General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 7th Edition

Book Preface

The positive responses of instructors and students who used the previous six editions of this text have been gratifying—and have led to the new seventh edition that you hold in your hands. This new edition represents a renewed commitment to the goals I initially set when writing the first edition. These goals have not changed with the passage of time. My initial and still ongoing goals are to write a text in which:
– The needs are simultaneously met for the many students in the fields 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.
– 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 fields of organic chemistry and biochemistry.

New Features Added to the Seventh Edition

Two new features are present in this seventh edition of the text. They are: (1) Section Quick Quizzes, and (2) Section Learning Focus Statements.

Section Quick Quizzes: Each section in each chapter of the text now ends with a “Section Quick Quiz.” Depending on the section length and the number of concepts covered, the quick quiz consists of two to six multiple choice questions which highlight the key terms and concepts covered in the section that a student should be aware of after the initial reading of the text section. Answers to the quick quiz questions are given immediately following the set of questions.

The word “quick” in the phrase “quick quiz” is significant. The questions are designed to generate immediate answers. In most cases a time of no more than a minute is sufficient to complete the quiz.

Two important purposes for this new quick quiz feature are: (1) to serve as a guide to the most important terms and concepts found in the section under study, and (2) to serve as an important review system for a student when he or she is studying for an upcoming class exam on the subject matter under study.
Learning Focus Statements: Learning focus statements are now found at the beginning of each section in each chapter of the text. These statements provide the student with insights into the focus of the section in terms of topics covered and the needed learning outcomes associated with these topics.

Important Continuing Features in the Seventh Edition
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 confirm that this approach ensures an efficient but thorough coverage of the principles needed to understand biochemistry.

Art Program See the story of general, organic, and biological chemistry come alive on each page! In addition to the narrative, the art and photography program helps tell a very important story—the story of ourselves and the world around us. Chemistry is everywhere! An integrated talking label system in the art and photography program gives key figures 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. The following example is representative of the art program.

Chemistry at a Glance Visual summaries called Chemistry at a Glance pull together material from several sections of a chapter to help students see the larger picture.
Representative of such features are those entitled
– Relationships involving the Mole Concept (Section 6-7)
– Factors that increase Chemical Reaction Rates (Section 9-6)
– Properties of Alkanes and Cycloalkanes (Section 12-17)
Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).

Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.

– Types of Glycosidic Linkages for Disaccharides and Polysaccharides
(Section 18-17)
– Types of Lipids in Terms of How They Function (Section 19-14)
– Summary of the Reactions of the Citric Acid Cycle (Section 23-7)

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 revised.

New and revised Chemistry at a Glance topics include:
– Types of Unsaturated Hydrocarbon (Section 13-16)
– Summary of Chemical Reactions Involving Alcohols (Section 14-9)
– Summary of Chemical Reactions Involving Carboxylic Acids (Section 16-7)
– Constitution Isomers and Stereoisomers (Section 18-6)
– Interrelationships Among Carbohydrate, Lipid, and Protein Metabolism (Section 26-8)
Chemical Connections In every chapter Chemical Connection boxes emphasize the relevancy of chemical topics under consideration. They focus on issues relevant to a student’s own life in terms of health issues, societal issues, and environmental issues. Representative of issues selected for Chemical Connection coverage are the following:
– Fresh Water, Seawater, Hard Water, and Soft Water (Section 4-8)
– The Chemical Sense of Smell (Section 5-8)
– Stratospheric Ozone: An Equilibrium Situation (Section 9-8)
– Red Wine and Resveratrol (Section 14-14)
– The Fatty Content of Tree Nuts and Peanuts (Section 19-4)
New topics selected for Chemical Connection emphasis in this edition are:
– Electrons in Excited States (Section 3-7)
– Edible Fiber and Health (Section 18-17)
– The Circadian Clock: Clock Genes (Section 22-9)
– EPO: Red Blood Cells, Mutations, and Athletic Performance (Section 22-13)
– Adenosine Phosphates and Muscle Relaxation/Contraction (Section 23-3)
– Phytochemicals: Compounds with Color and Antioxidant Properties (Section 23-11) Updated Chemical Connection boxes include
– Elemental Composition of the Human Body (Section 1-7)
– Combustion Reactions: Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming (Section 9-1)
– Human Body Temperature and Chemical Reaction Rates (Section 9-6)
– Electrolytes and Body Fluids (Section 10-15)
– Caffeine: A Widely Used Central Nervous System Stimulant (Section 17-9)
– Lactose Intolerance or Lactase Persistence (Section 18-13)
– Trans Fatty Acid Content of Foods (Section 19-6)
– Enzymes, Prescription Medications and the “Grapefruit Effect” (Section 21-11)
Commitment to Student Learning In addition to the study help Chemistry at a
Glance offers, the text is built on a strong foundation of learning aids designed to help students master the course material.
– Problem-solving pedagogy. Because problem solving is often difficult for students in this course to master, I have taken special care to provide support to help students build their skills. Within the chapters, worked-out Examples follow the explanation of many concepts. These examples walk students through the thought processes involved in problem solving, carefully outlining all of the steps involved.