Author: Nicholas C. Norman
By OUP Oxford

Has all the basics, but a bit guffy, 2004-07-02
I studied chemistry at Bristol, and Nick Norman is a brilliant and inspirational lecturer who is capable of delivering ideas with minimum fluff and maximum clarity. His book on S and P block elements has all the essential information for 1st year
students, but won't be of interest beyond that level. It's solid if you want to learn all the basics but ultimately in your 2nd and 3rd years you will wonder what use it is anymore. Furthermore, Norman somehow bulks out the pages and you sometimes feel that he could have summarised everything he says in about 25 pages. Still, it's a nice little book for the beginner. Your choice.

Author: Bob McDuell
By Hodder Murray

An excellent resource for new and experienced teachers., 2001-10-20
The book is a concisely written set of ideas for teaching some of the important concepts encountered in chemistry at key stages 3 and 4. Each topic is dealt with seperateley and starts with giving the reader an idea of pupils prior knowledge of the topic from the work they should have done at primary level. A logical progression through the topic is then suggested, with ideas for practical work, resources required and methodology, including many suggestions for the use of IT. At the end of each topic there are lists of books and web pages in order to encourage further, extension or project work which can be used to consolidate pupils understanding of the subject. Overall, an excellent resource for new and experienced teachers of secondary chemistry.

Author: W. S. Mackenzie, A. E. Adams
By Manson Publishing Ltd

A visual aid to studying minerals in thin section, 2008-05-21
I am currently studying geology through the Open University, and was really struggling to get my head around what minerals I was actually trying to identify. It's hard to read a description of a mineral and then try to interpret it visually. This book has come to the rescue and has been invaluable to me. Nice book and pictures are great.

Author: John Emsley
By OUP Oxford

A True Joy To Read, 2008-01-05
Natures Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide To The Elements, is an outstanding book, and quite possibly the greatest science book I've ever read. It is filled with countless fascinating facts, such as why an octopus has blue blood and why some people can consume more than twice the lethal dose of Arsenic and live. It really is an excellent reference book for anyone interested in chemistry, biology, nutrition, medicine, or history, and you'll find yourself going back to it time and time again. It does get `slightly' scientific in places such as when it starts to talk about the various isotopes of an element, so some basic knowledge of chemistry is recommended. But it is not overly technical so it's not essential. The sections I enjoyed the most were the `medical elements' which I found extremely interesting. The book is very well structured and easy to follow. This is the kind of book that makes you feel smarter, a true joy to read and I recommend to all. No one could possibly be disappointed.

Author: George Johnson
By The Bodley Head Ltd

How to Produce Thought-Provoking Evidence of the Way Nature Works, 2008-05-30
If you like those wonderful articles in the science section of The New York Times, you've undoubtedly read Mr. Johnson's writing before. Reading this book is like gaining access to a whole collection of the best of such articles.

I've always preferred experimental evidence to theorizing as a way to advance knowledge. Many things can be better understood, both in and out of scientific fields, if thoughtful experiments can be designed and properly measured.

Many science courses emphasize what the law of physics is or whatever is being studied and provide little perspective on the evidence for that law or natural function. That's too bad: In the process, those who are interested in the subject miss the chance to gain a deep appreciation for the subject.

George Johnson does an excellent job of providing pithy, clear, and interesting histories of the scientists, the problems they addressed, and the experiments they used to advance knowledge. Some of these stories were more compelling than any television drama I've ever seen.

Prior to the rebirth of inquiry in the Renaissance, Greek theories about how the world works often dominated. Those theories had to be overcome. In some cases, equally arbitrary theories were proposed by more modern scientists. The search for new knowledge almost always began with observing something in nature that didn't follow the "rule" that everyone else believed in.

The section on Galileo will quickly get your attention because Mr. Johnson dispels the notion of dropping weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa in favor of describing how an inclined plane was used by Galileo to measure acceleration of a rolling ball. The most fascinating part of the work is how Galileo used his experimental results to derive a theory of what was really going on. Very nice!

The chapter on William Harvey nicely explains the prior view that there were two types of fluids, one in veins and a different one in arteries, rather than one quantity of blood circulating throughout the body. The evidence that this idea was silly is pretty clear, but the challenges of figuring out how the blood circulated are nicely explained here.

The chapter on Isaac Newton requires a strong stomach as Mr. Johnson describes how Newton put a probe into his own eyes to see what the effects would be. The experiments that showed how colors are contained in light are quite interesting.

My favorite chapter, however, is the one on Luigi Galvani in which he sought to demonstrate that animals use electricity to move. Galvani faced a persistent critic in Volta who conducted experiments to disprove Galvani. In the best scientific tradition, both men were right in defining different qualities of how electricity works.

I was almost as intrigued by the chapter on Pavlov that explained a fuller range of his experiments with changing reflexes. It made me want to read more about Pavlov.

The chapter on Millikan was uniquely intriguing, as Mr. Johnson explains through his re-creation of the experiment that Millikan used to measure electron movement that experiments can be almost as much of an art as a science.

In some cases, the personal details of the scientists' lives were almost as fascinating as the science such as Lady Ada Lovelace's single-minded pursuit of the much older, married Michael Faraday who outlived her by many years.

Author: Mark J. Winter
By OUP Oxford

Bare bones crash course in ligand field theory!, 2003-11-15
Picture this. You are a second year undergraduate student and you havn't a clue about the effect of ligands on d - electron orbital splitting. Never fear! This bare bones introduction will
allow you to pass, just. There is a dearth of real life examples but otherwise noone can complain about this book. Maybe someday you will be a productive chemist instead of a parasitic student and it may well be because you were inspired by the symmetric elegance of ligand field theory! HA HA

Author: J North
By Chicago University Press

Author: Clifford C. Houk, Richard Post
By John Wiley & Sons

I can't imagine a better teaching guide for chemistry!, 1999-06-02
As a teacher myself (but one who knows nothing about chemistry), I must comment on this excellent book. It is clear, organized, and well-written. The authors have taken a difficult subject and made it understandable. I feel as though I am much better prepared for the college chemistry course I'll be taking in a few months - and I even think I will enjoy it! Thank you for this great little book!

Author: Steven Rose, Radmilla Mileusnic
By Penguin Books Ltd

Absolutely Brilliant, 2007-10-21
Whether you are a beginner to science and just want an introduction or whether you are an academic wishing to brush up on your basics, this book is invaluable! Clear and concise, Rose tackles the topic of chemistry with respect to biology logically and masterfully.
Definitely a keeper for the bookshelf!

Author: Helen Eccles, Mike Wooster
By Heinemann Educational Publishers