This book was required for a college intro chemistry course, otherwise I probably would not have bought it. Unfortunately, the instructor did not use an actual textbook, so this was intended to be the text for the course.

It is a good general overview of chemistry. It does not have any images, which I think would have been helpful in understanding some of the more visual concepts such as orbitals. To overcome this, I kept a "real" textbook next to me while studying, to help clarify the topics.

However, my biggest issue with this book is the decision to put the answer to each question directly under the question. I tried to cover the answers (holding a piece of paper over them while I read and answered the question) but this is annoying, and sometimes it is hard to avoid seeing the answer. And while some answers were complete with reasoning/explanation, others had none, which leaves you with little recourse if you do not understand.

Well, a common complaint concerning this book is that the answers to problem sets are written directly under the problems. It's a little annoying, but I'd rather cover up the answers with an index card, than flip to the back of the book every 30 s. Overall, this book is very informative and well-written for the chemistry novice. If you haven't been around the material in a while and need a good foundation for a college course or something, this is an excellent prep book.

As a struggling college student in chemistry I decided to take a time and look through a few Chemistry books. The book keeper that was there suggested this one. Its ok, but its kind of bland for my tastes. It constists of the following order a short explaination, followed by a question and answer sequence. Pesronally I believe this book is good for the extra practice or possibly brushing up on chemistry skills but its not recommended for those students who are struggling.

I took High School, then (struggled through) College Chemistry nearly 30 years ago. This year, my 16 y.o took Chemistry and found himself TOTALLY lost...I decided to become his tutor. This book was able to re-teach me a basic understanding of nearly all the introductory Chemistry principles. It was quite a valuable resource! It does NOT contain the present day use of the I.C.E. method to solve Equilibrium problems, nor does it contain the concepts remaining on the last of this year's high school syllabus / schedule (Hess's Law and Redox?) These are the only reasons I am not giving it a 5 star--otherwise, it has carried us for nearly this entire year!

If you're searching for an easy-to-understand Chemistry help book, look no further...

This book is amazing for the beginner with no backround in chemistry. It explains the basics of the quatum theory model in a very concise and easy to understand way. The only problem with this book is that the answer for each question appears right after it.

I recommend it to any beginner!

This text helped me study for the Praxis teacher certification test in Chemistry in March 2007. It is a solid text with a question-and-answer format. It's most recent copyright is 1996, but for basics it truly scores.

This book is excellent! I am studying for an entrance exam and I am retaking chemistry in summer school. I feel that I now have a better understanding of the basic concepts. The only section I did not like was the explanation of electron configuration. Electron configuration is one of the simplest concepts in chemistry, this section was not written well. I took chemistry before and found it boring and I didn't understand it. I wish I had purchased this book before I had taken chemistry the first time.

This book is excellent! I am studying for an entrance exam and I am retaking chemistry in summer school. I feel that I now have a better understanding of the basic concepts. The only section I did not like was the explanation of electron configuration. Electron configuration is one of the simplest concepts in chemistry, this section was not written well. I took chemistry before and found it boring and I didn't understand it. I wish I had purchased this book before I had taken chemistry the first time.

I found the constant Q&A method to be an annoying method of learning. I need to learn chemistry in a week to take a CLEP exam, but the Q&A method just slows me down. I would recommend you check out the Homework Helpers Chemistry guide instead.

I found the constant Q&A method to be an annoying method of learning. I need to learn chemistry in a week to take a CLEP exam, but the Q&A method just slows me down. I would recommend you check out the Homework Helpers Chemistry guide instead.

Years ago my high school chemistry teacher told me I was too dumb to understand chemistry. This book helped me pass out of introductory college chemistry and gave me the confidence to take on upper division chemistry classes as I pursue a second career as a certified nurse practioner.

The authors take you by the hand and walk step by step through a world that is logical and challenging. Their teaching method dispelled my fears of being too dumb and established a new found belief that I can and do understand chemistry.

I hope it will do the same for you.

I find this book a very thorough and painfully methodical step-by-step guide. Each concept is presented in a logical sequence and is broken into small pieces so it can be easily learned and absorbed. It has all the characteristics of good teaching: Small fractions of knowledge introduced progressively, frequent repetition, test questions on every other sentence, each piece is based on the previous, logical correlates and a sum-up test at the end of each passage. I don't mind the answers under each question, in fact I prefer it as it gives me instant feedback without having to flip back the pages 4 times a minute. I just hide the answers until I've answered the question. Even my cat could learn chemistry with this book. Brilliant!

Useful information for someone who had chemistry 37 years ago and now taking it again. The information was pretty clear and the actual problems are easy to work. I got this book along with another one, and my "fears" were resolved before I even started the class.

This book is fabulous. I purchased it so that I could more easily homeschool my eighth grader as I prepare him to take AP Chem next year. I have an excellent background in chemistry myself, so I was surprised to find myself looking at some topics in a fresh and helpful way. This book is easy to follow, with clear and understandable step-by-step problems making up each chapter. My 13 year old was coming up with the answers before I even finished asking the questions, it was that clear.

There are two reasons that I am only giving 4 stars:
1) I would have liked to see many more problems in order to reinforce the concepts that were so carefully laid out. I had to borrow a text book so that I could add more problems for my son.
2) I am aware of the possibility that my pre-existing understanding of the material might have allowed me to teach it more thoroughly and easily than your average homeschooler. It might not go into enough depth as a curriculum if you are looking for the whole enchilada. You might need to borrow another text to supplement it.

Overall...wonderful investment, inexpensive, great "frame" for introductory chemistry. I think this would be AMAZING as a "cheat" book for a high schooler or college student who is struggling.

I didn't like chemistry at school but now I'm interested. It's excellent for learning the basics and doing it alone.

My daughter said it is very helpful to her college chem class;

My daughter said it is very helpful to her college chem class;

This is exactly what I needed, a no frills, basic review of general chemistry. The topics flowed well from one to another. It covered all of the topics I remembered from general chemistry. It didn't go into too much detail which was perfect for me. I used this to study for my entrance exams into optometry school, and I can say that this book was worth it. I tried serveral other "study guides" and ended up just buying review books, such as this one, for each subject. I would recommend this book to anybody needing a quick review of general chemistry.

This chemistry book is well thought out, with problems after every little unit, self-tests after chapters, chemistry becomes much easier. (These are my son's comments)

This book is saving my behind. I was in college 10 years ago and dropped out, had three kids. Now I am in a prenursing program at a competitive university. I hadn't touched chemistry in over 15 years I believe. My first month of intro to chem was hell even with all the workshops and going to office hours until I picked up this book. My stinking textbook is horrible to read. I have a few other books on chemistry and this is the only one that is really making a difference for me.
Yes it is annoying how the answers are right after the problems yet at the same time I like that I don;t have to flip back to the book to find the answers. Perhaps they can just put it upside down to make it a bit harder for us to "cheat".
It is well worded. Lots of repetition for me. More topics to cover my entire textbook would be nice.

I bought three different books to use this summer to tutor a high school student in Chemistry before she goes into the class in the fall. This one is by far the best. It is clear, concise, well-written, with good exercises and good explanations. It would be nice if it had a few more exercises so she could get a lot of practice, but other than that, I'm finding it an excellent resource.

This book should be read by anyone who wants to master the fundamentals of chemistry. I use this book to prepare for the med school entrance exam here in Europe, and I owe the authors a big thank you for helping me progress in this subject which is, or was, at least a big obstacle for me.

The text is clear, on the point and very understandable. Someone noted that the answers are just below the questions. I think that works quite well, as I cover the answers with a bit of paper and thus have the opportunity to get the "feedback" right away, without having to turn the pages all the time.

Explanations are great, and the questions makes you always be on the alert for things that you have to re-read.

Espen, Norway.

I found this book very helpful in preparing for my teacher certification test to teach high school science. The concepts were presented in language that was easy to understand. The "fill-in-the-blank" format throughout the text helped to reinforce concepts. It helped me recall a great deal of Chemistry that I had learned in college years ago. Overall, an excellent book.

Yep... this only covers 1st semester General Chemistry. It didn't really follow my class well, but it may yours. I found it a rather difficult read and a little more complicated than need be for a 'teach yourself' text.

I found Chemistry for Dummies to be much more explanatory, easier to understand, and better.

So, this text in combination with Chemistry for Dummies make a good combo... The For Dummies book introduces the concepts so you can understand them, and this book takes you further in depth. But, if you're studying for Chem II, you're outta luck!

~BB

This book was very helpful. I found that this book is more detailed than the 900 page, $160 textbook I bought for the class.

I needed to get caught up quick for my chem class, and I was extremely rusty because my last class was years ago. This book has been an excellent help. The workbook format is really effective, as I learn when I do things and write them down. The author is an excellent teacher, and breaks everything down into simple, easy-to-understand terms. The self-check sections are nice too, as I can see if I really understood the lesson plan.

Long story short, I am really learning these fundamentals, and it is helping me with the more complex concepts in my class. I am extremely satisfied with this book.

I bought the self-teach book 'Chemistry Concepts & Problems' to help with my preparations for a medical entry exam and it is great! It is filled with questions, questions, questions & more questions (and answers of course!) and is a great overview of Chemistry up to grade 12/first year university. It is very easy to understand and learn from.

My only complaint is that immediately under each question is the answer, so you've seen the answer before you can even think about it! Why not put the answers at the back of the book like every other textbook? (This is why I deducted a star). [There are some 'self-tests' which don't have the answers immediately after the question, but I would have preferred no answers until the end, all the way through the book].

This aside, I have, and continue to learn a lot with it.
If you are looking for an easy to understand chemistry textbook as a refresher or to compliment your current chemistry course - go ahead - it's worth the money.

An excellent book for those taking a chemistry course or those who need to be refreshed for an upcoming comprehensive exam. It is straight forward, to the point. This book contains subjects that are most likely to appear on exams. It adds simplicity, if possible, to chemistry. A well deserved investment if you want to improve your grade.

This is a great resource for anyone wishing to learn basic chemistry or for anyone wishing to brush up on long forgotten basics. It explains challenging concepts using simple terms which can be understood by most people. I am very impressed with the author's teaching style.

I am in a chemistry class this year and I am using a book titled "Chemistry" by Raymond Chang. I decided to buy this book as a reference as my textbook has trouble explaining some of the concepts and problems. When I received this book, I noticed that it only covered up to about chapter 8 in my 32 chapter textbook. Although it only explains the fundamentals of chemistry, this book does do a good job explaining those parts.

This was a great book highlighting a lot of chemistry concepts. Working through the book I refreshed my old learning and thereby set myself up for increased success in chemical oceanography. The book was easy to understand and the solutions were clearly explained in terms supporting the information taught. I'd recommend this handy guide to anyone coming back to chemistry after a long time away. I wish there was a companion book dealing with organic and physical chemistry concepts.

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!

This book will just do what it promises: teach you the basics of chemistry. This is tailored so that even one who knows nothing about chemistry can learn (and even if he is a bit dumb!). Lately, the price is very low.

I am going back to school in the fall to start Pre-med. I hadn't taken chemistry since high school (my previous B.S. was in the arts, not science!) so I figured I'd review the basics to give myself a head start on my classes. This book is even better than I expected. It doesn't only contain information to read, it also allows you to interact with the material, solving problems, answering questions, and working formulas. Because learning by actually doing is so effective, this book has taught me more than I would have thought possible. I now feel more prepared for my courses, and am looking for more books in this series to give me a similar boost with calculus and biology. I highly recommend it. It makes a challenging subject very clear and understandable.

This book is set up in a way that reinforces the concepts you have just learned. For those of us that are unable to see the trees through the forest, this book will not only show you the trees, but it gives you land marks to find your way around, back, and through. And amazingly enough, the forest is not such a scarry place after all. A great book for the first time chemistry student