General chemistry, topics covered

This book is mainly intended as a supplement for the mathematically sophisticated topics in an advanced freshman chemistry course. My intent is not to force-feed math and physics into the chemistry curriculum. It is to reintroduce just enough to make important results understandable (or, in the case of quantum mechanics, surprising). We have tried to produce a high-quality yet affordable volume, which can be used in conjunction with any general chemistry book. This lets the instructor choose whichever general chemistry book covers basic concepts and descriptive chemistry in a way which seems most appropriate for the students. The book might also be used for the introductory portions of a junior-level course for students who have not taken multivariate calculus, or who do not need the level of rigor associated with the common one-year junior level physical chemistry sequence for example, an introduction to biophysical chemistry or materials science should build on a foundation which is essentially at this level. 

Biochemistry. This material is traditionally covered in the last chapter of general chemistry texts. While we have included several biochemical topics in the text (among them a discussion of heme in Chapter 15 and carotenoids in Chapter 6), we do not see the value of an entire chapter on biochemistry. Interesting as this material is, it requires a background in organic chemistry that first-year students lack. 

The Scholars, working with their mentors, did an outstanding job during their residencies, and many laboratory experiments and new lecture snapshots were developed. Lecture snapshots are short discussions of timely or fundamental polymer topics. They are designed to minimize the time necessary for faculty to familiarize themselves with the topic and to prepare their presentation on it In general, the lecture snapshots require only a few minutes of lecture time and setup and interface with topics that already are covered in general chemistry courses. The snapshot format is as follows ... 

Table 6.3. Percentage of topics covered in general chemistry courses.

The two volumes of Unstable States in the Continuous Spectra, which we have edited (Part I is AQC volume 60 and Part II is the present volume, 63), contain a total of 15 review articles on topics covered by the general theme. The invitation of the contributing experts had as one of its purposes to create a book on the above theme where the spectrum of the information contained in it is wide, authoritative, and relevant to quantum chemistry. The invited authors were free to choose their topic(s) and style of presentation. Before final acceptance, their manuscripts were subjected to friendly yet critical" review by referees suggested by the authors, aiming at improving the contents as much as possible. 

The test covers a variety of chemistry topics. The following chart shows the general test subject areas, as well as the approximate portion of the test devoted to each subject. 

Three general reference works cover metallacarbabo-rane chemistry in a systematic manner up to around 2005," and several books include articles covering topical developments. " Annual reports have surveyed advances in the subject since 1971, and continue to do so. 

Manual of Symbols and Terminology for Physicochemical Quantities and Units Appendix II. Definitions, Terminology and Symbols in Colloid and Surface Chemistry, part I. Pure and Appl. Chem. 31 (1972) 577. (This general recommendation also covers interfacial tensions and related topics.)... 

The CDS provides online access to numerous chemical databases, which are available free of charge to academics at UK universities. The chemistry links cover a large variety of topics (among them general information sites, reference databases, chemical sources, chemical web sites, UK universities, chemistry FTP sites). The solid-phase synthesis database is notable for its description of over 27,000 reactions described. 

There are several general reference works concerned with heterocyclic chemistry, which have been gathered together as a set at the end of this chapter, and to which the reader s attention is drawn. In order to save space, these vital sources are not repeated in particular chapters, however aU the topics covered in this book are covered in them, and recourse to these sources should form the early basis of any literature search. 

The various topics covered in this volume might seem to be more than sufficient. However, the aforementioned diversity of the general subject of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons has ensured that only a small fraction of the active areas of research on this topic can be discussed. I have therefore chosen as the main purpose of this introductory chapter to highlight an additional area of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon chemistry that is of recent personal interest, namely, nonplanar three-dimensional aromatic systems. The idiosyncracy of this choice is mitigated by significant recent discoveries in this subfield that are apropos to other chapters of this book. Therefore, at least part of the following discussion may be not only of interest but of practical use. 

HM ClassPresent General Chemistry CD-ROM provides a library of molecular animations and lab demonstration videos covering core chemistry concepts arranged by chapter and topic. The resources can be browsed by thumbnail and description or searched by chapter, title, or keyword. Full transcripts accompany all audio commentary, to reinforce visual presentations and to accommodate different learning styles. 

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