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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
Enables students to understand, apply, and retain key concepts in general chemistry
Understanding Essential Chemistry offers a unique and approachable supplement to standard general chemistry textbooks, designed specifically to aid students in mastering fundamental principles. Drawing on extensive classroom experience, chemistry professor Max Diem presents key concepts in an uninterrupted flow, allowing students to follow a clear and straightforward path to comprehension. With a logical, algebraic framework, the book is structured to build students’ confidence by breaking down complex topics into manageable pieces and encouraging critical thinking at every step.
Aimed at STEM majors, this book includes checkpoints with example problems and final answers to reinforce concepts and promote independent problem-solving skills. By methodically emphasizing basic understanding, this hands-on guide gives students the tools to grasp the core chemistry principles necessary for success in their courses, labs, and future studies. A must-have “survival guide” to boost student confidence in the subject, the text:
- Presents chemistry concepts in a streamlined, continuous format for easier comprehension and retention
- Encourages independent critical thinking with targeted example problems with provided solutions
- Supports any primary general chemistry textbook, making it adaptable for various curricula
- Allows students to assess their understanding at key points in the material
- Includes additional math tutorials in the Chapter for students needing a refresher in essential mathematical skills
This guide is an essential supplement for undergraduate first-year Chemistry courses for STEM majors, especially those in pre-medical, engineering, and science programs.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Understanding Essential Chemistry
Preface
About the Companion Website
Chapter 1: The Metric System and Mathematical Tools
1.1 Scientific Notation and Significant Figures
1.2 The Metric System
1.3 Manipulations of Exponential Expressions
1.4 Equations, Proportionality, and Graphs
1.5 Quadratic, Cubic, and Quartic Equations
1.6 Exponential Functions and Logarithms
1.7 Radial and Spherical Polar Coordinates
1.8 Differential and Integral Calculus
1.9 Differential Equations
1.10 Complex Numbers
Chapter 2: Atoms, Elements, and the Periodic System
2.1 Subatomic Particles and Atoms
2.2 Elements, Isotopes, and Ions
2.3 The Periodic Chart and Periodic Properties of the Elements
2.4 Definition of Atomic Masses, Avogadro’s Number, and the Mole
Further Reading
Chapter 3: Molecules, Compounds, Bonding, and Percent Composition
3.1 Ionic Compounds
3.2 Molecules with Covalent Bonds
3.3 Molecules with Polar Covalent Bonds and Lewis Structures
3.4 Molecular Compounds and the (Gram) Molecular Mass
3.5 Percent Composition and Empirical Formulae
Further Reading
Chapter 4: Chemical Reactions
4.1 Chemical Reaction and Stoichiometry
4.2 Limiting Reagents, Theoretical Yield, and Percent Yield
4.3 Solutions: General Aspects
4.4 Solution Stoichiometry: Molarity, Molality, Mole Fraction, Dilutions
4.5 Precipitation Reactions
Further Reading
Chapter 5: Electronic Structure of Atoms
5.1 Description of Light as an Electromagnetic Wave
5.2 Particle Properties of Light and Wave-particle Duality
5.3 The Hydrogen Atom Emission Spectrum: Stationary Atomic States
5.4 Hydrogen Atom Orbitals
5.5 Atoms with Multiple Electrons: The Aufbau Principle Revisited
Further Reading
Chapter 6: Chemical Bonding: Covalent Bonding, Molecular Geometries, and Polarity
6.1 General Aspects of Covalent Bonding
6.2 Lewis and VB Theory
6.3 Hybridization and Multiple Bonding
6.4 VSEPR Model
6.5 Molecular Polarity
6.6 MO Theory
Further Reading
Chapter 7: Solids and Liquids: Bonding and Characteristics
7.1 Metals and Semiconductors
7.2 Ionic Solids
7.3 Covalent Solids
7.4 Intermolecular Forces
7.5 Macromolecular Solids
7.6 Liquids and Solutions
Further Reading
Chapter 8: The Gaseous State
8.1 General Properties of Gases
8.2 Empirical Gas Laws
8.3 The Ideal Gas Law
8.4 Real Gases
8.5 Gaseous Mixtures and Partial Pressures
8.6 Kinetic Theory of Gases
8.7 Diffusion and Effusion of Gases
Further Reading
Chapter 9: Chemical Equilibrium
9.1 What Is a System “at Equilibrium”?
9.2 Liquid–Vapor Phase Equilibrium: Vapor Pressure
9.3 Temperature Dependence of Vapor Pressure
9.4 Chemical Equilibrium and the Equilibrium Constant
9.5 Equilibrium Calculations
9.6 Direction of a Chemical Reaction and the Concentration Quotient Q
9.7 Numerical Determination of Equilibrium Constants from Experimental Data
9.8 Perturbations of Equilibria: Le Chatelier’s Principle
9.9 Solubility and Solubility Product
Further Reading
Chapter 10: Acids and Bases
10.1 What Are Acids/Bases?
10.2 Strong Acids and Bases; Definition of pH and pOH
10.3 Weak Acids/Bases
10.4 The Relationship Between pH and pOH: Self-dissociation of Water
10.5 Common Ion Effect
10.6 Acidic and Basic Salts
10.7 Buffers
10.8 Acid–Base Titrations
Further Reading
Chapter 11: Thermodynamics: Energy, Energy Conversions, and Spontaneity
11.1 Energetics of Chemical Reactions
11.2 Thermochemistry
11.3 The First Law of Thermodynamics
11.4 State Functions
11.5 Definition of Enthalpy
11.6 Hess’ Law and Reaction Enthalpies
11.7 Enthalpy of Phase Transitions
11.8 Entropy
11.9 Free Enthalpy
11.10 Free Enthalpy and Equilibrium
Further Reading
Chapter 12: Reduction–Oxidation (Redox) Reactions and Electrochemistry
12.1 Oxidation State and Oxidation Numbers: Balancing Redox Equations
12.2 Galvanic Cells, Electric Work, and Electromotive Force
12.3 Batteries
12.4 Relationship Between Cell Potential and Free Enthalpy
12.5 Concentration and Temperature Dependence of EMF
Further Reading
Chapter 13: Chemical Kinetics: Rates of Reactions and Reaction Mechanisms
13.1 Scope of Kinetics Discussion
13.2 Elementary Steps and Chemical Reactions
13.3 Rates of Multistep Reactions and Equilibria
13.4 Reaction Rates for Reactions That Are Nonlinear in Concentrations
13.5 Reaction Path and Catalysis
Further Reading
Chapter 14: Nuclear Reactions
14.1 Nuclear Reactions and Transmutations
14.2 The Structure of Atomic Nuclei
14.3 Radioactive Decay and Decay Chains
14.4 Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion
Further Reading
Chapter 15: Fundamentals of Quantum Chemistry, Spectroscopy, and Structural Chemistry
15.1 Wavefunctions and the 1D and 2D Particle in a Box
15.2 Spherical Harmonics, Hydrogen Atom Wavefunctions, and Hydrogen Atomic Orbitals
15.3 Atomic Energy Levels and Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
15.4 Molecular Energy Levels, Spectroscopy, and Structural Methods
15.5 Mass Spectrometry
Further Reading
Epilogue
Appendix
List of Constants
List of Abbreviations and Symbols
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 Plot of ideal gas pressure vs. temperature in [°C].
Figure 1.2 Dependence of a circle’s circumference on diameter.
Figure 1.3 (a) Plot of gas volume vs. pressure at constant temperature, 298 [K]...
Figure 1.4 Plot of centigrade and Fahrenheit temperature scales.
Figure 1.5 Graphic solution of (a) a quadratic equation and (b) a cubic equatio...
Figure 1.6 Growth functions. Black trace: ; gray trace...
Figure 1.7 Plot of (black trace) and (gray trace).
Figure 1.8 Plot of the log x (black) and ln x (gray) functions.
Figure 1.9 Cartesian (a) and polar (b) coordinates.
Figure 1.10 Cartesian (a) and spherical polar (b) coordinates.
Figure 1.11 Slope of an algebraic function.
Figure 1.12 Visualization of the function as a periodical function in complex space.
Chapter 2
Figure 2.1 Periodic chart of the elements. Notice that elements 58–71 and 90–10...
Figure 2.2 Section of periodic chart: the element fluorine.
Figure 2.3 Orbitals and approximate orbital energies for atoms in the periodic ...
Figure 2.4 (a) Schematic of the only electron in an H atom. (b) Schematic of tw...
Figure 2.5 Orbital occupancy diagram for (a) carbon, (b) nitrogen, and (c) oxyg...
Figure 2.6 Orbital occupancy in (a) the sodium atom, (b) the sodium ion, (c) th...
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1 Example of a crystal lattice: NaCl. Small spheres: sodium ions, larg...
Figure 3.2 A better representation of the shape of the formaldehyde molecule.
Figure 3.3 Resonance structure of the O
3
molecule showing that two electron pai...
Figure 3.4 Steps in constructing the Lewis resonance structures for the carbona...
Figure 3.5 Lewis structure of the carbonate anion, indicating delocalized elect...
Figure 3.6 (a) Resonance Lewis structures for the free radical NO
2
. (b) Dimeriz...
Figure 3.7 Lewis structures of (a) ethene (also known as ethylene) and (b) ethi...
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1 Example of solvation (hydration) of ions, for example, sodium (small...
Figure 4.2 Image of a volumetric flask with a volume fill mark.
Figure 4.3 Image of a volumetric pipette.
Chapter 5
Figure 5.1 Description of the propagation of an electromagnetic wave as the osc...
Figure 5.2 Diffraction of light from a single slit (a) or a pinhole (b) creates...
Figure 5.3 Schematic of the photoelectric experiment.
Figure 5.4 (a) Black body emission spectra at 1000, 3000, and 5000 K. (b) Schem...
Figure 5.5 (a) Continuously variable potential energy of a mass on an inclined ...
Figure 5.6 Hydrogen atom energy levels as determined by the Rydberg equation. T...
Figure 5.7 First nine spherical harmonic functions. The light gray colors denot...
Figure 5.8 Shape of a 2p
y
orbital.
Figure 5.9 Partial energy level diagram of the hydrogen atom orbitals. Notice t...
Figure 5.10 (a) Plot of the wavefunctions and vs. the distance from th...
Figure 5.11 Schematic atomic orbital energy diagrams, orbital occupancy, and ele...
Figure 5.12 The order in which atomic orbitals are filled is given by following ...
Figure 5.13 Atomic radii (a), first ionization energies (b), and electron affini...
Chapter 6
Figure 6.1 Representation of the overlap of two 1s orbitals to form a region in...
Figure 6.2 Representation of the three 2p orbitals. Notice that the shapes of t...
Figure 6.3 Representation of the overlap of a 1s and a 2p orbital in HF to form...
Figure 6.4 Representation of the overlap of a two 2p orbitals in F
2
to form a r...
Figure 6.5 Possible molecular shapes of molecules with the general formula XY
4
:...
Figure 6.6 (a) Edges and faces of a tetrahedron. The four heavy black lines are...
Figure 6.7 Energies of the (a) sp
3
, (b) sp
2
, and (c) sp hybrid orbitals formed ...
Figure 6.8 Schematic of the bonding in water.
Figure 6.9 (a) Ball-and-stick model and (b) space-filling model of ethane, show...
Figure 6.10 Shape of the sp
2
hybrid orbitals in the X–Y plane. The 2p
z
orbital i...
Figure 6.11 Valence orbital picture for ethene (ethylene). (a) Two sp
2
hybridize...
Figure 6.12 (a) sp hybrid (along the axis) with the unhybridized 2p
x
and 2p
z
o...
Figure 6.13 Electron-pair and possible molecular geometries predicted from the V...
Figure 6.14 Lewis structures and molecular geometries of three species that have...
Figure 6.15 Vectorial addition of bond dipole moments for (a) linear, (b) bend (...
Figure 6.16 Bonding (a) and antibonding (b) molecular orbitals formed from the l...
Figure 6.17 Molecular orbital diagrams for (a) H
2
, (b) , and (c) Li
2
. Notice t...
Figure 6.18 (a) Energy level diagram of the MO’s formed from the overlap o...
Figure 6.19 MO schemes for (a) N
2
, (b) O
2
, and (c) F
2
.
Figure 6.20 Shapes of four of the MOs from computational results.
Figure 6.21 (a) Resonance structures for benzene and (b) shorthand benzene struc...
Figure 6.22 Structure of a graphene sheet.
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1 Bonding and antibonding molecular orbitals from (a) 2, (b) 4, and (c...
Figure 7.2 Covalent network found in diamond. The four covalent bonds pointing ...
Figure 7.3 (a) Schematic of the covalent network found in quartz. The arrangeme...
Figure 7.4 Structure of a graphene sheet.
Figure 7.5 Hydrogen bonding (dashed lines) in liquid water.
Figure 7.6 Boiling points of hydrides of elements, by groups: Group 4...
Figure 7.7 (a) Hydrogen bonding between carbonyl carbon and amine hydrogen atom...
Figure 7.8 Schematic structure of a and a “base pair”...
Figure 7.9 Schematic arrangement of polar molecules in the solid state.
Figure 7.10 Schematic view of vibrational distortions of carbon dioxide (top) th...
Figure 7.11 Repeating unit of polyvinyl chloride.
Figure 7.12 Schematic representation of the vapor pressure curve of water (see a...
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1 A round-bottom flask with a stopcock can be used to determine the ma...
Figure 8.2 Schematic and function of a U-tube manometer.
Figure 8.3 (a) Simple apparatus to determine the relationship between volume an...
Figure 8.4 (a) Simple apparatus to determine the relationship between pressure ...
Figure 8.5 Diffusion of a gas (dark gray dots, panel a) into a vacuum. A short ...
Chapter 9
Figure 9.1 Example of a dynamic equilibrium: the rate of excavation is the same...
Figure 9.2 Establishing dynamic equilibrium between liquid and gaseous water. (...
Figure 9.3 The vapor pressure of water is independent of the volume, as long as...
Figure 9.4 Plot of the observed vapor pressure p
vap
vs. temperature for water (...
Figure 9.5 Plot of log(p
vap
) vs. 1/T for acetone.
Figure 9.6 Schematic phase diagram of water.
Figure 9.7 A sparingly soluble solid in dynamic equilibrium with dissolved (and...
Figure 9.8 Schematic of an ionic solid, CaCO
3
, dissolving and dissociating into...
Chapter 10
Figure 10.1 Example of an acid–base titration.
Figure 10.2 Titration curve of a strong acid with a strong base.
Figure 10.3 Titration curve of a weak acid with a strong base. Point 1: buffer r...
Figure 10.4 Titration curve of a triprotic acid, H
3
PO
4
, with base.
Figure 10.5 Structural changes in the phenolphthalein molecule upon deprotonatio...
Chapter 11
Figure 11.1 Expansion of a gas against constant external pressure.
Figure 11.2 Schematic of a thought experiment in which heat q (fat arrows) is ad...
Figure 11.3 Energy diagram for a reaction where E
i
is higher than E
f
. Therefore .
Figure 11.4 Principle of additivity of partial enthalpies (Hess’ law).
Figure 11.5 Stepwise reactions using standard enthalpies of formation to compute...
Figure 11.6 Determination of the lattice energy using Hess’ law.
Figure 11.7 Heating curve of water with phase transitions.
Figure 11.8 Process (“reaction”) that proceeds (a) without and (b) with activati...
Figure 11.9 Outcome of (a) two or (b) three coin toss experiments.
Figure 11.10 Probabilities of ordered vs. disordered coin toss outcomes for (a) 2...
Figure 11.11 Free enthalpy representation of the reaction A
2
+ B
2
→ 2 AB.
Chapter 12
Figure 12.1 Spatial separation of oxidation and reduction reaction.
Figure 12.2 Schematic of a Cu/Al galvanic cell.
Figure 12.3 (a) Discharge and (b) recharge processes in a lead–acid battery.
Chapter 13
Figure 13.1 The dependence of the concentration of [A], and the reaction rate, w...
Figure 13.2 Concentrations of reactant I
2
and product I or the equilibrium react...
Figure 13.3 Activation energy for a reaction proceeding from an initial energy s...
Figure 13.4 Schematic of hydrogen adsorption to a Pt surface.
Figure 13.5 Dependence of the concentration [A] for first- and second-order reac...
Chapter 14
Figure 14.1 Nuclear decay chain of
238
U to
206
Pb.
Source:
Adapted from US Geolog...
Figure 14.2 Exponential decay of the concentration of [A] as a function of time....
Figure 14.3 Nuclear binding energy per nucleon.
Chapter 15
Figure 15.1 (a) A “classical” particle placed into a box. (b) A quantum mechanic...
Figure 15.2 Structure of retinal, which is the light-absorbing moiety of the pig...
Figure 15.3 Panel (a): Wavefunction for a particle in a two-dimens...
Figure 15.4 Plot of the square of the three lowest energy wavefunctions of an el...
Figure 15.5 Comparison of potential energy functions and energy eigenvalues for ...
Figure 15.6 Probability density plots for the radial wavefunctions and...
Figure 15.7 (a) Energy level diagram for the H atom (see Figure 5.6). (b) Allowe...
Figure 15.8 Part of the energy level diagram of excited state Na atom and corres...
Figure 15.9 Schematic of (a) an emission and (b) an absorption process.
Figure 15.10 (a) Energy level diagram for the two electronic transitions observed...
Figure 15.11 Block diagram of a UV-vis spectrophotometer.
Figure 15.12 Schematic of the measurement process.
Figure 15.13 Model of a diatomic molecule, CO, as masses connected by a spring. C...
Figure 15.14 Vibrational energy level diagram and allowed transitions in CO.
Figure 15.15 (a) Normal modes of vibration of the water molecule. (b) Observed in...
Figure 15.16 Infrared absorption spectrum of liquid acetone.
Figure 15.17 (a) Rotational energy levels of a diatomic molecule. (b) Observed ro...
Figure 15.18 Splitting of the nuclear spin states in an external magnetic field. ...
Figure 15.19 Proton NMR spectrum of pure ethanol.
Figure 15.20 (a) Diffraction (interference) pattern of light passing through a si...
Figure 15.21 (a) X-ray diffraction pattern from a single crystal of insulin. (b) ...
List of Tables
Chapter 1
Table 1.1 Prefixes and abbreviations used in the metric system.
Chapter 2
Table 2.1 Absolute masses and charges of elementary particles.
Table 2.2 Relative masses and charges of elementary particles.
Table 2.3 Nomenclature of atomic orbitals.
Chapter 5
Table 5.1 Wavelength ranges and energies of electromagnetic radiation.
a
Table 5.2 Quantum numbers (QNs), atomic orbital names, and associated wavefunc...
Table 5.3 Possible quantum numbers for the single electron in a hydrogen atom ...
Chapter 9
Table 9.1 Equilibrium concentrations of hydrogen/nitrogen/ammonia reaction.
Table 9.2 Equilibrium concentrations of hydrogen/nitrogen/ammonia reaction.
Chapter 10
Table 10.1 pH, as a function of added base, for a strong acid/strong base titra...
Table 10.2 pH, as a function of added base, for a weak acid/strong base titrati...
Table 10.3 Commonly used indicators.
Chapter 11
Table 11.1 Heat capacities of representative materials.
Table 11.2 Thermodynamic data of PCl
5
, PCl
3
, and Cl
2
.
Chapter 12
Table 12.1 Standard reduction potentials for a few common half-reactions
1
Chapter 15
Table 15.1 Observed vibrational transitions for the water molecule.
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Understanding Essential Chemistry
Preface
About the Companion Website
Begin Reading
Epilogue
Appendix
Index
End User License Agreement
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Understanding Essential Chemistry
Max Diem
Professor Emeritus
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
This edition first published 2025
© 2025 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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In view of ongoing research, equipment modifications, changes in governmental regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to the use of experimental reagents, equipment, and devices, the reader is urged to review and evaluate the information provided in the package insert or instructions for each chemical, piece of equipment, reagent, or device for, among other things, any changes in the instructions or indication of usage and for added warnings and precautions. While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this work, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, written sales materials or promotional statements for this work. The fact that an organization, website, or product is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the publisher and authors endorse the information or services the organization, website, or product may provide or recommendations it may make. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a specialist where appropriate. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Diem, Max, 1947- author.
Title: Understanding essential chemistry / Max Diem, Professor emeritus, Boston, MA, US.
Description: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley 2025. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2025009592 | ISBN 9781394321193 (paperback) | ISBN 9781394321230 (epdf) | ISBN 9781394321223 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Chemistry—Textbooks. | LCGFT: Textbooks.
Classification: LCC QD31.3 .D54 2025 | DDC 540—dc23/eng/20250326
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025009592
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: © Fresh photos from all over the world/Getty Images
Understanding Essential Chemistry
Other Books by the Author
M. Diem, Introduction to Modern Vibrational Spectroscopy, J. Wiley Interscience, 1993 (ISBN-13: 978-0-471-59584-7, ISBN-10: 0-471-59584-5)
“Vibrational Spectroscopy for Medical Diagnosis,” M. Diem, P. Griffiths and J. Chalmers, Editors, J. Wiley Interscience, 2008 (ISBN-13: 978-0-470-01214-7, ISBN-10: 0-470-01214-5)
M. Diem, Modern Vibrational Spectroscopy and Micro-spectroscopy: Theory, Instrumentation and Biomedical Applications, J. Wiley, 2015 (ISBN-13: 978-1-118-82486-3, ISBN-10: 1-118-82486-5)
M. Diem, Quantum Mechanical Foundation of Molecular Spectroscopy, Wiley-VCH, 2021 (ISBN-13: 978-3527347926, ISBN-10: 3527347925)
M. Diem, Quantenmechanische Grundlagen der Molekülspektroskopie, Wiley-VCH, 2021 (ISBN-13: 978-3527347902, ISBN-10: 3527347909)
Preface
Understanding Essential Chemistry (UEC) is written with your future career in mind. Whether you pursue a pure science field, a medical field, an environmental field, an engineering field, or others, you will appreciate having a deep understanding of essential chemical principles. That is because chemistry can be viewed as the central science, located at the interface between physics, biology, biochemistry, medicine, pharmacology, engineering, environmental sciences, geology, etc. A deep understanding of chemistry will allow you to apply and transfer this knowledge to whatever field you choose for your future.
UEC is designed as a low-cost supplement to accompany any one of the expensive textbooks your professor may require you to purchase or rent for the particular general chemistry course in which you are enrolled. It is unique from all other textbooks in several ways. First, the narrative focuses on the “big picture,” helping you to see the beauty and interrelationship among chemical principles. It helps you to see the historical use of the scientific method in the elucidation of the body of chemical principles we study today. It also provides a path to deep understanding by directly linking the custom diagrams, charts, and tables to the narrative. This approach enables the narrative to be more interactive, concise, and simply more readable and memorable.
Second, UEC embraces a different approach to problem-solving. It again focuses on the integral relationship between the narrative and the actual solving of each example problem. In other words, the narrative introduces new concepts and then asks you to apply and transfer this knowledge to solve related problems. Short answers to the example problems are given with the problem, but you must use the narrative to help you arrive at the given answer. If you are unable to solve a particular problem in this way, an answer booklet found online can be consulted for extra help and detailed methods to answer the example problems. This approach to solving problems helps you to enhance and expand your understanding of the concepts.
Third, the narrative assumes you have had a high school level algebra course and that you retained this knowledge. This implies that you can manipulate algebraic expressions, rearrange equations to isolate unknowns, graph functions, and solve quadratic equations. If you cannot comfortably perform these steps, a review of the necessary concepts is presented in Chapter 1. More advanced mathematics is necessary in the discussions in Chapter 5 (Electronic Structure of Atoms), Chapter 13 (Chemical Kinetics), and Chapter 15 (Fundamentals of Quantum Theory), including some differential and integral calculus and complex numbers. Exposure to these more complicated branches of mathematics is necessary to show that chemistry and all the sciences and engineering are governed by a common language, mathematics. These advanced mathematical concepts are also presented in Chapter 1. If you are familiar with most of the mathematical principles, feel free to skip over Chapter 1, and refer to it only when you feel the need to do so.
Finally, since UEC is designed as a supplementary textbook for all major general chemistry textbooks, you may rearrange the order in which you study the chapters. This is possible as each chapter is self-contained. This enables you to select the chapter that corresponds to the chapter your professor has chosen to cover.
I hope that UEC helps you to form a deep and lasting understanding of chemistry, as it relates to the world of science and to the natural world as a whole. I hope it empowers you to pass, with flying colors, the tests and exams that accompany your studies. Finally, I hope that you will keep this book as a personal, professional resource library once your general chemistry class is over and refer to it when you need to brush up on essential concepts.
Boston, 2024
Max Diem, Professor of Chemistry (Emeritus)
About the Companion Website
This book is accompanied by a companion website.
www.wiley.com\go\Diem\EssentialChemistry
This website includes:
Answer Booklet
