General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 6th Edition

Book Preface

The positive responses of instructors and students who used the previous fi ve  editions of this text have been gratifying—and have led to the new sixth edition that you hold in your hands. This new edition represents a renewed commitment to the goals I initially set when writing the fi rst edition. These goals have not changed with the passage of time. My initial and still ongoing goals are to write a text in which:

â–  The needs are simultaneously met for the many students in the fi elds of nursing, allied health, biological sciences, agricultural sciences, food sciences, and public health who are required to take such a course.
■ The development of chemical topics always starts out at ground level. The students who will use this text often have little or no background in chemistry and hence approach the course with a good deal of trepidation. This “ground level” approach addresses this situation.
â–  The amount and level of mathematics is purposefully restricted. Clearly, some chemical principles cannot be divorced entirely from mathematics and, when this is the case, appropriate mathematical coverage is included.
■ The early chapters focus on fundamental chemical principles, and the later chapters—built on these principles—develop the concepts and applications central to the fi elds of organic chemistry and biochemistry.

Focus on Biochemistry Most students taking this course have a greater interest in the biochemistry portion of the course than the preceding two parts. But biochemistry, of course, cannot be understood without a knowledge of the fundamentals of organic chemistry, and understanding organic chemistry in turn depends on knowing the key concepts of general chemistry. Thus, in writing this text, I essentially started from the back and worked forward. I began by determining what topics would be considered in the biochemistry chapters and then tailored the organic and then general sections to support that presentation. Users of the previous editions confi rm that this approach ensures an effi cient but thorough coverage of the principles needed to understand biochemistry.

Exciting New Art Program See the story of general, organic, and biological chemistry come alive on each page! In addition to the narrative, the new art and photography program helps tell a very important story—the story of ourselves and the world around us. Chemistry is everywhere! A new integrated talking label system in the art and photography program gives key fi gures a “voice” and helps students learn more effectively.

Emphasis on Visual Support I believe strongly in visual reinforcement of key concepts in a textbook; thus this book uses art and photos wherever possible to teach key concepts. Artwork is used to make connections and highlight what is important for the student to know. Reaction equations use color to emphasize the portions of a molecule that undergo change. Colors are likewise assigned to things like valence shells and classes of compounds to help students follow trends. Computer-generated, three-dimensional molecular models accompany many discussions in the organic and biochemistry sections of the text. Color photographs show applications of chemistry to help make concepts real and more readily remembered.

Visual summary features, called Chemistry at a Glance, pull together material from several sections of a chapter to help students see the larger picture. For example, Chapter 3 features a Chemistry at a Glance on the shell–subshell–orbital interrelationships; Chapter 10 presents buffer solutions; Chapter 13 includes IUPAC nomenclature for alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes; and Chapter 22 summarizes DNA replication. The Chemistry at a Glance feature serves both as an overview for the student reading the material for the fi rst time and as a review tool for the student preparing for exams. Given the popularity of the Chemistry at a Glance summaries in the previous editions, several new ones have been added and several existing ones have been updated or expanded. New topics selected for Chemistry at a Glance boxes include:

â–  Kinetic molecular theory and the states of matter
â–  Factors that increase chemical reaction rates
■ Le Châtelier’s principle and altered equilibrium conditions
â–  Metabolic reactions that involve nitrogen-containing compounds