggle with comprehension of written information, especially technical information. General chemistry textbooks must include a range of technical language and convey complex relationships in text and equations in a way in which students can apply the skills. This book does a good job of addressing student reading needs within the constraints of the nature of the subject and the goals of the courses it supports. The clarity of the book's prose is about equivalent to others I've recently perused or used. The use of images is well done. The high-value images convey or support important information and break up the text for students.
The presentation of information is well organized and this organization is highly consistent throughout the book. A little familiarity with the book is all that is needed on the part of the student to be able to navigate it well. Each chapter is presented as a series of sections, each of which instructs toward a set of clearly written learning objectives. Example problem solutions are presented in a gray box format, links to learning (simulations or videos) are presented with orange titles and outlines, and applications (chemistry in everyday life) sections appear with maroon headers and maroon outlines. Each chapter ends with a glossary of key terms, a set of key equations, a short summary of each section's content and a set of practice problems by section.
Modularity is quite good, and this is especially helpful in presenting the subject in an online format. Each chapter is presented as a series of sections each of which centers on a short set of specific concepts and skills (which are reflected in well-constructed learning objectives). I am using this modular structure now to support review of key concepts and calculations skills in an online summer general chemistry laboratory course. I can easily provide a hotlink to JUST those sections of the text that are critical for students to review before they attempt the lab.
The organization of this book (CHEM2e) is typical of many current general chemistry textbooks. I note that the gases chapter is presented later in the book than I have found is typical, but I find no issue with this. As is often the case, the later chapters (those beyond electrochemistry) may vary in content and order. In this text, nuclear chemistry is presented after the descriptive chemistry of the elements and the chemistry of transition metal complexes. In other books I've used, the nuclear chemistry chapter was immediately subsequent to electrochemistry, and a chapter on introductory biochemistry was included following the introduction to organic chemistry.
I note that Chemistry LibreTexts has versions of the OER CHEM2e book that have been mapped onto popular non-OER general chemistry textbooks, so transition is easier for faculty making the change. There is also another OpenStax version of this book that presents atoms-first. I have not reviewed this book and don't intend to use it, but the atoms-first approach has already been addressed by the authors.
I have been impressed with the stability of the platform. I have used the web interface and I have used the downloaded pdf. All text and images appeared to me to be exactly how the authors intended. I haven't yet tried much navigation on my phone, but I expect that my students will try this.
Navigation on the web interface is easy and reliable. The table of contents will take you immediately to the section you intend. I find the ability to hotlink directly to sections in the book of real value as I support students in their learning.
I have not noted any grammatical or typographical errors in the book or supplemental materials.
I have not noted any issues with cultural insensitivity.
I was hesitant to switch to an OER textbook because I was concerned about quality and--to be frank--about adding another major change for the faculty in my department during this time of massive shifts in how we are being asked to do what we do. I felt, though, that we had to address the cost issue of textbooks for our students, especially now.
After polling our students about how many of them actually could (or did) buy the previous, expensive publisher textbook, and how many actually read and used the book if they bought it, we started examining the OER option. I've been very impressed with the quality and usefulness of this book, and I know that access from Day 1 of the class for every student can make a positive difference. We all have so much more to manage these days!
Comprehensiveness: text covers all areas of Principles of chemistry I and II at Roxbury Community College for two semesters. Chapters are placed appropriately although I would prefer chapter 5 “Thermochemistry” to be placed as chapter 15 just... read more
Comprehensiveness: text covers all areas of Principles of chemistry I and II at Roxbury Community College for two semesters. Chapters are placed appropriately although I would prefer chapter 5 “Thermochemistry” to be placed as chapter 15 just before thermodynamics. The book has an extended appendix-almost 200 pages which is twice of other similar text, which is very good. To make both students and Instructors life easy, I would prefer to have some multiple choice and true/false type of questions directly in the text.
It is almost impossible to write a text book of this size error-free and unbiased. But I could not find anything, it does mean not there is none. The book is updated to the current time. Classical evidence is the periodic table which is the latest possible and it can be easily updated when needs be.
The text is written and/or arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement. Topics and chapters are fluid, when new things show up or things need to be updated, they can be easily inserted or deleted whatever the case may be.
The book is written in standard American English. Any High School graduate with 2.5 or above GPA should be able to understand the subject matter. It is written in lucid and common phrases again using common technical terminology. But needs to be remembered that chemistry has its own language like all other disciplines. And that needs to be learnt.
Terminologies are consistent throughout the book and without much jargon.
If one of the chapter that I mentioned (chapter 5 “Thermochemistry” to be placed as chapter 15 just before thermodynamics) is rearranged the book can be easily divided into four 4 subunits. Each subunit can have roughly four chapters. But this can be easily done during the lecture as well.
Chapters are arranged in a nice scaffold. So, there is flow and student should not get lost.
I find the text free of significant interface issues (navigation, distortion of images/charts, or other display failures) although many other images can be added if necessary.
I did not find any syntax error. Again a book of 1331 pages can have some of them. I have seen some of them even in standard text book published by world famous publisher, e., g. McGraw Hill but I did not mind.
This is one of the places where I have not seen any racism of any nature, it does not mean there is none. Another professor can easily find some somewhere.
I feel confident that this book will suffice for my fall course, although I will be making some modification, especially in the presentation style, type of questions etc. Basically I am accepting this book for my fall course.
Chemistry - 2e covers all the topics typically taught in General Chemistry classes. The topics are presented in a concise way although the book has over 1300 pages. The text provides an effective index and glossary after every chapter. Examples of... read more
Chemistry - 2e covers all the topics typically taught in General Chemistry classes. The topics are presented in a concise way although the book has over 1300 pages. The text provides an effective index and glossary after every chapter. Examples of calculations are included in every chapter but there are so few of them, compared to a textbook I am currently using, that it is surprising that it is enough. It might be a good thing for students who tend to have busy lives, to present to them only necessary information instead of overwhelming them with a number of examples, solutions, and problems.
The text explains numerous details regarding nomenclature that are sometimes missing in different textbooks. For example stannous chloride vs. tin(II) chloride and referencing it to the practical use of the first name that can be found in the ingredient list of toothpaste. Another example is explaining the correct way of using symbols for Kelvin vs. Celsius degrees. There are lots of terms in chemistry that need to be used in a more consistent way. That would prevent student confusion that sometimes is caused by terminology. This textbook clarifies lots of very important details, which helps to organizing concepts in a more logical way.
The textbook is relevant although some TedEd video links are about 10 years old and newer talks could be referenced instead. There are lots of examples of chapter concepts applied to everyday life which makes the topic more meaningful and easier to relate to. Including links to the videos explaining the concept more in-depth is a great feature of this textbook. Based on my experience, students benefit from watching videos and gain knowledge a lot faster since they are more used to media than books.
Terminology in the text is accurate and presented in a proper way.
In terms of terminology and framework, the text is consistent and up to date.
Well-organized modularity makes it easy to navigate through the text. After reading the first chapter the reader knows how to find sections of interest in the following chapters.
The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion.
Interface does not have any significant issues. The only thing I would improve is the quality of some photographs taken. Also, adding more images would help students who are visual learners to understand concepts such as chemical reactions.
No grammatical errors were noticed.
It's a chemistry textbook. Showing examples of chemists coming from different backgrounds might be something to consider.
Overall, it's a great textbook for General Chemistry.
The text book is comprehensive for science literate person. And also within the text key words are high lighted when clicked on it takes to glossary. read more
The text book is comprehensive for science literate person. And also within the text key words are high lighted when clicked on it takes to glossary.
Most of chemical concepts are accurate.
The text gives the application of chemistry to day to day life. And also the sample problems are applied in which reader can visualize chemical concept .In other words, VISUALIZATION of chemical concept through problem solving related to applied fields.
The text book need clarity in terms of sentence structure. For reader who had prior knowledge in chemistry the wording might be clear, but fist time reader, it may cause little luck of clarity.
The flow of chemical concept and terminology looks constant through the book .
The text book has flexibility to divided them into smaller sections according to need of the user.
The organization goes from simple to complex concept in Chemical concepts
The text book has good to use in any only browser without losing images
Some grammatical error , particularly sentence structure to explain microscopic concept for novice.
The text book inclusive all diverse culture.
The text book is accessible for various reader in flexible and affordable way.
I switched from a top five mainstream publisher text to this text in the Fall of 2019. I did a side by side comparison of topics before switching and was very happy with the initial surface comparison. After using the text for a year, I am still... read more
I switched from a top five mainstream publisher text to this text in the Fall of 2019. I did a side by side comparison of topics before switching and was very happy with the initial surface comparison. After using the text for a year, I am still happy with the my choice to switch. It covers all the key topics thoroughly.
Content is quite accurate. While I did not go through the text with a fine tooth comb, I found no glaring inaccuracies.
The beauty of General Chemistry texts is that it takes quite a while for them to become obsolete or seriously out of date because they teach fundamentals that, while they do change, do not change rapidly.
Very well written.
Very consistent.
I had no trouble breaking text into daily and weekly readings.
This text order is set up like any other traditional chemistry text. I choose to cover Chapter 16 (Thermodynamics) directly after Chapter 13 (Fundamental Equilibrium Concepts), because I like to have a closer tie between Thermodynamic and Equilibrium. Additionally I have a lab that highlights this connection early in the second semester. -I did the same rearrangement in my last text. There and here it works well.
I really like that there is a print text available, as well as web and pdf based. All are fairly well put together. I have had some trouble with dead links here and there, but that is to be expected. One minor complaint is there is no periodic table in the print version of the book (not an OPENSTAX issue, but the fact that it is printed inexpensively by a third party). The printed/pdf text does have some very minor white space issues, because of image size and placement.
I found no glaring grammar issues.
N/A
I am extremely happy with my transition. It helped to level the playing field for my diverse group of students this year. This text, in addition to some tweaks in classroom presentation in materials, seemed to help comparable students score much better on exams (with no appreciable change in exam content).
I have been using this book for 2 years in a row. It covers everything to the point it is necessary for undergraduate level chemistry. Chapter outlines, end of the exercises are very easy to navigate. read more
I have been using this book for 2 years in a row. It covers everything to the point it is necessary for undergraduate level chemistry. Chapter outlines, end of the exercises are very easy to navigate.
I haven't found any significant errors so far.
The book should be current for a while I believe.
In various places, various concepts could be exemplified in simple ways. Still the explanations are okay.
there is nothing to comment on consistence and coherence.
This is probably the best part of this book. I like the online version.
There is always space for improvement, but still clear.
Again, this is best thing I like about the online version of this book. Everything is in place as it is supposed to be.
Haven't found any.
I didn't find any culturally insensitive material in the book.
This book is the best I have adopted so far. At times, I feel like things could be simplified or exemplified in a simple manner using everyday circumstances, but overall this book meets a perfect textbook requirements.
The book is comprehensive and covers the typical topics in a one year general chemistry sequence. It has an index and glossary at the end of each chapter. I would have preferred that it also had a glossary for the entire book for students that... read more
The book is comprehensive and covers the typical topics in a one year general chemistry sequence. It has an index and glossary at the end of each chapter. I would have preferred that it also had a glossary for the entire book for students that don't know what chapter's glossary a word is in (though the index would be of use here).
I am not aware of any errors in this book.
First year chemistry is a very well defined curriculum and there is no reason to expect that this book will lose relevancy over time. Applications of chemistry are presented in a different colored panel and set off from the main text which will facilitate changes. As an online text, updates will of course be easy to make.
The text is clear and to the point. Important terms are in bold and explained in the text but I would have preferred that they were also links to more information about each term for students that need more support. The illustrations are great and the annotations are well designed to make the depicted ideas clear and easy to understand. I especially like the practice of the "magnifying glass" that allows the viewer to "see" the microscopic causes of macroscopic characteristics and effects.
The book is highly consistent in its organization and how it progresses through a topic.
Each chapter is broken into modules that are labeled and organized from the basic to more involved topics in that chapter.
The topics are organized in a logical fashion that is appropriate for first year chemistry but due to the modularity of the chapters the order can be easily adapted to particular professors needs.
The interface is simple and effective. The sidebar with the table of contents make jumping to a particular chapter module easy. At the end of a module is a simple previous and next button. Having those two buttons float at the bottom of the screen window might be more convenient to some users. I would have also liked the ability to click on a picture, diagram or illustration to make it larger and click again to return to full text.
I am not aware of any grammatical errors in the book.
The book is not culturally insensitive or offensive. Most pictures do not show people. It uses historically relevant pictures of people. Modern pictures do show people of different backgrounds and cultures.
While the odd answers were available at the end of the book some may prefer that all practice problems had answers and that they were available at the end of each chapter.
This text covers the material that would be expected in two semesters of general chemistry along with more specialized topics that often are omitted from other texts. This text also seems to have an appropriate balance of narrative and background... read more
This text covers the material that would be expected in two semesters of general chemistry along with more specialized topics that often are omitted from other texts. This text also seems to have an appropriate balance of narrative and background compared to the more technical mathematical aspects. The figures and tables are what you might expect but could be improved and added to in future versions. The end-of-chapter material includes section summaries, terms, and a reasonable set of exercises.
The accuracy of the material seems error-free to the point I would expect from any textbook.
The general chemistry concepts will not become obsolete any time soon. The applications and relevance often can become dated but the chosen examples will have reasonable longevity. The material is presented in such a way that is consistent with current chemistry pedagogy.
The writing is easily readable and provides adequate background for each topic. Links to internet resources and others are easily accessible to supplement the writing to further clarify the concepts.
The text is consistent from chapter-to-chapter.
Each chapter could be presented individually and is fairly comprehensive and not requiring reference to later chapters. There are sufficient sub-headings. If this text is not chosen as the primary text for a course, it is reasonable to use chapters and sections from this text to supplement other texts without much problem.
The progression of topics is reasonable. There is always discussion about the overall order of topics and is this case is no different. Particular courses may wish to reorder the sections and should not be problematic due to the modularity.
The PDF version was reviewed and the links and overall headings made it easy to navigate. Images and charts displayed correctly. The layout of the text was readable and has a very professional/commercial appearance.
Grammatical errors are minimal in this version. I'm sure there are some to be corrected but are not an impediment to the readability or accuracy of the text.
The text presents material consistent with what might be seen with other textbooks. It may be possible to include additional examples from various backgrounds and cultures to further enhance the text in future versions.
I have not used this textbook exclusively in any course at this point but it is a legitimate alternative.
This is a large, comprehensive general chemistry text. It is comparable in coverage to the text we currently use, Chemistry 8/e, by Silberberg and Amateis. As with almost all general chemistry texts, it contains far more content than can be... read more
This is a large, comprehensive general chemistry text. It is comparable in coverage to the text we currently use, Chemistry 8/e, by Silberberg and Amateis. As with almost all general chemistry texts, it contains far more content than can be effectively taught in a typical two-semester or three-quarter sequence but since everyone covers things a little differently, there is content here for everyone. There is a chapter on organic chemistry at the end of the text but outside of that, there doesn't appear to be much integration of organic chemistry concepts. There is also no chapter on biochemistry or modern materials and polymers, all of which are becoming increasingly important in the curriculum. The index in the online version links to the relevant section, which is useful since there are no page numbers. The online text is also searchable by keyword.
There are far too many examples and end of chapter problems to thoroughly review but the ones I checked were accurate. The content also seemed to be accurate. I did note one error that could be easily fixed in section 13.1 after graph C, where the minus sign in the formula of N2O4 should be deleted. The minus sign in front of the 2 should be deleted. The minus sign in the formula pops up again in the next paragraph.
The content in a general chemistry course does not change significantly over time. This book has "boxed feature" essays, Ted Talks, etc, that bring in current events and will need to be updated over time but this will be easy to implement. Other than that, the content is relevant and the text will not become obsolete for some time.
The book is fairly readable but there are places where key information is somewhat buried in the text and students will have to search for the content and meaning, or instructors will need to be aware and supplement. For example, when students study calorimetry they do a lot with q (heat) and yet the importance of this term, how to determine the signs, the significance of it being a path dependent function, etc, could all receive more emphasis. Thermal equilibrium is mentioned but not stressed, and yet this is what drives all heat exchange processes.
The style and "voice" seem to be consistent throughout.
The book would be more readable with more sub-subheadings. Students don't read books from front to back anymore and instead are looking for the small "bites" that provide them the information they are looking for. It is a little challenging to find these short passages and if this would encourage the students to read more it would be great but I'm afraid it may be a source of frustration and cause them to give up. I typically teach using this same chapter sequence but it looks as though the sequencing could be reorganized without much difficulty. Changing modules within a chapter could be more problematic, as would be expected, since later concepts build on previous concepts.
The book has a very standard structure and chapters flow in a logical fashion. I found it frustrating to read so frequently "more about this later" and "as seen in an earlier chapter". The former should be expanded to explain when or where it will be explained later, or why it isn't important now, or not even be mentioned. The latter should include a reference to where in a previous chapter. Ideally this would be a hyperlink but I understand that this isn't an actual ebook and that may not be possible. The end of chapter "key terms" should also contain a link (as is included in the index) or page number, as should the end of chapter "key equations". Also, the key equations need an explanation identifying what the equation is used for. For example in chapter 5 the equation "delta U = q + w" is given. This should be "change in internal energy: delta U = q + w. The equation by itself, without an explanation or page reference, is somewhat limited.
I viewed the online version of the text and didn't have any problems with the content displaying properly.
No grammatical errors that I noticed.
It would be great to see more mention of important work and discoveries by women and persons of color.
I was pleased to learn about this text and the customizing options available with OpenStax. The book isn't perfect but none are and for the price, seems like a very reasonable option for general chemistry students. The end of chapter problems could use a little more rigor in places but those can be supplemented so this isn't a drawback to the book.
**Notes: my comments compare this Open Stax text to the "standard" one we use ("Chemistry: Central Science", by Brown, Lemay, Burnstein, etc. - referred to as "BLB"). This review is for the 1st edition.** This text is over 1300 pages long (at... read more
**Notes: my comments compare this Open Stax text to the "standard" one we use ("Chemistry: Central Science", by Brown, Lemay, Burnstein, etc. - referred to as "BLB"). This review is for the 1st edition.**
This text is over 1300 pages long (at least twice as long as most general chemistry textbooks) and hence, not surprisingly, very thorough. Almost every typical general chemistry topic is covered in at least as much depth as in the BLB text, and usually moreso. For example, the gold foil experiment is discussed throughly, as well as the relevance of Plank's discovery. There is even mention of Amonton's gas law, which is not often included in general chemistry texts. There are some minor exceptions to that that I noticed, which includes: (Ch 2) a table of common cations and names is missing; (Ch 7) a section for periodic trends in reactions isn't included; and (Ch 5) a lack of a discussion of (chemical) potential energy (electrostatic or Coulombic).
I found a few odd typographical/formatting errors, but I am not sure if that was due to my e-reader (Books app on an iPad) - e.g., the "u" was repeatedly missing from the phrase "significant figures" in the in-text examples, a couple super-/subscripts were not in line. The thing I noticed that was conceptually incorrect was an illustrated figure in Chapter 9 where the volume of a liquid increased far too much due to an increase in temperature (misleading, since that was not the point of the figure). The language appeared generally free of any bias towards any sub-discipline.
I found this text to be on par with current available textbooks. The phrasing and approaches will be relatable for some time. It was consistent with common methods of teaching concepts. It even had a few figures I had not seen before, but were very insightful. There were some parts that I am on the fence about: e.g., a "featurette" - how beneficial is it to have a photo of a current highly regarded scientist (and TED speaker)? Also: is using a mercury-based barometer still a relevant way to teach pressure?
The language used was overall easy to read, and fairly interesting, as for as textbooks go. While there is use of (by nature of this being for college-level chemistry) a good deal of discipline-specific language in this text, it is consistent with other texts on the market.
Section headers, in-text examples, formulas and "featurettes" are consistently formatted. No lack of consistency was noticeable to me.
The body of this text was organized into well-defined sections. Very rarely did this text reference knowledge found in a previous chapter/section; hence, the information was encapsulated well.
In addressing this text's organization, the challenge is naturally that a "logical" flow is a bit different to each individual. While I have minor issues with the order in which our text ("Chemistry: Central Science", "BLB") has organized certain concepts, I have over the years grown accustomed to the order presented there. For example, BLB places general reaction chemistry before solution chemistry, but this text discusses moles and molarity before stoichiometry is even broached, and I find this placement to be novel. This text places chemical formulas (e.g., NaCl, H2O) before introducing the periodic table. BLB presents Lewis structures before polarity (this text does the opposite), and I prefer BLB's approach. This text places enthalpy and Hess' law when discussing bonds, rather than in the energy chapter, which can also work. Overall, I did not find anything to be very illogical about the flow of this text. Whether or not the organization is best, however, in the end depends upon the reader her-/himself.
There were no major issues with navigating, but a somewhat significant minor one: while the chapter titles (in the table of contents) functioned as links to the start of their respective chapters, the section headers, listed under the chapter titles did not. I checked this using both a computer and a tablet (iPad). Adding this feature in would be very helpful in improving navigation.
I did not notice any grammatical mistakes. There may be some present, but they were not obvious.
While chemistry texts do not generally deal with culturally-relevant content for the most part, by virtue of this text having "featurettes" that showcase either significant chemists or applied chemistry topics (e.g., blood pressure), there are some components that have cultural relevance. There was no offensive language or stereotypes that I saw. Photos either were of males (usually white, as "featured" chemists), of people with indistinguishable races. It would have been nice to have a "featurette" on a significant female chemist.
This review is for the 1st edition of this text. I was unaware that a new edition would be published during the couple weeks I spent reviewing this textbook.
For other users of BLB: this text has rearranged the content within chapters, starting with Chapter 6 (such that BLB Chapter 13 is now Chapter 11).
The textbook covers all of the standard general chemistry topics and includes tables of thermodynamic properties, acid and base ionization constants, Ksp and Kf values, and standard reduction potentials. Includes a comprehensive index, easy to... read more
The textbook covers all of the standard general chemistry topics and includes tables of thermodynamic properties, acid and base ionization constants, Ksp and Kf values, and standard reduction potentials. Includes a comprehensive index, easy to understand table of contents, and answers to end-of-chapter problems in an appendix at the end of the text.
No noticeable errors in material presentation or example problems.
Includes relevant real-life examples and introductory material for each chapter. Includes interesting asides on notable scientists. Includes links to interesting videos and simulations.
Text is simple and clear. Each section starts with a bulleted list of learning objectives.
Uses consistent terminology throughout. Follows pattern of presenting material then has extensive worked example problems related to the material. Uses H3O+ throughout (instead of H+).
Sections seem appropriate, but it would be nice to be able to subdivide some of the larger topics (ie - calorimetry, buffers, acid/base strength, etc.).
When referring to previous sections or chapters, it would have been nice to include links that made moving to that section easier.
Material is presented in a common order for general chemistry, with gases coming later in the first half of the book close to the chapter on solids and liquids.
Lewis structure images were quite blurry, may not translate well to mobile applications.
No noticeable grammatical errors.
This textbook was not culturally offensive.
There were no examples of base titration curves; other than that there were worked examples of pretty much every permutation of common problems.
There were good chapter summary materials in addition to the section learning objectives that would make review easy for students.
There was a bit of disparity between the number of end-of-chapter problems per chapter, ranging from 49-116 in the common chapters covered in general chemistry. Average of 82 problems/chapter. There were no comprehensive/challenge problems that combined multiple concepts.
The text covers the standard topics included in general chemistry in a traditional order and at an appropriate level, if sometimes a bit brief. The glossary in each section will be useful for students to identify and review key terms. There are a... read more
The text covers the standard topics included in general chemistry in a traditional order and at an appropriate level, if sometimes a bit brief. The glossary in each section will be useful for students to identify and review key terms. There are a decent number of practice problems in each section.
I did not notice any major issues in the accuracy of the content. I did not review most of the solutions to the practice problems for accuracy.
The text is current and the fundamental concepts will remain valid. The sections that discuss applications will benefit from regular review/updates.
The text is generally clear and technical terms are introduced and defined. It is comparable in this respect to many other general chemistry textbooks.
The text appears consistent on multiple levels (chapter organization, section organization, and terminology and language).
The tabs (online version) make navigation between sections simple. The text is broken into small enough sections to be accessible to students.
The organization is standard for a general chemistry book and will be familiar to instructors. For instructors who prefer a different order, the modular nature of the book may prove useful.
The interface seems fine (online version on a Windows desktop and a Macbook). The links (that I tried) all functioned properly, but will likely need to be checked on a regular basis. The formatting on some of the equations could be improved for clarity.
I was not distracted by any grammar issues.
The book is concise enough with most topics so that opportunities for cultural diversity are limited. Some experiences are assumed but not offensive.
Although the visual appearance of the pages does not grab attention, this book does a sufficient job of covering the expected material in a straightforward manner.
This book is analogous to some very popular general chemistry textbooks, as and deserves serious consideration as an alternative. Its content is quite comprehensive, while the sequence of chapters is quite traditional for non-atom first textbooks.... read more
This book is analogous to some very popular general chemistry textbooks, as and deserves serious consideration as an alternative. Its content is quite comprehensive, while the sequence of chapters is quite traditional for non-atom first textbooks. I find that some sections, such as the quantum chapter, is quite thorough, with only little being insufficient, like the consideration of isotopes. Over all, the book has good examples and graphics, is written clearly, has a summary at the end of the chapter, and has good exercises at the end of the chapter. One other good feature is that the goals of each chapter are clearly specified at the start of the chapters.
I specifically reviewed the chapters on equilibria and quantum chemistry. Both of these chapters have a good balance of theory and mathematics. The theory of blackbody radiation and de Boglie’s wave mechanics as well presented. Likewise, the chapter on equilibrium accurately describes Kc, Kp, Ksp, and Kf. Additionally, the treatment of Le Châtelier’s principle is well exemplified.
The book strives a bit to place chemistry in a modern context. It includes many examples of the "context," with many essays on topics such as modern materials, electronics, and global warming.
The book is well written, and addresses the topics in a clear and scientific manner.
The intricate and difficult topics for students are just as clear and well structured as the simpler topics.
Both the chapters and the contents or topics of each chapter can be moved a bit. The topics in each chapter are well structured. These can easily be assigned as independent units, allowing instructors to create a different sequence of topics for instruction. Additionally, a chapter such as that of transition metals, usually taught late in second semester, could be easily moved up to fashion a different sequence.
The layout follows classical structure and sequence of chapters.
I downloaded and reviewed the pdf version of the book. Everything was displayed appropriately.
The book is well polished and reads well.
This books is very similar to textbooks in general: all are lacking good examples of chemical discoveries made by non-majority persons. This book suffers from this issue, though it does highlight contributions by majority women.
Overall this is a good book and deserves serious consideration as an alternative textbook.
I am using this textbook this year to teach second semester general chemistry where we cover kinetics, equilibrium, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and nuclear chemistry. I have found that the book does a good job of covering the basics but I... read more
I am using this textbook this year to teach second semester general chemistry where we cover kinetics, equilibrium, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and nuclear chemistry. I have found that the book does a good job of covering the basics but I have had to supplement with more advanced problems in the equilibrium sections.
Overall, I have found the book to be accurate. However, I have found a few smaller pieces that I have issue with. In the acid-base chapter there are some problems at the end of the chapter that I find to be counterintuitive and I think will lead some students to be confused. For example, a problem asks the students to write a net ionic equation for NH3 to act as a Bronsted-Lowry acid. While that it certainly doable, it seems odd to me to use a prototypical weak base as an example of an acid. There are a few minor typos but I am sure that those will be fixed in the second edition.
This book will be a good long term option for the general chemistry sequence. I recently found out that there is a second edition of the book available so that is promising to see that it will continue to get updates.
I have been happy with the clarity of the textbook so far.
I have not found any areas where the consistency of the textbook was lacking.
The modularity of the textbook is a little bit different than what I have used in the past (Zumdahl) so it has taken some adjusting to the sections. I haven't found it to be a problem but I do end up jumping around in a chapter a bit relative to the order that the topics are presented. It has worked well so far.
Overall the organization of the book seems to be very similar to many other general chemistry textbooks out there on the market. While I would prefer to see some things presented in different order, the current structure works well and is easy to follow. I do like the summary sections at the end of each chapter.
I have mainly used the PDF version of the textbook and I have found it to be easy to use and very readable. The navigation from the introduction works well and all of the embedded links I have clicked on worked.
The textbook does a good job with grammar and accessible language.
This book is primarily about the science with some examples of the people who have studied a particular chemical concept. The highlights of individuals and pictures of people doing science is a moderately diverse mix but could certainly be improved.
I have only used this textbook for a couple of months now but so far I have not found any glaring problems with the textbook. It is a well done textbook for a general chemistry course. I feel that if you want to push beyond the basics, it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of more advanced concepts or problems. However, this is easily addressed with other supplemental materials. Having a high quality low/no cost option for a textbook is fantastic and any downsides to the text are easily made up for by having it open access. I see that there is a new second edition of this book and I hope that it improves upon the current edition as it is a valuable resource to the field.
This book does a good job of covering the topics that would be covered in a first year chemistry course, but it does not go in as much detail on every topic as many other chemistry textbooks do. read more
This book does a good job of covering the topics that would be covered in a first year chemistry course, but it does not go in as much detail on every topic as many other chemistry textbooks do.
I did not find any problems with accuracy.
Most of the information in the text is standard and should not become out of date quickly. The main parts of the text I could see requiring updating are the real-life examples of chemistry. These examples are in small, blocked off portions of the text, so if they needed to be updated or replaced, it would be straightforward, and only a small portion of the text would need to change. There were also several links to web pages, which could require regular updating.
Clear language is used to define terms and describe concepts.
I did not find any issues with consistency.
Each chapter was clearly divided into several sections, and each of those was usually divided into several subsections. The chapter and sections were easily identifiable, but the subsections were a harder to differentiate, especially when viewing the online version of the text. In the pdf version of the text, the subsection headings were at least in a different color, so they were easier to identify.
The book was organized well, and in an order similar to most other standard chemistry textbooks.
The interface works well, and the table of contents on the side of the web version make it easy to jump to different sections of the text. I did find the layout of the text to be somewhat distracting. Each figure creates a break in the text, which can disrupt the flow of reading and make the text look less cohesive. I also found the font choices distracting in the online version. The equations are always bigger than the normal text. Overall, the formatting of the web version made the text look unpolished. The pdf version was better, but neither were to the standard of traditional chemistry textbooks.
I did not find grammatical errors.
I did not find this text to be culturally insensitive in any way.
This book would be a good choice for an introductory chemistry class, where not as much detail is needed and students might not be as committed to chemistry and willing to pay for a conventional book. For a more advanced chemistry class, I think it would still be a good option, since students are more likely to have access to a book that is available free online. However, some subjects would require supplementation in order for students to understand them in necessary detail.
In comparing this book to our standard general chemistry text book, it has all of the bases covered. I see a few places where content seems to be a little bit lacking or hard to find (for example, they don't seem to spend much time on solution... read more
In comparing this book to our standard general chemistry text book, it has all of the bases covered. I see a few places where content seems to be a little bit lacking or hard to find (for example, they don't seem to spend much time on solution stoichiometry, or I just couldn't find it). However, it seems to be comprehensive for a two semester general college chemistry sequence.
I did not see any errors or concerning information. The text all seems to be pretty standard for general chemistry.
General chemistry textbooks are usually very standard. This book is organized in a way that I am accustomed too from many other print texts so teachers will find it easy to incorporate into their existing curricula. I like the embedded links to YouTube videos - though the authors will have to ensure that those links stay active. Students will like the embedded videos and simulations.
The text seems easy to read and gives many relevant examples that students will relate to.
The written text is internally consistent. The writing style is consistent throughout the chapters.
The side bar table of contents makes it easy to select a sub-section of a chapter and the chapter headings will make it easy for a teacher to identify an appropriate section of reading. Each sub-section is reasonable in length and is interspersed with many examples and external links.
As previously mentioned, general chemistry texts are usually pretty standard. This text matches what I am used to from print books in its organization, which will make it easy for teachers to integrate into existing curriculum.
I did not check every single link but all of the ones I tried seemed to be in order. The graphics are good quality, and also seem like they can be copied and pasted which will make it easy for teachers to prepare lecture material to align with the book.
I did not notice any grammatical errors.
I did not have any problem with the cultural relevance of the text.
The scope is pretty standard for a GChem text, addressing all the standard topics for a one-year course. I found the summary at the end of each chapter to be better than most. read more
The scope is pretty standard for a GChem text, addressing all the standard topics for a one-year course. I found the summary at the end of each chapter to be better than most.
I found a few errors, but mostly minor ones. Hopefully these can be addressed in errata/revision.
The examples and asides seem relevant, and are drawn from a broad enough range of topic areas to appeal to student interest.
Mostly, new concepts are introduced as sets of 'rules' then illustrated through specific example. There is usually only one worked-out example per concept, which is probably insufficient for concepts as complicated as solution stoichiometry, MO theory, and the like.
A few terms were used with less than complete pre-definition, but there is a glossary at the end of each chapter that covers most of these.
Modularity is one of this text's biggest strengths; I noticed very little internal cross referencing other than a dozen or so references to "a later chapter", but none to a previous section.
Topics are logically ordered, although one could argue for gases to appear a bit earlier in the sequence and redox balancing a bit later.
I had no problems with navigation nor display. Clickable page number links provided in the TOC and my own liberal use of control-F assured that in my case.
Mostly the diction, grammar, sentence structure, etc., are acceptable for the purpose at hand. Unfortunately, the weakest usage of language appears throughout chapter one (which I believe should be thoroughly revised for this reason).
The examples and illustrations chosen are sufficiently inclusive. If anything, some might be considered culturally sensitive to excess; e.g., the discussion of mass vs. weight of an astronaut on page 16 includes "her weight on the moon is only.....", neglecting the historical fact that there have been, as yet, no female astronauts on the moon.
I would like to be able to report errors via a much more streamlined process, and I would like to see all errors removed.
The textbook is quite comprehensive and covers all the essential information used for Introductory Chemistry. read more
The textbook is quite comprehensive and covers all the essential information used for Introductory Chemistry.
The book contents are quite accurate in all chapters that I read through.
The contents are relevant and up-to-date.
The text has high level of clarity and was easy to follow for students.
The book terminology and vocabulary remain consistent throughout all the chapters.
The book is clearly broken into sections and subsections. I didn’t have any issue with the book modularity.
The book is organized in a clear and logical flow.
The interface works great. The images and tables are pretty clear.
I did not find grammatical error in the text.
I did not find any insensitive or offensive contents in the book
I used this book for my “Introduction to soft materials” course in order to review some introductory chemistry topics. The book provides all necessary information in introductory chemistry with a clear language and nice formatting. The figures and tables are well presented and convey the information very well. My students found the book very helpful, simple, and easy to follow. I highly recommend this book.
If you are teaching chemistry for science majors this is the textbook you should be using. All content for GenChem classes will be found in the text, it is 1347 pages long, you will find every topic you want to discuss in your class in this... read more
If you are teaching chemistry for science majors this is the textbook you should be using. All content for GenChem classes will be found in the text, it is 1347 pages long, you will find every topic you want to discuss in your class in this textbook. You institution most likely has some sort of "Course Content Guide" for the courses you teach, if you compare that guide with this textbook's table of contents and/or index you will find content for all of content you are required to cover.
This book is usable for GenChem for non-science majors, BUT, you will have to skip sections as it dives too deep for non-science major content requirements. I am currently using this text for my non-science major course and have had to make adjustments, meaning I will not, for instance say, "read chapter 3" I will have sections of chapter 3 assigned, and will let them know that the other sections are more comprehensive than we will be covering in this course.
You can buy a hard copy for $20-40 buck, pick one up, then set it next to any of the traditional publisher textbooks like Tro or Brown/LeMay or Che, you will find that they look the same. The part that is different is that those text are well over $200 and this one is $20 in a hardcopy, BRAND NEW, or out right free in a pdf.
I have been using this textbook for 3 years now and have found all of the content to be accurate. There are errors. These errors are typos, grammar errors or errors in a calculation. There is a pdf listing all of the known errors and OpenStax periodically revises their textbook to fix these errors. Find those known errors here: https://openstax.org/errata/?book=Chemistry
If you find one you are encouraged to point it out here:
https://openstax.org/errata/form?book=Chemistry
I have not found any bias in this text, I am not sure what kind of bias there could be in a chemistry text, but I am sure it is possible.
This content is current. I mean this is GenChem, not much new has been learned at the GenChem level. Again, you will find this text to be comparable to all publisher text. If there is a major change in the content of GenChem, this text will be changed within months of the need to change its content.
I have been teaching chemistry for two decades, so pretty much anything written in chemistry is clear to me. “Jargon/technical terminology” is pretty much the definition of a chemistry textbook. The book is written at a college level, readers at a college level will find this text readable, but it will be full of jargon and technical terms.
Yes, this text is consistent, it is linear. This is kind of a drawback if you intend to jump around from chapter to chapter. If you are not reading the chapters in sequence you will be missing terms and concepts germane to the understanding of later chapters.
Yes, you can easily divide this book into content segments. But as stated in earlier in the Consistency portion of this review, if the segmentation is not done in a linear fashion, there will be difficulty in understanding. In the way that trying to teach algebra to someone that has not learned how to multiply and divide.
I don’t always agree with the order in which this text is written, but I do agree that the organization is clear and logical. As the student or instructor you will be following a very organized content path.
This text is as professionally typeset as any textbook you will have very seen. This is not a bunch of chem profs putting all of their notes into a Word doc, the people that laid out the text and graphics were/are professionals. They have been trained in Publisher and or Illustrator and or Photoshop or whatever other publishing style software exists. Money was spent, and it was well spent.
There are occasional grammar error, the nice thing is the can be found on the Errata page I listed earlier. And if not, you can inform them of the error and it will be updated in the next revision. Having actual input is empowering.
There is not much culturalness to a chem text, which means it would be difficult to be insensitive about any particular culture. The only diversity associated with a text of this nature is the inclusion of the work of scientist form varied cultures of the world. You will find this text includes work from many different cultures, and occasionally bios on the scientists who made chemistry related discoveries.
I would like to see a non-science majors version of this text.
I am very please with all of the available Student and Instructor resouces; solutions guide, test questions, lecture slides, and LMS cartridges.
This text appears to cover a similar list of topics to those covered in the more expensive text I currently use in my courses. This is good for faculty looking to switch because topics are still covered and there will be a textbook section to... read more
This text appears to cover a similar list of topics to those covered in the more expensive text I currently use in my courses. This is good for faculty looking to switch because topics are still covered and there will be a textbook section to refer students to.
The content appears to be as accurate and error-free as possible. One of the benefits of this textbook is the annually published Errata to help users identify errors to correct for their classes. Also, if glaring mistakes are found after the rigorous review required by Openstax, the web-based books are able to be updated, which traditional print texts cannot do as easily.
One of the nice things about chemistry is that a lot of it has been around for so long that it is hard to be “outdated”. There are some specific examples connecting chemistry to things that students encounter in everyday life that could be outdated quickly depending on how quickly technology continues to progress. There are also boxes informing students how science interconnects with other scientific disciplines. These are in a lot of cutting-edge or constantly changing fields such as biochemistry and climate science, respectively. Depending on how these sciences continue to change, these examples could also quickly become outdated. But the "basics" in the text should remain relevant for years if not decades.
The book is written with as much clarity as a science textbook can have. With professional quality graphics, connections to real examples, and access to online demos for clarification, this text is above and beyond the traditional print resource.
The text is cohesive and uses the same formatting throughout the chapters. This is comforting for readers who may already be daunted by the subject matter, giving the book a predictability in style.
The text is very well broken down into readable sections with great visual aids as well as links to online modules to complement or illustrate concepts. While links may be listed in a traditional printed text, having the ability to click the link right there is invaluable. Additionally, each section lists learning objectives that will be of use to students and faculty alike when it comes time for assessment.
There are typically two methods for presenting information in a General Chemistry sequence and like most popular texts, both are available here (Chemistry and Chemistry: Atoms First). For the most part, Chemistry seems to follow the topics in a very similar order to the textbook I currently use in General Chemistry (Tro, A Molecular Approach). This is useful for instructors looking to make the switch because it limits the amount of curriculum rearranging they will have to undertake in well-established courses. With Openstax, there is also an option for excluding or reordering sections to fit the course needs, which is not an option with more traditional texts.
One of the benefits of this text is the number of interfaces it is available on (which allows for assessibility). This review was written based on the iBooks and Online interface. Both appear to work very well and are very user-friendly, while I prefer the interface on iBooks personally. For those looking for the more traditional textbook experience, print and PDF copies are available but the iBooks and online interfaces give users an interactive experience with previously mentioned hyperlinks to online simulations and other modules. The iBooks version also condenses examples and other large areas to scrollable boxes, making them easy to skip over if they aren’t important to the reader.
The book uses exceptional grammar without topics going over the heads of the intended audience.
One of the features of this text is a supplemental section in select chapters “Portrait of a Chemist”. While there is a nice gender diversity of the scientists features, racial diversity seems a bit lacking. This may be a consequence of the subject matter, but efforts to be more inclusive in future editions could be made. There is a fair representation of various countries, however.
This text appears to be an excellent text for general chemistry curricula and I look forward to adapting my classes to utilizing this low-cost option.
This book covers the material that is commonly covered General Chemistry course. The chapter layout are almost the same as other textbooks. It is a fairly comprehensive textbook. read more
This book covers the material that is commonly covered General Chemistry course. The chapter layout are almost the same as other textbooks. It is a fairly comprehensive textbook.
The book is quite accurate, especially for the actual teaching content, concepts and terms. Occasionally I do find errors. This is very understandable given that the book quite new to the market. The good thing about this book is that since it's an online version, it updates and correct the mistakes quite often, instead of having to publish a new edition with a high price every year.
Unlike biology, chemistry knowledge don't change as fast, it's been pretty set for years, especially for General Chemistry. The content in this book is pretty accurate and compressively covering all basic General Chemistry knowledge and is no different from the other two most popular textbooks by Brown and Tro. It's going to be a competitive textbook on the market for years.
The book is written in a quite concise and clear manner can be easily understood.
The terms are used consistently throughout the book.
The book is clearly divided into sections and subsections. It's easy for us to assign the readings selectively given that it is impossible to cover the whole book. Sometimes, I do feel some sections are too long and can be broken down further, but it's just individual opinions.
The book is presented in a clear, logical fashion. I like that the problems are solved in a stepwise guided module, which is quite clear compared to other textbooks. I also like how the book incorporate animation links to Openstax source which is only available to faculties for other textbooks. In addition, all the solutions to end of chapter homework problems are available for free, students don't have to purchase a solution manual.
It's quite clear.
I don't see grammar mistakes, or it doesn't stand out to me.
The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It introduces scientists whenever relative.
Textbooks are used as a reference for college students. The percentage of students actually read the book is pretty low. If this is the case, is it worthwhile to invest a few hundred dollars on the textbooks? I think this is a great textbook itself already, it is even greater given that the it's free, and can be easily accessed in a variety of ways. Thanks to Openstax for providing this great resource for students and faculties.
The text covers the standard topic for 1 year (2 semester) college chemistry. read more
The text covers the standard topic for 1 year (2 semester) college chemistry.
Content is presented in historically accurate/accepted view of chemistry.
Chapters flow in a natural progression for learning. Beginning with the scientific method and continuing on with traditional basic chemistry topics, stoichiometry, energy, structure, kinetics equilibrium and acid base. Examples can be easily changed to fit modern norms.
Chapters are divided into sections with each section having introduction, theory, examples and problems to worked out by the student.
The same methodology including terminology/symbols are used throughout the book.
Traditional college chemistry with subject matter divided into rational chapters and sections. Extensive review, including summary and glossary, at the end of each chapter should prove to enhance learning.
Chapters and sections flow in a logical fashion. Each chapter contains problems of varying difficulty , starting with simple and progressing to difficult.
Illustrations and explanations are clear and movement from page to page is easy.
I did not note grammatical errors and found the writing easy to follow and understand.
The text contains examples of contributions to chemistry from young and old, male and female, historical and modern. There are abundant examples of chemistry how it applies to modern popular and classical cultures.
The text to should provide for an excellent chemistry course for outdoor and environmental programs at VCC . The text is comprehensive with sufficient rigor to be sufficient as a stand alone for any college chemistry course.
Overall the book is fairly comprehensive and covers all the material that I teach in general chemistry. read more
Overall the book is fairly comprehensive and covers all the material that I teach in general chemistry.
Not surprisingly, there are differences between the online version, PDF version, and hard copy version of the textbook. Hopefully, there is an annotated list of changes as they are made to the online version so that these can be provided to students and professors with the hard copy or PDF. For example, the Born-Haber cycle in chapter 7 describes cesium fluoride in the figure and table in the online and PDF versions, but the hard copy version describes cesium fluoride in the figure and a mixture of cesium chloride and sodium chloride in the table. In chapter 6 section 1, the first figure has errors in equating the cycles per second to hertz in the PDF and hard copy versions, but it has been fixed in the online version. Errors are easy to repair in the electronic version but will obviously remain in the used textbook market until a newer hard copy edition is printed. However, it would be helpful if the errors were uniformly fixed in both the PDF and online versions so there are only two versions: a consistent electronic version in either PDF or online format and an out of date printed hard copy version that will be fixed in the next printing run.
The content presented is still relevant in my reading of the text. Any longevity issues should be relatively easy to fix in the online and PDF versions.
The text was accessible and provided adequate context to help with understanding the chemical terminology.
The text used consistent terminology and provided a list of key terms and their definitions at the end of each chapter.
Each chapter is broken into numbered and titled sections and titled subsections e.g. 10.1 Intermolecular Forces contains subsections for Dispersion Forces, Dipole-Dipole Attractions, Hydrogen Bonding, etc. As a result, a chapter should be able to be broken up into distinct reading sections or reorganized assuming care is taken to cover/introduce any prerequisite terminology.
The book provides a fairly logical and clear flow, as it is similar in organization to other general chemistry textbooks. One addition would be to add exact references to the sub-parts of each figure. For example, when the text describes homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures, the text correctly references the figure however it could be more specific by identifying the sub-part of the figure e.g. 1.13a vs. 1.13b. This is applicable to the downloadable PDF and hard copy of the book only. The online version provides hyperlinks in the description of both to the figure. However, this type of reference where the parts of a figure are separately referenced is rare in the text and don't detract from the structure and flow.
Navigation of the online text and PDF were problem free for me. The images and charts all seemed to be high quality in both formats. However, the one note I will make is in the lack of consistency of figure numbering in the online, PDF, and hard copy versions. If a student is using a different version of the textbook (online vs. PDF/hard copy) than the professor, you should be aware that the figure numbering system is different. The figures in the PDF/hard copy are designated with the chapter number and figure number separated by a period e.g. figure 8.11 (chapter 8 figure 11). However, the figures in the online version are only numbered consecutively and the numbering starts over in each chapter section. As a result, figure 8.11 in the PDF/hard copy is the eleventh figure in chapter 8, but it is labeled figure 6 in the online version because it is the sixth figure in chapter 8 section 2. It would be great if all versions of the text used the same figure numbering system.
I did not notice serious grammatical errors that detracted from the readability of the text.
I did not notice any culturally insensitive or offensive text. The text has incorporated “Portrait of a Chemist” subsections to highlight “the work of prominent figures from history and present day so that students can see the ‘face’ of contributors.” There are twelve scientists highlighted in these sections, however not all of them have pictures of the highlighted person which may help students better picture themselves in those scientists. In addition, more of these subsections could be included to build a group of chemists that better reflects the current cultural diversity within the field.
The OpenStax textbook for college-level General Chemistry provides the typical topics covered in this class. (Atomic theory, stoichiometry, gas laws, electronic structure, bonding theories, equilibrium, thermodynamics, kinetics, electrochemistry,... read more
The OpenStax textbook for college-level General Chemistry provides the typical topics covered in this class. (Atomic theory, stoichiometry, gas laws, electronic structure, bonding theories, equilibrium, thermodynamics, kinetics, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry.) The topics are covered in good detail and at a level that is appropriate for beginning chemistry and biology majors. The appendices are likewise appropriate for the intended audience. Each chapter contains a useful glossary and summary of important points from the main text. The book also contains a large number of worked examples in each chapter. The end-of-chapter problems are at the appropriate level in terms of completeness and rigor.
The chemistry content is accurate. Some of the example exercises and solutions to end-of-chapter problems contain errors. The errors seem to be present in both the hard copy and online versions of the textbook.
The contextual information is helpful, relevant, and current
The writing style is clear and accessible. I have used the book for two years now and I have not any students complain that they have difficulty in understanding the book. Chemical terminology is introduced, explained and used in ways that are natural and appropriate.
The textbook is internally consistent in terms of the terminology and approach to understanding introductory chemistry principles.
The modularity of the book is good. As discussed below, I typically rearrange specific sections from Chapters 3, 4, and 11 with no problems to student understanding.
The textbook follows a fairly standard organization for introductory General Chemistry. While the organization is logical and clear, there are aspects of the organization that I would do differently. The book introduces the mole concept, empirical formulas, and molarity (Chap. 3) before chemical equations (Chap. 4.) In fact, I teach the sequence that I prefer by jumping back-and-forth between chapters 3 and 4. The students seem to be able to handle that approach without difficulty. I likewise introduce the concept of electrolytes (in Chap. 11, Solutions) while discussing aqueous reactions and ionic equations in Chapter 4. The chapter on gases can be taught either after stoichiometry (Chap. 4) or along with liquids and solids (Chap. 10.) The textbook works for either approach. Overall, the organization is fine and I have been able to adapt it to my preferred approach to introducing the key topics.
The textbook is easy to navigate, both in the hard copy and online forms.
The writing is free of grammatical and stylistic errors.
The textbook is culturally sensitive.
Overall, I like this textbook very much. The quality of the entire presentation (text, figures, pictures) is excellent. My students appreciate that different modes available for using the book.
The book is quite comprehensive. It covers all the main topics that are usually covered by General Chemistry (both I and II). The order of these topics is appropriate and easy to follow. The index at the end is pretty long (9 pages), which also... read more
The book is quite comprehensive. It covers all the main topics that are usually covered by General Chemistry (both I and II). The order of these topics is appropriate and easy to follow. The index at the end is pretty long (9 pages), which also indicates that this book is quite comprehensive.
Most of the content are accurate in the chapters that I read through. There are a few typos here and there, which could happen to any book that has 1300+ pages.
Many chapters start with a short introduction and a real life picture. They are up-to-date. Also, they could be easily replaced with a more up-to-date introduction as time passes by. I really like the "Chemistry in Everyday Life" feature in this book. Almost every section has one or two "Chemistry in Everyday Life" examples to relate the chemistry with our lives. These examples make it easier to understand chemistry, especially for the readers who learn chemistry for the first time.
The language in the book is easy to follow. The chapters that read through explain the content with adequate explanation, real life, figures, tables, math examples and even videos (Link to learning). Some of the examples require multiple-step calculation. Then a flow chart was given to help explain the steps, which makes it easier for students to follow the steps and understand how to solve the problem. Hopefully, with the examples with this, students could eventually draw their own flow chart to solve multiple-step problems. Some figures are really good. For example, Figure 5.11 on Page 235 clearly demonstrates the energy direction between the system and surroundings and also the temperature change for both endothermic and exothermic reactions. I am ready to adopt this figure for my class.
This book is very consistent in terms of its framework. Each chapter has the following components.
(1) a short introduction with pictures.
(2) definition and description of concepts and theories, followed by examples.
(3) "Chemistry in Everyday Life" to connect content of that section with real life
(4) "Link to learning", which are videos for demonstration
(5) "Key terms" to summarize the definitions of terminology in that chapter.
(6) key equations and content summary
(7) end-of-chapter practices (100+ practices for each chapter)
In addition to the list above, the format of the book is quite consistent, which makes readers easy to follow.
Each section has its own description and examples. I can use all the sections in the order as the book, or if it is needed, I could easily rearrange the sections to the order I need. I don't see much reading disruption to do so.
The topics are arranged in a similar order as most other Gen Chem textbooks: structure of atoms, molecules, nomenclature, reactions, thermochemistry, bonding, intermolecular forces, solution, kinetics, equilibrium, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, etc. I noticed that "Gases" chapter is after "bonding", while most General Chemistry textbooks have "Gases" after reactions. I feel it is OK both arrangement. I don't see any issue with it.
The hyperlinks worked really well for me. I can navigate within the book without any problem. I really like the "Links to Learning" in the book. They took me to videos or simulations. If I were a student who is taking General Chemistry, I would be very happy to watch the videos to better understand the material. Also, the videos can be accessed at any time, which are good supplement to our lectures. Also, simulations allow students to try different things to explore what would happen, so they can better understand the content.
I did not see grammatical error in the text.
I don't see any content that is culturally insensitive or offensive.
I really like this book, not only for the affordability but also for the chemistry content. If I have to give my comments, please see below.
(1) It would be convenient if there is a button on every page to take me to the book content table at the beginning.
(2) I hope there are more "Links to Learning" in the book. They help students to understand the content. Also, simulations (such as https://phet.colorado.edu/) could be added as "Links to learning". So students could learn and practice by running simulations. I feel that the book would be more interactive.
Yes, the book covers all the material that is covered is the same as our current General Chemistry 1 textbook. read more
Yes, the book covers all the material that is covered is the same as our current General Chemistry 1 textbook.
Yes, I could not find any inaccuracies when going through the textbook
I believe chemistry theory on the first year level has remained somewhat consistent for the past couple of decades and I do not foresee any changes in the near future. The format of the textbook will allow for easy changes as the sections are nicely compartmentalized.
The chemistry concepts are presented in a clear, concise and straightforward manner
The terms used are consistent with other General chemistry terms
This is the strength of the textbook in its ability to divide and subdivide the chemistry materials
Yes, the material is presented in a similar manner to other textbooks
All images and charts are clear.
I did not find any grammatical errors.
I did not notice any insensitive or offensive remarks. There is a couple of images that have company labels that could be changed.
One addition for the textbook could be more worked out examples in chapter 3 and 4 as I believe the mole concept is one of the most vital concepts for students to understand in General Chemistry 1
This book is as good as any printed Chemistry Textbook. It has an index that lists all (and more) fundamentals of chemistry: Phases, physical and chemical changes, atomic model, ions, nomenclature, Periodic Table, the mole, formulas,... read more
This book is as good as any printed Chemistry Textbook. It has an index that lists all (and more) fundamentals of chemistry: Phases, physical and chemical changes, atomic model, ions, nomenclature, Periodic Table, the mole, formulas, concentration, reactions and stoichiometry, Thermodynamics, Lewis dot structures, polarity, bonding, gases, Intermolecular Forces, phase diagrams, Kinetics, equilibria, acid-base chemistry, titrations, pH, electrochemistry, etc.
These are all fundamentals in General Chemistry I and II; needed to understand many phenomena and solve problems. For example: understanding Lewis dot structures to determine why certain things dissolve (or don’t) (sugar in water vs. oil in water) and how that can be used to make better water or oil based paints. Polarity and electronic ink, Gorilla® Glass (ions in glass strengthen the glass, based on Periodic Properties (Periodic Table)), goiter (iodide ion deficiency), Mohave Desert Solar Power plant, Astronomy (energy and supernovae) and atoms.
Each chapter has practice problems as the student goes through the chapter (some with answers worked out stepwise, some with just answers). The book gives lots of examples where chemistry shows up in a typical person’s daily life- food, minerals (rocks), cleaning products, air bags, etc.
At the end of each chapter a review key terms list, a chapter summary and more problems for the student to work through at the end of each chapter as more practice.
The book goes into at least adequate detail on all needed topics, and a few in even more detail than I (personally) need (but more is better than not enough). These are: significant figures, Mulliken’s oil drop experiment, and atomic mass units (amu’s).
As for not enough detail (the absence of one thing in an equation, Ch. 11): The book doesn’t give quite enough detail on the change in boiling point or melting point of a solution via the Van’t Hoff ‘i’ factor. No book has that constant, that I’ve seen, in many years. Also, Ch. 13: I derive the integrated forms of the rate law, this book does not (it is a mix, many books don’t show the derivation, but a few do)
In the book, the examples relate well to everyday life and give lots of accurate uses of chemistry and accurately worked out examples (math problems). In terms of errors, most are typographical (ex.s p. 174, ‘sight’ instead of ‘side’, p. 191 duplicate notes (1 and 2), p. 235 (Tfina – Tinita instead of Tfinal – Tinital), p. 489 (effusion instead of effusion), p. 490 (xygen and ydrogen instead of oxygen and hydrogen).
The only accuracy issue (minor) was on p. 345; electronegativity was defined as electron pulling power of an atom, but with NO mention of it being an atom IN a molecule.
Lots of everyday examples (cell phones, cars, brewing beer, fruit ripening chemistry, artificial sweeteners, examining molecules in exhaled breath as early disease indicators, ionic compounds and their uses (CaCO3- antacid), solid rocket fuels, touch screens, lithium batteries, etc. Some of these will be around for a long time (and already have been), some will change or become outdated. But since the book is primarily on-line (but students can have it printed and bound for a small fee; a nice feature for those that want a physical copy), updates are easy to implement.
The book already has the ‘new’ definition of the standard meter and the ‘new’ concept of atom economy (not just percent yield).
Book still has a few elements in the Periodic Table missing. Not crucial, but since the elements were made ‘official’ this past summer (2017), the Periodic Table should be up to date (missing Nh, Mc, Ts and Og).
But basic information is there and because chemistry books are written mostly as fundamental facts (that haven’t changed much in many decades; ex. water will always be essential to life—like the fundamentals of physics (ex. gravity)) the book won’t ever really be out-of-date.
Nice pictorial representations of chemical processes. Shows representations of atoms combining to form new compounds. Great as students often have trouble “seeing” this concept. Ex. 2 H (two separate atoms) vs. H2 (two combined atoms; a molecule) vs. 2 H2 (two molecules).
Terminology in explaining terms is adequate, some definitions are clearer than others, but all terms are defined in plan, clear English. And not chemistry textbook explains everything perfectly. This book is just as good as any other in terms of this (and this one is free!).
Every chapter is consistent in that it has a small introduction with a real-life example or current issue that we are trying to solve. This is followed by the chapter being divided into sections with main topics for each section with example problems throughout (some worked out step-wise, some with just the answer). Then end of chapter list of terms to know (with definitions), then the chapter summary, then many more practice problems for the student to work out. Each chapter also has real-life examples and profiles of people that contributed towards our chemical understanding or policy-making through environmental stewardship.
Just like a printed text, it is split into chapters and sections within the chapters. So you can navigate to any page or section you want, much like a printed book. It also has Figures, Tables, and little sub-sections with chemistry of every-day things and examples that break up the chapters nicely.
The order is a typical order of presentation of General Chemistry textbooks (note: there are two versions, the ‘regular’ order and the ‘atoms first’ approach. The ‘regular’ order was reviewed here). But the order isn’t that crucial as teaching from the book (being separated into chapters) allows the professor’s syllabus to be put together in whatever order they would like). Since the topics often build off of each other, the first few chapters tend to not be moved around much, but later chapters can be moved around a bit more.
In terms of within each chapter; again the flow is logical (brief introduction, then each section with a main topic (with examples and short topics on chemistry or the people behind the chemistry), then an end of chapter review, then more practice problems at the end of the chapter.
The format is a bit different depending upon what device you are using, but all allow easy navigation through the book. On a tablet device, one can tap the screen and get a small representation of all the pages, just flip through them like a book, or scroll on the bar below the pages representation to go through the pages even faster (with pages marked as you move the bar from left to right).
Includes links to videos and applications that help visualize concepts not possible (as easily) with a printed textbook.
All pictures (Figures, Tables, etc.) are clear (Note: there are two versions of the book, a high and a low resolution, and both are very easy to see and are very clear without any visibility issues. Pictures used well in conjunction with everyday examples. Lots of worked examples, examples with just an answer, crossing out of units (showing each step in unit analysis. This makes for a very clear and easy way to follow this concept. Unit analysis is a very important concept, not just for chemistry, but any scientific analysis).
The book is written in plain, simple to understand English whenever possible. Sometimes some special terms are unavoidable, but this is fairly rare. Also see #2 accuracy and #10 (below).
More about the facts / compounds / science than people… but science is based on facts and has always been written in a neutral third-person- so really not an issue (more an issue if it were a humanities text). But pictures with people / people’s hands are all colors- so even more inclusive and relevant than chemistry books of the past. Also includes scientific contributions from men and women from many races and backgrounds (England, Russia, Germany, India, US, etc.; environmentalists, biochemists, mineralogists, brewers, farmers, etc.).
This book is an excellent one for its clarity, examples, video examples, worked problem examples, organization, and range of topics covered. It is doubly excellent in that it is free online, so it saves students money and because it is online, students are much more apt to read it (they have the internet constantly via their cell phones).
The text covers all of the basic concepts usually found in general chemistry textbooks, but also delves into advanced topics such as transition metals and coordination chemistry, organic chemistry, and nuclear chemistry. The inclusion of these... read more
The text covers all of the basic concepts usually found in general chemistry textbooks, but also delves into advanced topics such as transition metals and coordination chemistry, organic chemistry, and nuclear chemistry. The inclusion of these chapters allows the curious student to learn more about these topics in preparation for other courses, or for the instructor to touch upon advanced topics building upon fundamental concepts in general chemistry.
The book is accurate.
The contents are up to date, and the examples given in the text are relevant to real world applications that students may encounter.
The book is clearly written and makes difficult concepts clear.
The book is consistent in its use of terminology.
The modularity is excellent and allows the instructor to use this text as an Atoms First edition, if needed.
The organization and flow is consistent with many General Chemistry texts.
The interface is very nice, and the printed edition is also very good. The printed edition has "Link to Learning" sections that allow you to review specific topics.
The book's grammar is correct.
The text is not culturally offensive.
This textbook has a thorough coverage of general chemistry, and has good coverage of subject matter I rarely am able to touch on in a general chemistry course, such as coordination compounds and the chemistry of the representative elements. The... read more
This textbook has a thorough coverage of general chemistry, and has good coverage of subject matter I rarely am able to touch on in a general chemistry course, such as coordination compounds and the chemistry of the representative elements. The text has sufficient depth and breadth, and incorporates some historical references as well to assist in the explanation of concepts. The book is laid out in a logical pattern, and has a useful table of contents and index, as well as multiple appendices replete with useful information.
The information contained in the chapters I read thoroughly was accurate and gave excellent explanations of the topics. I did find a few errors here and there, typographical in a few figures, but you find typos in every textbook, every edition. The actual text of the book I read appeared to be without error. Quotations were accurately referenced (I checked the one by Lagrange). Most of the topics covered in general chemistry have had little change for years. There appeared to be no apparent bias in the information presented in the textbook. I found it to be informative and fact-based.
There are several instances of examples that have come from recent events around the world, as well as those that are traditionally included in chemistry textbooks. I would find it difficult to think the textbook would fall out of date, as the material in a general chemistry class would have little variation over time. The examples that are primarily “real-world” appear to be separate from the bulk of common textbook information, a design feature that lends itself to efficient updating for future information to be included, revised or revisited.
The language used in the textbook is appropriate and adequate for explanation of chemical concepts. In fact, at times it reads more like a lecture than a textbook, which I think helps the student with more detailed information than that of other textbooks. Having the learning objectives listed for each section assists the students in understanding what they will learn and should understand.
The textbook layout varies little from the textbook I currently use and could most likely be used by reordering the chapters in this text with little effort. There is a logical grouping of information, and there is a similar presentation throughout the textbook. I saw little variation in the explanation of material between this text and others.
As I mentioned above, the textbook could be used with little rearrangement in my current classes. The chapters, due to limited crossover in the text, are capable of being arranged in a different order than the current version. I like the fact that the book even provides an “atoms first” order, suggesting the alternate pathway through the material. I believe this text can be organized easily and effectively for the students based on the faculty member’s choices.
The organization of the textbook is similar to other general chemistry textbooks I’ve seen, so there isn’t anything surprising it the structure of the chapters or the flow of the text. I have rearranged lectures in the past based on the books I have used, so that I don’t have to introduce material in later chapters to explain the material in the current chapter. I believe this book would help alleviate this issue.
I used a bound copy to evaluate, but also looked at the textbook online. It appears nearly identical. The only difference is that in the print version, examples were numbered while those online were not. Figures have numbers in the hard-bound version while they are in-line with the text online. One benefit of the online version is that after each section, the end-of-chapter questions are right there. The only thing that was distracting is that the examples in the book seem to extend on to the next page, and tables stretch over two pages also. It would make more sense to start the table at the top of a page and have it all together.
I found no grammatical errors in the chapters I read thoroughly. It reads well, and is put together well.
I found it to be very relevant to the times technologically, and did not see anything that would be offensive or insensitive to any particular group. I appreciate the effort of putting scientist features in the text, and would suggest incorporating more of these features with a wider variety to benefit outreach for chemistry as a whole. Also, I had to flip through each chapter to find information on scientists, as there was no index for those features.
Looking over the textbook, and considering the very low cost for students, I am seriously considering using this textbook instead our current text. Before looking at the text, I had been a bit wary due to a colleague in a different discipline who struggled with open resources that were disjointed, and had terrible figures. After reviewing this book, I found the pictures to be clear, concise, and useful. Additionally, the text itself is well-written and organized in a logical fashion.
The book is quite comprehensive and covers all the material I want it to. read more
The book is quite comprehensive and covers all the material I want it to.
Content is accurate. Does still include d-orbitals in hybridization, which has lately fallen out of favor.
I think the book is relevant and should be easy to update if necessary.
The level seems appropriate for first-year college students.
The book uses a consistent vocabulary and terminology. It is easy to keep track of the new words being introduced.
The book seems fairly easy to break into smaller reading sections. However, compared to other chemistry texts, there are fewer subsections per chapter. This occasionally means the professor has to say "We won't cover the information on the bottom of page 105" rather than simply saying "We'll skip section 4.3."
The topics are fairly logical. Occasionally, it feels like the book makes a right-hand turn (for example, ionic equations are given very sudden and swift treatment) and starts covering a subject for which the background has not been fully established.
The interface is quite nice.
I have not found any grammatical errors.
I always wish chemistry texts would find a way to highlight non-white, non-male scientists, and this text is no different.
A side by side comparison of this text and two others currently on the market (Silberberg/Amateis and Atkins/Jones/Laverman) reveal a nearly identical coverage of overall content/subject matter. There are differences in sequencing at times but I... read more
A side by side comparison of this text and two others currently on the market (Silberberg/Amateis and Atkins/Jones/Laverman) reveal a nearly identical coverage of overall content/subject matter. There are differences in sequencing at times but I value Openstax's explicitly presented alternative sequencing scenario. The other two texts have significantly more detailed tables of contents, glossaries, and indexes. In my opinion, however, this detailed presentation of contents is over-rated in terms of effectiveness for the student's learning and while it distinguishes one text from another, if cost and access are the issues to be addressed here by the existence of open textbooks, then the Openstax Chemistry text does the job. Modern textbooks are, again, my opinion, regurgitations of each other. Nothing is missing from Openstax that is found in other texts.
I believe accuracy is the most difficult trait to "review" since I usually only find errors during the close reading done while I am teaching from a text (and from having students do close reading and problem solving from a particular text). That being said, I see no errors, glaring or otherwise in my page by page comparison of several definitions (Ksp, dissociation, Hess's Law, Dalton's atomic theory). Though the latter is broken down into 5 postulates compared to the traditional 4...but that's really just a result of style of presentation of that particular item. I find no accuracy issue to report here.
ALL of the tradition/conventional/necessary/foundational content is included here. There are certainly no too many necessarily updateable examples/figures/photos. Up to date is an interesting way to try to assess a basic chemistry text...fact of the matter is that the subject matter does not change!!!!!
Chemistry is, by nature, a "second language". But Openstax does no more or less jargon usage than is necessary and the clarity is absolutely consistent with the best products on the commercial textbook market. In addition, the absence of "margin notes" makes the open page of the Openstax text a calm proposition. I believe the STUDENT is well-served by the Openstax level of clarity.
Yes! In addition, it is consistent with the best products on the commercial textbook market!
I've no issues at all with the modularity. In fact, I prefer the look of the Openstax page. Modern textbooks are WAY too jam-packed with information per page and that makes them hard to read! There are plenty of sub-units to allow for instructor-initiated alternate reading scenarios. I comment on some modularity issues that are also flow issues below.
Indeed, the organization is nearly identical to best-selling products currently on the market. Organization/structure/flow is always a personal preference on the part of the instructor; with respect to this issue, I have no critical comments to offer for the Openstax text.
I did find a number of Tables (2.3, 2.4, 4.2, 10.4, 15.1, 18.2, as examples) and Examples (7.11, 10.6, 11.3, 11.4, 20.10 for example) that continued to the next page. Those are just representative cases...the book is FULL of this particular interface issue.
I don't believe Tables should EVER continue to a next page in a textbook (though that is certainly necessary for bound volumes of tables like the CRC!) and while it is not at all uncommon for Examples (example problems) to need to run to the next page, the examples I list here have only the title of the example problem on the bottom of the page and then the worked example in its entirety on the next page...I believe this to be particularly distracting. Tables in other texts with which I am familiar are far more densely packed and subsequently more difficult to read but at least they are all contained on a page. Honestly, though, I'm only going to knock one point off of my rating, below, because I don't think most students care about this especially now that they are moving to reading in digital format...really they care about how much that textbook costs.
One thing I really like about the Openstax text is the complete lack of "margin" information. Those margin notes have become way too distracting. In modern texts, the "margins" are full of dense material, not "notes". The pages of the Openstax text are calmer, more spaciously presented, less colorful...good stuff.
I see no glaring errors in the Openstax text with spelling, punctuation, super and sub-scripting, capitalization, etc. I find third person prose a tedious read, but that is convention and the Openstax text, sticks to it!
The Openstax text does a good job of minimizing persons in photos where their presence is of no consequence but if I'm being hypercritical (as a reviewer should!) I'm wondering why we have a large photo of Walter Kohn and a blurb but no photo of Dorothy Hodgkin? And there are a number of figures and photos that could be changed to include persons of color; the text is overwhelmingly Western and white. That's pretty traditional in the discipline and it needs to change.
Hands down worthwhile for the $$$. I would teach from this text without hesitation. Though at this time our department uses a common text, making individual instructor preference irrelevant. If there existed a non-majors basic chemistry text, I would not hesitate to class test it!
The text is quite comprehensive. Standard areas of general chemistry are covered very well, at level above that found in most currently used texts. The numerous and well chosen examples and exercises are well designed to help students master the... read more
The text is quite comprehensive. Standard areas of general chemistry are covered very well, at level above that found in most currently used texts. The numerous and well chosen examples and exercises are well designed to help students master the material
The text is accurate. I have found it free of errors and bias.
The main concepts of introductory chemistry such as atomic theory, the periodic table, equilibria etc. have been well established for many decades. Relevance is introduced through use of common everyday examples in the home, environment and industry. Well chosen illustrations and PhET animations help make this a modern text. Numerous modern examples, like new materials, devices and environmental aspects of chemistry are highly relevant today, but may be relatively easily updated with future scientific progress.
The text is clear, well organized and easy to read. Well designed and carefully chosen illustrations are a great help in understanding the concepts.
The treatment of is consistent, a single style/voice maintained through text. Terminology use is well explained.
The text is well designed for modularity. Every chapter has multiple well delineated sub-sections. Re-ordering chapters to emphasize a more atoms-first approach is easy.
The book is well organized, topics are introduced in a clear and logical fashion, with new material building on previous knowledge. Introductory and closing sections ensure a smooth flow of information.
Navigating the text is easy (I read the PDF version through a web browser). One feature that I disliked was splitting tables across pages.
The text is grammatically correct.
The 'Portrait of a Chemist' vignettes introduce the reader to the achievements of a diverse group of chemists.
This is an excellent text, comprehensive, clearly written, well organized. I especially liked the multiple examples of chemistry in everyday life. I am recommending this book for use in my department.
This book is an excellent as a choice for a one quarter or two quarter chemistry class. The subjects cover all the essential information. The glossary is complete. There were many subjects included that are not included in my current textbook that... read more
This book is an excellent as a choice for a one quarter or two quarter chemistry class. The subjects cover all the essential information. The glossary is complete. There were many subjects included that are not included in my current textbook that is used for Introductory Chemistry.
Book has been great so far. I (and my students) have not uncovered any mistakes.
Having an online presence can make updating the book a much simpler process. The content was very up to date. Examples given were timely and still relevant to today's student.
Text was easy to follow and clear for students. Not too overly wordy with nomenclature.
The text is consistent in terms of terminology. Words that are defined early on in the text are used again later.
I appreciate the shorter chapters. Smaller reading sections make it seems less daunting to students and easier to break up assignments.
I think the topics are presented in a logical, clear fashion. It makes sense to the introductory student, and as an instructor I don't have to skip chapters and then come back to them later.
Interface looks and works great. Navigating through the pdf and clicking on links embedded in the text is a great tool for expanding on ideas in the classroom.
None found (yet).
I found no examples that were insensitive or offensive in any way.
I am very happy with using the textbook in my class. I know my students are thrilled about the price.
I usually have the pdf open on my classroom's workstation. If I need to refer to a diagram I can click to it immediately and show it on the big screen. I can also click on links to further enforce ideas and show some great application and demonstration videos.
The text is very comprehensive and includes all of the content areas expected in a comprehensive general chemistry textbook for use in a two-semester general chemistry course. The text also includes an extensive set of appendices including a... read more
The text is very comprehensive and includes all of the content areas expected in a comprehensive general chemistry textbook for use in a two-semester general chemistry course. The text also includes an extensive set of appendices including a section on essential mathematics and the usual tabulated data (physical constants, thermodynamic data, standard potentials, etc). Extensive open-source art has been incorporated into the text along with all additional features that extend the text beyond just content and allow customization of the text for use in a variety of general chemistry courses.
Content is accurate and can easily compete with any other general chemistry textbook offered by the major publishing companies.
The general chemistry content is up-to-date and reflects some of the best practices in presenting core chemistry concepts to students including extensive use of graphic visualizations both in the content body as well as practice problems and worked examples. Applications used within the text are current and most will hold over time, however, some examples and side notes may become irrelevant with time such as the use of statistical figures. Updates to these applications, facts, and figures would be easy and straightforward and they do not impact to the core content of the text.
The text is written with a nice balance between introducing technical terminology and ideas while supporting learners who are just starting out in college-level chemistry. The book is certainly written to a college-level and some descriptions and explanations may be difficult to follow for learners with language difficulties or weaker science backgrounds. Nonetheless, the book is well-written and edited such that most statements and explanations are kept concise and to the point which should make the information more accessible to wider range of learners.
The text is very consistent with a clear framework for providing explanations, supporting examples, and practice problems.
The book has a similar modularity to most general chemistry textbooks which is limited without further customization. For students using the text as a reference source, the different content areas easily standalone assuming an appropriate prior knowledge background. As pointed out in the preface, the chapter content could be rearranged. However, as with most general chemistry textbooks - the topics in later chapters build upon some topics in earlier chapter. This is mostly a function of the nature of general chemistry itself coupled with the comprehensive structure of this textbook.
The book is organized in the typical structure of nearly all general chemistry textbooks. The advantage in the open-source structure is the ability to customize and adapt the sections and chapters for use in a variety of course designs. The book has been written in a traditional topic order but includes a description of a potential atoms-first sequence for faculty desiring that sequence. However, the preface warns that the reordered sequence may require careful consideration of textual consistency. Nonetheless, the adaptive and customized nature of the book allows adopters to make any necessary changes as they see fit for any desired alternate sequencing in the content.
The online interface is clean and professional looking. Navigation requires a small learning curve, but quick links allow you to readily jump from topic to topic. The system seemed to be fast, but occasional server lag was noticed upon linking from topic to topic as each page was loaded. In addition, due to the open-source nature, 'please donate' screens appear periodically and break the usability and flow of the textbook. These donation screens can be off-putting from a faculty side and certainly could be damaging to learners when trying to quickly find and use the information in the book.
The text is well-written and appears to have been heavily edited to omit and avoid grammatical issues.
The text makes good use of references to a wide variety of interesting applications and issues across a range of cultural aspects. The use of freely available open source images and links to web-based supplements hint at global sources of information. While the book is not culturally-offensive, the examples and applications are certainly US-centric. This US-centric view may limit the books attractiveness to the international audience.
Openstax Chemistry is an exceptional starting point for a free, open-source textbook. The content, examples, and supporting materials are on-par with most publisher textbooks. However, the customizable and adaptable nature of the Creative Commons licensing makes the book an ideal option for breaking away from the grip of publishing companies. This general chemistry textbook is a viable and excellent alternative for any faculty member who has struggled with textbook adoption and has spent far too many hours haggling with publishers and sales reps over student pricing, bundling of 'extras', and the inevitable 'how many students in your class' mentality. Whether you teach a class with 30 students or 300 students - this textbook provides a reliable and 100% customizable general chemistry for free. No haggling, no dealing with sales reps, and no 'new editions' every 2-3 years just for the sake of new editions.
This textbook covers all of the typical areas addressed in the (many) General Chemistry texts that are on the market. The layout is very similar to the one that we are currently using and the coverage in each subject area is equal to or better... read more
This textbook covers all of the typical areas addressed in the (many) General Chemistry texts that are on the market. The layout is very similar to the one that we are currently using and the coverage in each subject area is equal to or better than our current text. There is an effective and highly functional (using embedded links in the pdf file) table of contents and index. There are also cross-links within the text to all of the Tables and Figures as well as to external sources, including the excellent PHeT simulations maintained by the University of Colorado. Nearly every section and subsection includes an example problem that is keyed to the material. This allows for ready integration of the quantitative and qualitative levels of understanding that is critical to success in General Chemistry.
The book is accurate and almost entirely free of typographical errors (we would presume that there would be few errors of substance in a subject as well-developed as General Chemistry). Some of the "real world" examples touch on areas that can be considered politically controversial (like Global Climate Science) but these are well done and stick to unimpeachable facts, so their accuracy is a strength of the text. To my eye, these sections are pretty neutral and unbiased. The majority of the content is comprehensively and accurately presented and there is little controversy in the presentation of the science behind General Chemistry, most of which is decades, if not centuries old. I have not carefully checked the veracity of the answers to the problems at the end of each chapter (of which there are a very good number) but I am a pretty good copy editor and I only found three typographical errors in the six chapters that I carefully read. This book therefore has less errors in it than all of the commercially produced editions that I have used in the last twenty years.
As I mentioned in the point above, the vast majority of the content in a General Chemistry textbook hasn't changed in decades and isn't likely to change much in the foreseeable future. The "real-world" examples and artwork are the things that I can see will need updating. As they currently exist, they are very topical and well-chosen and all show high relevance to the sections that they were placed in. There are a few examples of reuse of artwork of examples, but these are actually useful in showing the students the "connected-ness" of the material and to reinforce the concept of building a topic from fundamentals upward. The beauty of the open-access format is that updating these "extra" sections of the text will be relatively painless and I could even imagine a user-forum where students or faculty could submit their own contributions to the list of connections and relevant examples. I also expect that the use of video (instead of stills) within the chapters will continue to become seamless, allowing much more accessible illustrations of the material. Obviously these types of things will never be easy to implement in a hardcopy text.
The text is easy to read and is careful to explain the first (and in some cases repeated) occurrence of necessary jargon, which a study of Chemistry is obliged to include. The sections are relatively short and avoid long explanations of the application of equations and other actionable concepts by including clear and relevant example problems. The explanation of the key concepts was as clear or clearer than that in the text we are currently using. The links to the external sources should significantly improve the students comprehension of the material, since it allows them to clearly visualize the material that is described in the text. All of the links that I followed connected cleanly and quickly to the targets, all of which were on-point to the material in that section.
Again, this is a bit of a given in General Chemistry texts, where there is broad agreement on the presentation of the content, including symbology, terminology, and algorithm. This book is both internally consistent in its treatment and externally consistent with the accepted approach (at least in the traditional sense, since the new atoms first approach represents a slightly different paradigm). I should note that each chapter also stands on its own allowing some freedom in choosing the order in which they are presented. At my institution, which is on quarters, we save Chapters 5, and 9 for the second term and then progress through to Chapter 13 in the rest of that quarter, and I see no problems in that order for the presentation in either of the first two terms.
The book is wonderfully modular with clearly encapsulated sub-sections, nearly all of which have example problems and related end of chapter homework. Almost every sub-section has an external link to help illustrate the material or a "real-world" example to improve the currency. We (faculty who teach General Chemistry) tend to follow the same rough order of presentation, as I noted above, but at my institution, we also use a POGIL workbook, which does not always align exactly with the order of topics in the text. I think it would be easy for faculty (or even students, who are not always used to using an index or table of contents) to identify the subsections (often referred to as modules in the text) that relate to a given POGIL assignment. None of the modules in any of the six chapters that I read carefully would require more than a half-hour of dedicated study time for the initial reading by an average student.
Again, this large scale organization of this book is similar to the large majority of General Chemistry textbooks on the market, so it is a bit of a given that this is the right way to do it. But as noted in the point above, the small scale organization of this text into small digestible modules, most of which incorporate relevant example problems and external links or examples is what makes it so readable. There are always difficult transitions and/or conceptual cul de sacs in the material in a General Chemistry class, but this text does a better job than many of easing those transitions and attempting to show how the material fits into the bigger picture.
I must confess that I only used the pdf version of the text (there is also an online reading tool and a hardcopy that can be printed and mailed to the student) but I did try it out on a computer, ipad mini, and older Blackberry device and it was quite usable on all three. The operating system on the Blackberry was old and out of date, so that was the only device where the links in the text didn't work properly. On both the ipad and my desktop and laptop, the links worked quickly and were never broken. The illustrations (tables and figures) were clear and faithfully displayed on all of the devices as is typical of the modern generation of adobe pdf files/readers. One real advantage of this reading mode is the access to the page thumbnails or bookmarks and the "last view" button that allow a reader to hop back and forth between the beginning and end of the book, chapter, etc. The one oddity that I did note is that some Example problems and other content would split between pages in the pdf, which most people would avoid during compile-time by inserting new pages. This was minimally distracting, but presumably easy to fix(?)
As noted above, I am a pretty decent copy editor and I detected few typos and no clear grammatical errors (being somewhat generous in attributing the source, I'll allow) in the text. In general the authors adopted a clear, concise style and tried to keep sentences short and simple.
It is difficult to make a dry subject like chemistry culturally inclusive (or even exclusive) but the authors did select both male and female scientists to highlight, which is appreciated. Some of the slightly politically touchy areas like the real-world connections to climate change science will probably cause some readers discomfort, but they are scientifically correct and uncontroversial in their limited conclusions. We aim to teach students the scientific method, so they should begin to grapple with areas where demonstrable facts are in contradictions to their previously held beliefs.
I was very pleasantly surprised in reading this book. It is a very high quality General Chemistry textbook and I think we will take a serious look at adopting it.
Within the confines of the two-semester, general chemistry sequence, the text is comprehensive. Index is a mess. Glossary of key terms at the end of every chapter is good. read more
Within the confines of the two-semester, general chemistry sequence, the text is comprehensive. Index is a mess. Glossary of key terms at the end of every chapter is good.
The content is accurate and almost error-free.
The basic science doesn't change all that much. Modern texts try to make the subject relevant to the everyday experiences of students. Periodic updates will be needed.
All chemistry texts are written in a rather impersonal style. This text is just fine with regard to voice and word choice.
Excellent. The "editors" have been vigilant and done a good job.
The book is very fine grained in terms of modularity.
Topics are presented in a clear, logical fashion.
Interface is no problem. In the pdf verison, worked example boxes are sometimes split between two pages. Just a little harder to work with than wehn all on one page.
The text is well over 1000 pages. I am not convinced that it is free from grammar errors, but there are so few that they are not a distraction.
Not so good here. The writers are aware of some gender problems, but a broader interpretation of diversity is lacking.
I teach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I have held a full professor’s position since 1989. Prior to that I was, for 13 years, a faculty member at Loughborough University in the UK. Umass Amherst offers a two-semester, general chemistry sequence for non-chemistry STEM majors, and a two-semester general chemistry sequence for chemistry majors. Students in STEM majors, who are also members of the Honors College, also take these courses. I have taught only the first semester of the non-chemistry general chemistry course, which I have done on 10 occasions (summer 95, 96, 2015; fall 2001-4, 2010, 2014 and 2015). Until the fall of 2014, we have used various editions of “Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity” by Petrucci and Harwood, and “General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications,” by Kotz and Treichel. From 2014 onwards, we have been using “General Chemistry OWL” by Vining, Young, Day and Botch. Full disclosure: Bill Vining used to work at Umass Amherst, but is now at SUNY Oneonta; Roberta Day and Beatrice Botch are retired Umass Amherst faculty. Our decision to adopt was taken by the instructors of both the first and second semesters courses.
This OpenStax College text is comparable is all respects to the other texts with which I am familiar. The order of the chapters is exactly in line with current thinking (the alternate “atoms first” approach is also described), the depth of coverage is the same (the book is 1393 pages long when viewed as a pdf file), and the ancillary material is, if anything, broader in scope (there are links to simulations and videos, boxes featuring famous chemists—both living and dead, and boxes showing connections to (a) everyday life and (b) other sciences).
The book is visually appealing with plenty of photographs, colorful line drawings, worked examples on a blue background, and plenty of white space. The authors use the full width of the page and so there are no wide margins in which material might be placed in parallel with the text; everything is presented serially. The text is inelegant in places, particularly in the writing of chemical equations: fractions (such as ½) are given with full size numerals and there are no spaces between stoichiometric coefficients and the associated formula.
Although some 16 individuals have contributed to the text (including three senior authors), there is excellent consistency between the chapters. This has been helped, no doubt, by the input of some 54 reviewers (two of whom are my colleagues at UMass Amherst). There are also very few typos or word processing errors (the substitution of “special” for “spatial” by well-meaning spellcheck software, will I fear, cause some confusion; others, such as the missing final “l” of “final” are less problematical). The authors have decided to distinguish between “weight” and “mass,” and there are almost no instances where a writer has not done so correctly. They have also decided to use the IUPAC numbering of the groups in the periodic table.
The writers have, I think, tried to be sensitive to gendered stereotypes and several examples of the activities of scientists refer to “she.” Of the 12 “Portrait of a Chemist” entries, 4 feature women, and for the two living ones, there are pictures. Of the male chemists featured, only two do not have pictures. Why not take this one step further and include some racial diversity in the picture? The text needs a close read (and some editing) from a diversity viewpoint. It is clear, for example, that the writers of the very first sentences in the book think that all chemistry students own fancy electronic alarm clocks, cells phones, and a car (in which they drive to campus to attend their chemistry classes).
The first chapter, the hardest in many ways to compose, is perhaps not as good as those is some other texts. The authors do not indicate whether prior knowledge of chemistry is assumed and start as though the reader knows little or nothing, but the chapter soon strays into territory where prior knowledge is definitely needed. One of the problems at the end of the chapter requires a knowledge of “amu.”
Each chapter starts with a statement of the learning goals and concludes with a list of key terms, key equations, a summary of each section, and a large number of exercises and problems (nearly 100, for example, at the end of Chapter 1). In the pdf version, there are answers to the odd-numbered problems; in the web version there is a link to “show solution” for some of the problems, but for those that I followed, only the answers were given. The OpenStax website indicates that an instructor’s solution manual is available (as well as PowerPoint material). I have not looked at either of these. The web version of the text features an “ask us” tab that tracks the reader. When I clicked on this, I was presented with a dialogue box asking for my question, some details, and my name and email address. On providing these, I received an email message to the effect that I would get a response within one business day (as I submitted my request on a Saturday morning and am writing this on Sunday morning, I am still waiting).
I am not competent to provide detailed commentary on the treatment of the “second-semester” topics (chapters 10 – 21), and so I have confined my examination of text to the treatment of the first-semester material, which is covered in Chapters 1 through 9. The balance between the coverage of the two semesters is appropriate: the first-semester material occupies 532 pages, leaving 715 pages for the second-semester material. There are 13 appendices (61 pages), answers to the odd-numbered problems (77 pages) and index (8 pages). The index must have been machine generated and is badly in need of attention: initial capitalization produces a separate entry (for example Alkane and alkane), as does the addition of “s” to make the plural (as in alkene and alkenes), as does the insertion of a hyphen (such as base-ionization constant and base ionization constant). But what’s the point? A pdf text can be searched electronically with the “find” feature, ditto the web version of the book.
The results of my, admittedly small, sampling of the “interactives that engage” simulations and videos, of which there are 50 for the first 9 chapters (out of 97 in total), were mixed. A simulation of experiments related to density was excellent, but a video about “plasma” was not. This latter was embedded in a website where in inadvertent click of the mouse presented me with many images of scantily clad, grossly overweight, former celebrities from which I could escape only with some difficulty. I applaud the inclusion of plasma as the fourth state of matter and was delighted to see that it was mentioned as a component of “specialized analytical instruments used to detect trace amounts of metals.” However, as is always the case with general chemistry texts, the widespread application of atomic emission (and absorption) spectroscopy in chemical analysis was not mentioned at all in the later relevant chapter. Now that I have shown my analytical chemistry hand, I can report that this text is not really any better than others in the treatment of analytical topics. The topics of precision and accuracy are dealt with competently when first introduced (though an archery target with what looks like bullet holes may baffle some students), but the terms are not deftly handled at some later points of the text. There is also lax use of the terms “analysis” and “determination.”
However, more important topics at the early stages of student’s introduction to chemistry, such as the mole concept, are handled entirely satisfactorily. I have no negative critical comments to make about such topics; the book does an excellent job once we are passed the rather clunky first chapter.
There are 42 “Chemistry in Everyday Life” features that supposedly tie chemistry concepts to everyday issues and real-world application
The book provides a fairly complete overview of what your would expect to see in a general chemistry textbook. This text provides additional information not directly related to the chemistry content (e.g. portrait of a chemist) that may be... read more
The book provides a fairly complete overview of what your would expect to see in a general chemistry textbook. This text provides additional information not directly related to the chemistry content (e.g. portrait of a chemist) that may be interesting or important to some users, both through text boxes in the book and numerous links to material on the web, taking good advantage of the ebook format. The book contains a thorough, linked index and a glossary at the end of each chapter. There are a significant number of questions at the end of each chapter and some effort has been made to include conceptual questions and questions integrating multiple topics.
Overall, the book seems to have been carefully prepared and reviewed. I didn't see any major issues with accuracy.
The book does a good job of choosing interesting applications of general chemistry (e.g. respiration and low pressure weather systems when talking about the behavior of gases) that won't become less relevant with time. My only concern would be that the numerous links to external resources may become dead if the content is deleted or moved but this would seem to be a straightforward update.
The text is clearly written and easy to understand. There are an adequate number of examples for which the important steps are clearly explained. I was particularly impressed with the large number of generally useful figures included in the text which is often a significant shortcoming of open resources.
There didn't seem to be any significant issues. Terminology is maintained throughout and the approach to solving problems relies on a regular, consistent approach.
There aren't enormous blocks of uninterrupted text but I wish that the book were divided into more sections that can be navigated using the table of contents. The thermochemistry chapter, for example, is presented in only three sections. The fact that the authors do a good job of breaking these sections with subheadings partially mitigates this problem. It's not possible (or desirable), to avoid referring back to previous material in later chapters, but it doesn't appear that it would be a large problem to cover material out of order to suit the needs of a particular class.
The textbook adopts a "chemistry first" approach, though the authors provide an alternative framework in the introduction for an "atoms first" or "molecules first" approach, with a minor caveat about modularity. Within the framework that the authors have chosen, the book is sensibly structured and organized. The chapter and section organization seem to have been carefully considered.
For the most part, graphics and figures look fine, even in the lower quality version of the PDF. There are some minor issues with the formatting, such as the heading for a textbox falling on one page, and then the vast majority of the text ending up on the next page. I think some of the end of chapter questions could have profited from a little more blank space in between problems to make it easier to locate specific questions. The fact that the index and the table of contents are both linked make navigation convenient and easy.
I didn't see any significant problems with the spelling or grammar.
In the "Portrait of a Chemist" sections the authors have made an effort to include a fairly diverse group of chemists.
I was impressed with the book overall. The authors have clearly put forth a substantial effort to construct a resource that can be an adequate substitute for an expensive hard copy textbook. As mentioned above, I was particularly impressed with the large number and good quality of the figures which are often not available in open texts. Between the ancillary materials that the authors have provided and the numerous links to other resources on the web, I think the authors have been mindful of some of the biggest obstacles to adopting open resources and have made a good effort to address them.
The textbook covers all areas one would expect in a general chemistry textbook. I really liked how in many of the sections there were great particle level examples as well as links to Phet animations and tutorials to help solidify concepts. I... read more
The textbook covers all areas one would expect in a general chemistry textbook. I really liked how in many of the sections there were great particle level examples as well as links to Phet animations and tutorials to help solidify concepts. I also liked how many of the concepts were simply stated. The style of writing was very clear. The amount of detail in many cases would be perfect for my community college general chemistry course. I know writers of many textbooks feel as if they need to include more difficult concepts or added detail to add to the rigor of the text. As I am not looking for pages and pages of thermodynamic equations and derivations for a 1st year general chemistry course, I did not miss them. I am not sure if this text would be appropriate for an honors level general chemistry course. It did, however, provide a nice in-depth discussion of molecular orbital theory with a blurb on LEDs as well.
For the majority of the text, the succinctness without excess verbiage was a plus. The risk is, of course, that an instructor may find certain sections under explained. For example, I thought some of the detail and examples were a little sparse in the Collision Theory discussion in the kinetics section which would benefit from more particle level images and animations as found in the other chapters. It would be something easily supplemented by the teacher.
As it is a general chemistry textbook without much interpretation of feelings and events as found in liberal arts classes, the text came across as unbiased. While reading through the text, I did not find any errors. I feel for most texts these tend to pop up in the worked problems and solutions which I did not fully explore.
I really like how each chapter made a significant effort to contextualize the chemistry content and relate it back to student's everyday lives. As it is included in the introduction section of each chapter I imagine it would be very easy to update over time. If I had any complaint here it would be that I would like to see even more contextualization throughout.
As I mentioned previously in the comprehensiveness section of the review, I thought the book was very clearly and simply written. Perfect in my mind for the 1st year undergraduate science student or honors chemistry high school student.
The writing tone is consistent throughout. The lead editor did a good job putting their voice to the content. The only inconsistent aspect in my mind is that some sections were great relating the particle level view to chemistry concepts while others seemed a little underdeveloped.
At PCC we don't just run through the topics of a text in order as we use a guided inquiry workbook created by Moog to lead our discussions. We then assign various sections of the text to provide reinforcement of a topic. After reading through this text I felt it would be very easy to assign individual sections. They all appeared to be very 'stand-alone' in nature.
The topics were presented in an "atoms first" type framework which is fairly common among general chemistry textbooks.
I found the text very easy to use on my PC. It was a minor annoyance that the loading of a number of images had a bit of lag time which was a little distracting. I wonder if the size of the images could be reduced without loss of educational value? I also tried to read the on-line version from my iPhone. It also had the same issue of slow loading time for the images. I tried the molecular shape Phet simulation on my iPhone as well and it loaded but did not work properly versus on the PC where it worked fine. For some reason I could not get the Polarity interactive tutorial to work on my PC but will reboot and try again.
Well edited and written.
Chemistry is a notoriously difficult topic to try and tie into other cultures as much of the recent advancements took place in Europe or the US. I don't feel it is impossible however. I think it would great to include more historical references to different cultures such as gunpowder in china for the stoichiometry chapter as well as the historical advances made in the middle east. There is also room to discuss the advancement of women in chemistry. Marie Curie was briefly mentioned for her notable two Nobel prizes in the section on nuclear decay but again I think an emphasis on diversity could be taken up a couple notches. Do note that this book is average in respects for the general textbook industry meaning most texts approach cultural awareness in a similar fashion, thus the average rating. It is not deficient in any way compared to standard textbooks. I would like them all to improve as a whole.
I would like to convince my department to adopt it. We don't "teach from the text" but rather use the textbook as a resource to supplement our guided inquiry activities in class. This would work fine. I also like how it offers a number of resources for the instructor in terms of powerpoints, testbanks, as well as different options for affordable on-line homework systems. It is an improvement over ChemWiki in my opinion due to the contextualization (which could be expanded) and the particle level images and embedded animations and tutorials.
Table of Contents
- 1. Essential Ideas
- 2. Atoms, Molecules, and Ions
- 3. Compositions of Substances and Solutions
- 4. Stoichiometry of Chemical Reactions
- 5. Thermochemistry
- 6. Electronic Structure and Periodic Properties of Elements
- 7. Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry
- 8. Advanced Theories of Covalent Bonding
- 9. Gases
- 10. Liquids and Solids
- 11. Solutions and Colloids
- 12. Kinetics
- 13. Fundamental Equilibrium Concepts
- 14. Acid-Base Equilibria
- 15. Equilibria of Other Reaction Classes
- 16. Thermodynamics
- 17. Electrochemistry
- 18. Representative Metals, Metalloids, and Nonmetals
- 19. Transition Metals and Coordination Chemistry
- 20. Organic Chemistry
- 21. Nuclear Chemistry
- The Periodic Table of Elements
- Essential Mathematics
- Unit and Conversion Factors
- Fundamental Physical Constants
- Water Properties
- Composition of Commercial Acids and Bases
- Standard Enthalpies of Formation, Standard Free Energies of Formation, and Absolute Standard Entropies
- Ionization Constants of Weak Acids
- Ionization Constants of Weak Bases
- Solubility Products
- Formation Constants for Complex Ions
- Standard Electrode (Half-Cell) Potentials
- Half-Lives for Several Radioactive Isotopes
- 22. Answer Key
Ancillary Material
About the Book
Chemistry 2e is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the two-semester general chemistry course. The textbook provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of chemistry and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. The book also includes a number of innovative features, including interactive exercises and real-world applications, designed to enhance student learning. The second edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Substantial improvements have been made in the figures, illustrations, and example exercises that support the text narrative.
About the Contributors
Authors
Senior Contributing Authors
Paul Flowers, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Klaus Theopold, University of Delaware
Richard Langley, Stephen F. Austin State University