Chemistry: Concepts and Problems, A Self-Teaching Guide, 3rd Edition 3rd Edition

I bought this book for my 8th grade daughter to introduce her to basic chemistry concepts and read this book entirely with her last year. This book is very well written, and lots of self-explanatory examples have been provided under each section. Self-tests, which are given at the end of each chapter, are also very useful to test the reader's understanding. The only drawback I found is that there are a couple of printing mistakes here and there, which I corrected while reading. Hopefully the author will correct these little errors in upcoming editions. Also, the organic chemistry portion is very short, and I expected more details there. Apart from that, this is a complete introductory chemistry book and, in my opinion, if someone read it apart from their middle school curriculum, they will definitely be benefited when they start their chemistry course in high school.

A must have

Practical, but Dense at TimesThis chemistry self-teaching guide is well-organized and covers a wide range of topics, from atomic structure and bonding to thermodynamics and electrochemistry. I liked that it’s structured in a progressive way—concepts build on one another, and the included quizzes at the end of each section really help reinforce the material. The explanations are generally clear, and the math is handled step by step, which makes it approachable if you’ve been out of school for a while.That said, some sections still feel a bit dense, and I found myself having to reread certain passages to fully grasp the concepts. The pacing can be uneven—some chapters are broken down simply, while others seem to jump quickly into heavy detail. If you’re looking for a light introduction, this isn’t it. You need to be willing to sit with the material and work through the exercises carefully.Bottom line: A solid, comprehensive self-teaching guide that rewards persistence, but expect to slow down and re-read parts if chemistry isn’t second nature to you.

It’s by no means perfect. There are a few mistakes (I read it cover to cover preparing for the PRAXIS) but it’s a great resource. The most important part is that it breaks things down very well. I found it very helpful. It’ll live on my shelf forever.

This book was amazing for chemistry! I went from not knowing chemistry to at least making a B on a test.

This book is for the confident learner. I was surprised by the poor quality of editing, which in my experience is unusual for a Wiley imprint. The many editing errors seriously detracted from my overall chemistry learning experience. For example, in the first self-test, questions #4 and #5, are as follows: 4) How many electrons, protons, and neutrons does a neutral Mg atom have?; and 5) What is the electron configuration of the element in question 4? The answer key gives the following incorrect answers: 4) 6,6,6; and 5) 1s2 2s2 2p2. I'm no expert in chemistry (which is why I bought this book) but I'm pretty sure that the answers are for Carbon and not Magnesium. Such errors in the textbook can cause a learner to lose confidence in their abilities to understand chemistry.

Delivered Text in good working condition. Concept was well explained.

I haven’t taken Chemistry since I was 12 in another country. I hated it. I’m 43 and wanted to study it independently from home during Covid. I bought a college chemistry book and this one. Whenever something doesn’t make sense or is too complicated in the college Chem book, I go to this book for a slow explanation. It works. Just what I was hoping for