Chemistry for Dummies (For Dummies)

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.

The ultimate chemistry tutor helps readers understand everything from atoms to elements, combustion to cosmetics, and compounds to chemical structures.

This volume provides information on chemistry fundamentals, including: elements and atoms; electrons chemical bonding; organic compounds; states of matter; chemical solutions; acids and bases; and oxides. It also includes real-world examples to reinforce understanding.

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

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

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.

Introduction.

Part I: Basic Concepts of Chemistry.

Chapter 1: What Is Chemistry, and Why Do I Need to Know Some?

Chapter 2: Matter and Energy.

Chapter 3: Something Smaller Than an Atom? Atomic Structure.

Chapter 4: The Periodic Table (But No Chairs).

Chapter 5: Nuclear Chemistry: It'll Blow Your Mind.

Part II: Blessed Be the Bonds That Tie.

Chapter 6: Opposites Do Attract: Ionic Bonds.

Chapter 7: Covalent Bonds: Let's Share Nicely.

Chapter 8: Chemical Cooking: Chemical Reactions.

Chapter 9: Electrochemistry: Batteries to Teapots.

Part III: The Mole: The Chemist's Best Friend.

Chapter 10: The Mole: Can You Dig It?

Chapter 11: Mixing Matter Up: Solutions.

Chapter 12: Sour and Bitter: Acids and Bases.

Chapter 13: Balloons, Tires, and Scuba Tanks: The Wonderful World of Gases.

Part IV: Chemistry in Everyday Life: Benefits and Problems.

Chapter 14: The Chemistry of Carbon: Organic Chemistry.

Chapter 15: Petroleum: Chemicals for Burning or Building.

Chapter 16: Polymers: Making Big Ones from Little Ones.

Chapter 17: Chemistry in the Home.

Chapter 18: Cough! Cough! Hack! Hack! Air Pollution.

Chapter 19: Brown, Chunky Water? Water Pollution.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 20: Ten Serendipitous Discoveries in Chemistry.

Chapter 21: Ten Great Chemistry Nerds.

Chapter 22: Ten Useful Chemistry Web Sites.

Appendix A: Scientific Units: The Metric System.

Appendix B: How to Handle Really Big or Really Small Numbers.

Appendix C: Unit Conversion Method.

Appendix D: Significant Figures and Rounding Off.

Index.