Fundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry (6th Edition)

Book Preface

This textbook is primarily designed to provide students in the allied health sciences with an appropriate background in chemistry and biochemistry. But it also provides a general context for many of the chemical concepts so that students in other disciplines will gain a better appreciation of the importance of chemistry in everyday life. The coverage in this sixth edition includes sufficient breadth and depth to ensure adequate context and to provide students with opportunities to expand their knowledge.

To teach chemistry all the way from What is an atom? to How do we get energy from glucose? is a challenge. Throughout our general chemistry and organic chemistry coverage, the focus is on concepts fundamental to the chemistry of living things and everyday life. In our biochemistry coverage we strive to meet the further challenge of providing a context for the application of those concepts in biological systems. Our goal is to provide enough detail for thorough understanding while avoiding so much detail that students are overwhelmed. Many practical and relevant examples are included to illustrate the concepts and enhance student learning.

The material covered is ample for a two-term introduction to general, organic, and biological chemistry. While the general and early organic chapters contain concepts that are fundamental to understanding the material in biochemistry, the later chapters can be covered individually and in an order that can be adjusted to meet the needs of the students and the duration of the course.

The writing style is clear and concise and punctuated with practical and familiar examples from students personal experience. Art work, diagrams, and molecular models are used extensively to provide graphical illustration of concepts to enhance student understanding. Since the true test of knowledge is the ability to apply that knowledge appropriately, we include numerous worked examples that incorporate consistent problem-solving strategies.

Regardless of their career paths, all students will be citizens in an increasingly technological society. When they recognize the principles of chemistry at work not just in their careers but in their daily lives, they are prepared to make informed decisions on scientific issues based on a firm understanding of the underlying concepts.

Organization

GENERAL CHEMISTRY: CHAPTERS 1 11 The introduction to elements, atoms, the periodic table, and the quantitative nature of chemistry (Chapters 1 3) is followed by chapters that individually highlight the nature of ionic and molecular compounds (Chapters 4 and 5). The next two chapters discuss chemical reactions and their stoichiometry, energies, rates, and equilibria (Chapters 6 and 7). Topics relevant to the chemistry of life follow: Gases, Liquids, and Solids (Chapter 8); Solutions (Chapter 9); and Acids and Bases (Chapter 10). Nuclear Chemistry (Chapter 11) closes the general chemistry sequence.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY: CHAPTERS 12 17 These chapters concisely focus on what students must know in order to understand biochemistry. The introduction to hydrocarbons (Chapters 12 and 13) includes the basics of nomenclature, which is thereafter kept to a minimum. Discussion of functional groups with single bonds to oxygen, sulfur, or a halogen (Chapter 14) is followed by a short chapter on amines, which are so important to the chemistry of living things and drugs (Chapter 15). After introducing aldehydes and ketones (Chapter 16), the chemistry of carboxylic acids and their derivatives (including amides) is covered (Chapter 17), with a focus on similarities among the derivatives.

BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY: CHAPTERS 18 29 Rather than proceed through the complexities of protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and nucleic acid structure before getting to the roles of these compounds in the body, structure and function are integrated in this text. Protein structure (Chapter 18) is followed by enzyme and coenzyme chemistry (Chapter 19). After that we cover the function of hormones and neurotransmitters, and the action of drugs (Chapter 20). With enzymes introduced, the central pathways and themes of biochemical energy production can be described (Chapter 21). If the time you have available to cover biochemistry is limited, stop with Chapter 21 and your students will have an excellent preparation in the essentials of metabolism. The following chapters cover carbohydrate chemistry (Chapters 22 and 23), then lipid chemistry (Chapters 24 and 25). Next we discuss nucleic acids and protein synthesis (Chapter 26) and genomics (Chapter 27). The last two chapters cover protein and amino acid metabolism (Chapter 28) and provide an overview of the chemistry of body fluids (Chapter 29).