Customer Reviews

Introductory Chemistry Essentials and CW Access Card Package (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Beware, there are two versions of Tro's Introductory Book. One version, "Introductory Chemistry" has 19 chapters. The other is a shortened version, "Introductory Chemistry, Essentials" and is missing the last few chapters. The shortened version is cheaper and is published for curriculum that does not cover the organic and biochemistry topics. Both books have a similar cover. The publisher provides the Mastering Chemistry Access code free with books purchased directly from Pearson. Not all books are sold with a Mastering Chemistry Access code. Neither are all books sold with the CD Rom which contains ancillary material.

I'm currently a freshmen at a local college - Not the brightest person, but one that can catch on quite qickly. After getting that book, I flipped thought it before I actually needed for class. It describes everything with lots of precision, and gives real-life examples. At the end of every chapter are over 100 excercises on the things I learned. The whole book looks great on the inside, is organized very well, and is easy to understand - though some concepts are challenging to understand, the excercises at the end of the chapter (and the answers and steps to get the answers for odd problems at the back of the book) help make everything in depth yet easy to understand.

I was very impressed with this book. All of the fundamental concepts of chemistry are explained clearly, and the text is accompanied by numerous illustrations, real-world examples, and applications to make everything as clear as possible to the student. Whenever a new type of chemistry problem is presented, numerous examples are given of how to solve it. Students are guided through one or (usually) more examples before being asked to solve a type of problem on their own, and the answers to all odd-numbered exercises are in the back of the book.

I got this book to study on my own to prepare for a return to school to enter a science program. Though I had no teacher to guide me, I still found it very clear and easy to understand, and was able to do most of the end-of-chapter problems with no great difficulty, thanks to the clarity of presentation in the text. I did have a slight background in chemistry, which was helpful, though I was more than a decade removed from my single semester of high school chemisty. I give this book the lion's share of the credit for the fact that I was able to score 87% on the University of Minnesota's chemistry placement test.

If I could do well with this book with no teacher, I'm confident that anyone at all can do great in a chemistry class based on this book with a teacher to help. It takes plenty of effort too, that goes without saying. Chemistry is no simple topic. But for introducing a complex topic in a clear, informative, and interesting way, I don't see how this book could be improved upon. I'm excited to pursue a science degree and further my knowledge of chemistry, and this book was a huge help in getting me on my way. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

P.S. Apparently a CD is available for this book. Mine didn't come with one though I bought it from the university bookstore. Not having it was not a problem, though; the text is clear enough. Don't worry if you can't find the CD.

Excellent job of explaining basics of chemistry. The book is the written equivalent of getting a lot of hands-on lab time. By understanding the many examples, and attempting the numerous problem sets, you should get a very good understanding of crucial topics like basic stoichoimetry.

None of the topics are especially hard, as presented here. Some of you may recall the various Schaum's Outline series of books, which are basically just big bundles of questions, wrapped in a skimpy explanatory framework. This book is a significant improvement over that approach.

I used this book for my Introductory Chemistry Class (130) at Scottsdale Community College. I saved a lot of money buying the second edition instead of the third edition and even bought the solutions manual for the second edition on amazon too all for about 15 dollars including shipping. It was probably better than buying the new edition without the study guide. Overall the book is organized very well and written in a way which is easily understood. It gives a great intro to gen chem subjects, and made me really look forward to studying each subject more in depth. It has a lot of example problems within the text and many problems to practice with in the back of each chapter. I ended up getting an A in the Class.

The new book is missing the Student Access Kit. Amazon sent me a replacement book in a timely manner but again the Student Access Kit is missing and no one at Amazon seems to be able to physically check the book and find the missing part. I got an email today saying I could return the book if I am not happy with it. I guess Amazon will have many unhappy customers selling this new book missing an essential piece.

The book has great examples and is very accessible for the beginner. The cd, on the other hand, is pretty useless for studying. I was expecting interactive tests and vocabulary- hands on learning. Instead it's very basic and random. For example, the first chapter has only 2 items to it- the first one being a short video on how an airbag works. How does this help me get an A?

Price was excellent compared to bookstore prices. Book was a little woren but very useable. All in all was money well spent. College and college bookstores are very expensive. Nice to have a more economical option over looking for sale books on a bulletin board as I had to do in my college days.

My book came in excellent condition. I am very satisfied with it. It also came quickly. I was pleasantly surprised. I would recommend this seller to do business with.

This chemistry book is easy to understand. It includes practice tests to assist the student in
learning the material.

Who knew you could enjoy chemistry !
I will keep this book at the end of class for
lab reference.

Mr Tro has introduced chemistry to the masses and we like it!