Principles of General, Organic, & Biological Chemistry

Book Preface

Students who are planning a career within the allied health fi eld are required to gain exposure to the many ways in which chemistry is intrinsic to and infl uences life. This textbook is written for students who have an interest in nursing, nutrition, environmental science, food science, and a wide variety of other health-related professions. The content of this book is designed for an introductory chemistry course with no chemistry prerequisite, and is suitable for either a one- or two-semester course. This text relates the principal concepts of general, organic, and biological chemistry to the world around us, and in this way illustrates how chemistry explains many aspects of daily life.

The learning style of today’s students relies heavily on visual imagery. In this text, new concepts are introduced one at a time, keeping the basic themes in focus, and breaking down complex problems into manageable chunks of information. Relevant, interesting applications are provided for all basic chemical concepts. Diagrams and figures are annotated to help teach concepts and reinforce the major themes of chemistry, while molecular art illustrates and explains common everyday phenomena. Students learn step-by-step problem solving throughout the chapter within sample problems and How To boxes. Students are given enough detail to understand basic concepts, such as how oral contraceptives prevent pregnancy and how a catalytic converter removes pollutants from automobile exhaust.

Teaching chemistry for over 20 years at both a private liberal arts college and a large state university has given me a unique perspective with which to write this text. I have found that students arrive with vastly different levels of preparation and widely different expectations for their college experience. As an instructor and now an author I have tried to channel my love and knowledge of chemistry into a form that allows this spectrum of students to understand chemical science more clearly, and then see everyday phenomena in a new light. My interactions with thousands of students in my long teaching career have profoundly affected the way I teach and write about chemistry. My hope is that this text and its Learning System will help students better understand and appreciate the world of chemistry. Please feel free to email me with any comments or questions at [email protected].

The Construction of a Learning System

Writing a textbook and its supporting learning tools is a multifaceted endeavor. McGraw-Hill’s 360° Development Process is an ongoing, market-oriented approach to building accurate and innovative Learning Systems. It is dedicated to continual large scale and incremental improvement, driven by multiple customer feedback loops and checkpoints. This is initiated during the early planning stages of new products and intensifi es during the development and production stages, and then begins again upon publication, in anticipation of the next version of each print and digital product. This process is designed to provide a broad, comprehensive spectrum of feedback for refi nement and innovation of learning tools for both student and instructor. The 360° Development Process includes market research, content reviews, faculty and student focus groups, course- and product-specifi c symposia, accuracy checks, and art reviews, all guided by carefully selected Content Advisors.