Chemistry For Dummies [Paperback]

John T. Moore (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764554301 | ISBN-13: 978-0764554308 | Publication Date: November 2002 | Edition: 1

We’re all natural born chemists. Every time we cook, clean, take a shower, drive a car, use a solvent, such as fingernail polish remover, or perform any of the countless everyday activities that involve complex chemical reactions we’re doing chemistry. You might even say that we’re all participating in a grand chemistry experiment that started with the first human who mixed pigments to do a cave painting. Why do so many of us desperately resist learning chemistry when we’re young? Maybe it has something to do with the way it’s taught in school.

Now there’s a fun, easy way to learn basic chemistry. Whether you’re studying chemistry in school and you’re looking for a little help making sense of what’s being taught in class, or you’re just into learning new things for their own sake, Chemistry For Dummies gets you rolling with all the basics of matter and energy, atoms and molecules, acids and bases, and much more. In no time you’ll:

• Understand atomic structure and function
• Use the Periodic Table of elements
• Know what happens when matter changes from one state to another
• Explore ionic and covalent bonding
• Get a handle on chemical reactions
• Perform simple chemistry calculations
• Understand acids, bases, pHs, antacids, and gases
• Make sense Boyle’s Law, Avrogadro’s Law and other key laws in chemistry

Packed with examples of chemistry in action in everyday life, Chemistry For Dummies is a fascinating exploration of broad range of topics in chemistry, including:

• States of matter, from the macroscopic to the microscopic
• Understanding how the elements are arranged in the Periodic Table
• Nuclear chemistry, radioactivity and radioactive decay
• Positive and negative ions and ionic compounds
• Covalent bonding in covalent compounds
• Chemical reactions, chemical equilibrium, and electrochemistry
• The mole and how it’s used to calculate chemical reactions
• Great serendipitous discoveries in chemistry
• Environmental chemistry

Written in plain English and requiring only basic math, Chemistry For Dummies puts you on the fast track to mastering the basics of chemistry.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Includes examples of chemistry in action in everyday life

See how chemistry works in everything from soaps to medicines to petroleum

Whether you're taking a chemistry course or you're curious about what chemists do, this fun and easy guide will get you up to speed in matter and energy, elements and atoms, acids and gases, and much more. You'll understand the basic concepts and discover how chemistry affects our day-to-day lives - from the home to the environment.

The Dummies Way
* Explanations in plain English
* "Get in, get out" information
* Icons and other navigational aids
* Tear-out cheat sheet
* Top ten lists
* A dash of humor and fun

About the Author

John T. Moore Ed.D. has been a teacher for more than thirty years. Numerous grants have permitted him to focus on the professional development of elementary and middle school teachers in science.

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764554301
• ISBN-13: 978-0764554308
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Moore grew up in the foothills of Western North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina -Asheville where he received his bachelor's degree in chemistry. He earned his Master's degree in chemistry from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. After a stint in the United States Army he decided to try his hand at teaching. In 1971, he joined the chemistry faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas where he still teaches chemistry. In 1985 he started back to school part time and in 1991 received his Doctorate in Education from Texas A&M University.
John's area of specialty is chemical education, especially at the pre-high school level. For the last several years he has been the co-editor (along with one of his former students) of the Chemistry for Kids feature of The Journal of Chemical Education. He has authored Chemistry for Dummies, Chemistry Made Simple and co-authored 5 Steps To A Five: AP Chemistry, Chemistry for the Utterly Confused and Biochemistry for Dummies. He is currently working on two additional Dummies books and a college textbook.
John lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife Robin and their two dogs. He enjoys brewing his own beer and mead and creating custom knife handles. And he loves to cook. His two boys, Jason and Matt, remain in the mountains of North Carolina along with his twin grandbabies, Sadie and Zane.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

124 of 128 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First class book, February 13, 2003

By 

Daren C. Swanick (TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chemistry For Dummies (Paperback)

I've tried to read various "beginner" books on chemistry since coming back from a twenty-one year science sabbatical. This one is by far the best.

The author takes you from the very basic "what is an atom" and "how to read the periodic table" to more advanced concepts such as Nuclear Chemistry, with consumate ease. The book throughout is structured for the (nearly) absolute beginner, with few assumptions being made about your beginning level of knowledge.

My only gripe is that he doesn't quite explain chemistry symbology in as clear a manner as he does most topics - hopefully this can be rectified for the reprint.

In short: an excellent book for the beginner. The only "pre" knowledge you'll need is the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. If you can't do that what are you doing trying to learn chemistry?

I've yet to take General Chemistry I at college but this will probably act as a good primer. I'd expect you'll need to do some more work and look at a textbook before going onto studying at college. This book will, however, give you the basic information you need to get going.

79 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful for the chemistry-challenged nursing student, April 11, 2004

By 

Bonnie A. Mccue (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chemistry For Dummies (Paperback)

I am a nursing student, and I wish I had purchased this book earlier in the semester, instead of waiting for it to become available at the public library. After reading, what I am studying makes so much more sense. Chemistry is less of a black hole now. I like the quirky way it's written. The author does a good job of making the information feel a lot more friendly. My chemistry textbook this term does a fairly good job of explaining things, but I was still lost. Chemistry for Dummies was the 'lightbulb' I needed to make everything clearer. I am algebra-challenged and this book was quite a helpful adjunct to the class.

As an aside, it's true... you will almost never need this much chemistry unless you are a chemistry major. And this is just the baby stuff! I have queried nurses and they tell me they simply don't use it. Very frustrating, and a huge mental stumbling block for me, especially since schools in my area which are geared toward two year RN degrees don't require Biology I & II, which is far more applicable to nursing than chemistry.

Now I just have to figure out a good book to help me muddle through the next level of chemistry (required for a master's degree). .. General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis. Gack!!!!

60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good chemisty ADJUNCT with pros and cons..., November 18, 2005

By 

Microbiologist, RN, and perpetual student. "~BB" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chemistry For Dummies (Paperback)

First of all, of course this isn't going to cover everything in your Chemistry I class, or it would be a textbook!

This adjunct is a good supplement to Chemsitry I. It often explains ideas in a different way which increases your chances of actually understanding the material. It covers quite a bit, given what it actually covers.

************Note update 7/2007***********************

Someone asked me a question about The teaching company video series, if it is college level. Well, no. It is High school chemistry. However, having never had high school chemistry, after going through the course, I passed chem I with an A... and I really didn't notice an educational level difference. The material presented was pretty much what you go over in College Chemistry I, so taking chem I once, getting an F, watching the teaching companies Chemistry set over Christmas break, and then getting 1 of 2 A's in the class the next semester speaks for itself :).
Pros: A good adjunct for first semester General Chemistry I. Good ideas and superior explanations of ideas. Often explains topics in many different ways.

Cons: Like most For Dummies books, the second semester isn't covered. I guess they assume you fully understand all concepts the first semester. This book covers (barely) maybe 1 topic from Chemistry II.

Worth buying for Chemistry I, the ideas will be helpful for Chemistry II, but another or more complete book that includes the 2nd semester would be helpful.

Other adjuncts you may find helpful: The Standard Deviants 3VHS set. The Teaching Company's 'High School Chemistry' video set by Frank Cardulla. This (the teaching co video) is the reason I was 1 of 3 A's in my class.