Chemistry - The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change Description:

Chemistry : The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change review:
5 stars (My Story with Chemistry and Silberberg) - I am a chemistry major, that does not translate to "I like chemistry" but more along the lines that it was the only feasible premedical degree major.

I never did chemistry in High School and suffered tremendously with the thought of majoring in a science that I was unfamiliar with. What if I hated it? What if I wasnt any good at it? these were questions that haunted me prior to starting my degree. When I did commence, I found textbooks to be very costly and wanted the best for my money.



I realized that the price of a textbook does not make it good, nor the length of it. In saying so I started my chemistry studies with two books, one known as Basic Concepts of Chemistry by Malone, published by Wiley and the second was this. Chemistry the Molecular Nature of Matter and Change by Silberberg, published by Mcgraw Hill.



The first book helped establish an understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry, it was an excellant transition from the layman's english into the scientific paradigm. However when one is doing undergraduate chemistry especially in a premedical degree, it ends up not only being a study but a competition.



I found both these books to take me, an Individual who knew absolutely nothing about chemistry without any prior education in the science to someone who is now relaxed even with Organic Chemistry.



My liking and my understanding of chemistry came directly from these two books. I still treasure them to this day and would suggest anyone in my position to get these books.



I have seen and in detail read over 13 general chemistry books from Cheng to Atkins and even Zumdahl. I would deem these two (Malone and Silberberg) to be the best of all of them. However I do suggest that you peruse through various textbooks in a library prior to buying as an author's writing style matters a lot.



Most people who have an issue with Silberberg see him as being too pleonastic however I would think that he gives substantially beneficial explanations to all those concepts which can potentially render an individual confused and perplexed. Another complaint people lodge with Malone is that his style is too generalized and basic....however one is supposed to be a primer and the second to give and individual a robust understanding of a variety of ideas in Chemistry which are used over and over. Therefore both are appropriately written for the purpose they serve.
5 stars (excellent introduction to chemistry) - The book gives a clear and precise introductio to the mail concepts in chemistry. The excellent graphics, examples and discussions on frontiers of chemistry makes this book very useful, and motivates students to go deepest in knowledge.
5 stars (I think it is a great text) - I was out of school for a long time, in fact, 16 years since I had high school Chemistry, so I was really nervous about taking a tough Chemistry course. I ended up doing great and I honestly believe you can learn the material from the text only. I think it is an excellent text with problems and examples that facilitate learning.My Physics text, on the other hand, is AWFUL!