What textbook did you use for General Chemistry I & II?

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xnfs93hy

xnfs93hy

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I'd like to know what would be a good textbook to purchase. Also, what supplemental material did you use (if any)?
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jefgreen said:
Also, what supplemental material did you use (if any)?
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ACS Study Guide.

Our final exam was based on that and I think almost every school uses it too so get it early (15 bucks including shipping)!



PS - Don't buy books. Use sites like chegg to rent them for like 80% off the retail price.
 
jefgreen said:
I'd like to know what would be a good textbook to purchase. Also, what supplemental material did you use (if any)?
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The one the professor told me to buy. Even if they aren't the greatest chem books, it can be a pain to learn from a different book. At the very least, check out the class book from the library and do the probs.
 
DirtyJustice said:
And which class is ap supposed to be? Also, my school never touched acs manuals. I don't think almost all do either.
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I don't know, honestly. I've always expected the textbooks to be different. I didn't know they used the same ones...

Hmm, perhaps I should hold onto my Campbell Biology book then..
 
Brown, LeMay, Burstein. It got me hooked on chemistry. :D
 
Silberberg, Molecular Nature of Matter and Change. I thought it was pretty good.
 
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I'll have to reiterate, Chemistry: The central science. Brown, Lemay, Burstein.
 
mmmcdowe said:
The one the professor told me to buy. Even if they aren't the greatest chem books, it can be a pain to learn from a different book. At the very least, check out the class book from the library and do the probs.
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Yeah...OP, you should be getting the book that your professor uses. My gen chem prof used a lot of the same diagrams in her lecture notes so it was nice to look them in the textbook and read their explanations.

Also, if your original question was about buying a book to study ahead, DON'T DO IT.
 
nickmx50 said:
I'll have to reiterate, Chemistry: The central science. Brown, Lemay, Burstein.
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this. I used the 10th edition and it was my favorite textbook of all time, perhaps it might be because it was my first textbook in college :p
 
Chemistry: the central science.
I used this book instead of our textbook, sooo much better.
bought an 2002-ish old edition for 75 cents online.
 
Robert Chang. I thought the diagrams were great but the mathematics portion was about as worthless as nipples on a male dog...
 
I also used Brown, LeMay, Bursten, and thought it was pretty good.
 
bad virus said:
QFT

I tutored the crap for four years and now I tutor the undergrad physics. This is the god of Chem books. Accept no substitutes. I took the Honors Chemistry at our school and never showed up to class once and just relied all on this bad boy. It has everything you need and more.
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Which edition of that book should I buy? Also, should this book cover material that would be taught in Gen. Chem. II?
 
trauma12 said:
Robert Chang. I thought the diagrams were great but the mathematics portion was about as worthless as nipples on a male dog...
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This is what my prof. wants. Clearly there are better texts out there.
 
FloatOn said:
Yeah...OP, you should be getting the book that your professor uses. My gen chem prof used a lot of the same diagrams in her lecture notes so it was nice to look them in the textbook and read their explanations.

Also, if your original question was about buying a book to study ahead, DON'T DO IT.
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Why? Wouldn't studying ahead be to my advantage? :confused:
 
This is for AP Chem, by the way. And to get a head start on Gen Chem II material.
 
jefgreen said:
Why? Wouldn't studying ahead be to my advantage? :confused:
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Studying ahead generally does not give you a significant advantage in a class. You may have already gone over it, but chances are by the time you cover that material in class you will have forgotten most of what you may have learned from studying ahead. I personally think that you learn material like this much better when you just learn most of what you need to know from the in-class portion and use the text as a supplement, rather than pre-studying the text which may well just confuse you further. Studying the text also doesn't give you any idea of what your teacher thinks is necessary. You may think that you have a good understanding of the material from reading the text, but who knows what your teacher wants you to learn and what order you'll learn it in?

The best way for you to learn the material well and succeed in the class is to attend every class (limit your mental health days, haha) and read the text for the material when it is assigned in class. Do all of the practice problems assigned as well. Don't waste your time trying to study ahead!
 
jefgreen said:
This is for AP Chem, by the way. And to get a head start on Gen Chem II material.
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Okay... I tell this to all high school students...

Relax... its okay to get a B in AP chem... lets say you work day in-day out, get an A in AP Chem, get a 5 on the exam, and get credit for chemistry

the reality is (that despite some med schools accepting AP credit), some med med school's simply dont like AP credits to fulfill REQUIRED science prereq courses... so even if you have ap bio, ap chem, ap physics credit I would STRONGLY recommend you take it again in college... a year of general bio, general chem, general physics, and orgo.... whether you want to do upper level science courses is up to you, but my impression is that general bio, chem, physics, and orgo are the most important courses med school ad com's look at.... even more important than upper level science courses


i did not do ap chem in high school... in fact, I did HORRIBLE in chem in high school... and I got an A in both the lecture and labs and beat out MANY MANY MANY MANY students who had done AP chem in high school... in the beginning I really felt like I was going to struggle, since a lot of my class had done AP chem in high school... but that was not the case...

point is, however much high school teachers want to make their students believe what they are teaching is important, in reality looking at the bigger picture (both for college and career wise) all these high school courses and things that high school teachers emphasize are USELESS.

Even if you go to Harvard, I THINK the chem professor HAS TO ASSUME that some students in the class have not done AP Chem in high school (since some high schools dont have that course) and so the professor has to teach assuming no one has had chem before, despite majority of the class having had chem... still you can learn chem in college

relax, enjoy life, and learn chem in college by reading the required textbook of the class...
and pick up an MCAT Chemistry prep book (I recommend Berkeley Review series) while doing chem at college and doing the MCAT book.. this way both your lecture grade in chem as well as the chem tested section on MCAT you will do well in I believe
finally, an EXCELLENT supplemental book is Schaums 3000 solved problems in chemistry... with this combination, you will do well in college chemistry regardless of whether you have had AP chem or not

so enjoy high school... and especially if you are in your senior year...
 
General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts by Chang
 
At the time of publication, General Chemistry (4th Edition) by John W. Hill, Ralph H. Petrucci, Terry W. McCreary, and Scott S. Perry was one of the best books available. It hasn't been updated in six years, however, so it might be inferior to newer texts (not that general chemistry has changed at all during the past six years). I supplemented that text with General Chemistry by Linus Pauling, which offered a unique perspective on each subject. Pauling's book was fascinating from a historical perspective, too.
 
jefgreen said:
This is what my prof. wants. Clearly there are better texts out there.
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jefgreen said:
Why? Wouldn't studying ahead be to my advantage? :confused:
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jefgreen said:
This is for AP Chem, by the way. And to get a head start on Gen Chem II material.
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So, you're a high school senior taking AP Chem right now and you'll be starting Gen Chem II-type material this spring? Or you'll be taking it this fall when you start college? Or something else? (Your pre-medical status confuses me.)

Whatever the case is, I think taking AP Chem gives you an advantage when you take Gen Chem in college. It is certainly not required and plenty of people do well in college without it. I took AP chem and it was one of the more challenging classes I took in HS. I still used the same techniques when I got to college.

However, I do not recommend studying ahead as far in advance as I think you are doing. If it's for your current AP Chem class, then sure, use outside resources if necessary. If you're still in HS and studying ahead for college, then slow down kiddo.

You will end up learning things you really don't need to know. Maybe the prof will make you learn it a different way from the book and it'll throw you off because you were used to it a certain way. You might get confused and there'll be no one there to clarify your questions. Basically, you have to be flexible with any material that is presented to you, at the appropriate time. It's one thing to read ahead for the following week, but anything more than that is overdoing it, I think.
 
FloatOn said:
So, you're a high school senior taking AP Chem right now and you'll be starting Gen Chem II-type material this spring? Or you'll be taking it this fall when you start college? Or something else? (Your pre-medical status confuses me.)

Whatever the case is, I think taking AP Chem gives you an advantage when you take Gen Chem in college. It is certainly not required and plenty of people do well in college without it. I took AP chem and it was one of the more challenging classes I took in HS. I still used the same techniques when I got to college.

However, I do not recommend studying ahead as far in advance as I think you are doing. If it's for your current AP Chem class, then sure, use outside resources if necessary. If you're still in HS and studying ahead for college, then slow down kiddo.

You will end up learning things you really don't need to know. Maybe the prof will make you learn it a different way from the book and it'll throw you off because you were used to it a certain way. You might get confused and there'll be no one there to clarify your questions. Basically, you have to be flexible with any material that is presented to you, at the appropriate time. It's one thing to read ahead for the following week, but anything more than that is overdoing it, I think.
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I plan on self teaching myself AP Chemistry. I'm already taking a couple AP classes at school and will take the exams for those. In addition, I'm also self teaching myself AP Bio. which is going pretty well thus far. I'm just using a simple review book for that exam though. AP Chemistry will definitely end up being my most difficult exam and I think for this one, I'll really end up needing a textbook. Hence why I created this thread.

The game plan: Buy a couple review guides and a text to self-teach myself AP Chemistry (General Chemistry I equivalent). Nail the exam, snag the credit.

This fall when I start college I will (hopefully) take General Chemistry II.

Assuming everything falls into place, after I get my results back (assuming I get at least a three..) I HOPE TO pick up the General Chemistry II textbook REQUIRED by my General Chemistry II class and I am just going to go by the departmental syllabus online. Sure, some of my efforts may be wasted when I receive my professors section specific syllabus but at least I'll have a general knowledge of the second half of General Chemistry if I do things this way.

I hope this clarifies things.
 
Zumdahl is a GREAT gen-chem book. Purchase the solutions guide with it, and you're cookin' some great steak.
 
jefgreen said:
I plan on self teaching myself AP Chemistry. I'm already taking a couple AP classes at school and will take the exams for those. In addition, I'm also self teaching myself AP Bio. which is going pretty well thus far. I'm just using a simple review book for that exam though. AP Chemistry will definitely end up being my most difficult exam and I think for this one, I'll really end up needing a textbook. Hence why I created this thread.

The game plan: Buy a couple review guides and a text to self-teach myself AP Chemistry (General Chemistry I equivalent). Nail the exam, snag the credit.

This fall when I start college I will (hopefully) take General Chemistry II.

Assuming everything falls into place, after I get my results back (assuming I get at least a three..) I HOPE TO pick up the General Chemistry II textbook REQUIRED by my General Chemistry II class and I am just going to go by the departmental syllabus online. Sure, some of my efforts may be wasted when I receive my professors section specific syllabus but at least I'll have a general knowledge of the second half of General Chemistry if I do things this way.

I hope this clarifies things.
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Yes it does, thanks. Except the AP Chem exams also tests Gen Chem II-type material, like acids and bases, redox, solid state, other stuff I can't recall, so are you only planning to learn and score well enough to earn college credit for GC I? I took AP chem 5 years ago so correct me if the exam format has changed since then.

At my high school, it took the entire year to learn the material and prepare for the AP exam, so if you're only starting now, it's going to be really tough to do well considering you have your other classes (and AP exams) to worry about too AND you're self-teaching AP Bio.
 
FloatOn said:
Yes it does, thanks. Except the AP Chem exams also tests Gen Chem II-type material, like acids and bases, redox, solid state, other stuff I can't recall, so are you only planning to learn and score well enough to earn college credit for GC I? I took AP chem 5 years ago so correct me if the exam format has changed since then.

At my high school, it took the entire year to learn the material and prepare for the AP exam, so if you're only starting now, it's going to be really tough to do well considering you have your other classes (and AP exams) to worry about too AND you're self-teaching AP Bio.
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I believe it does include some General Chemistry II stuff, but the exam will only place me out of General Chemistry I. Hence why I asked what would be a good textbook that would cover me through General Chemistry II.

I know it's going to be tough, but I can do it. I did very well in my previous Chemistry course so some of the material will be a review. So that helps me out a bit.
 
jefgreen said:
I believe it does include some General Chemistry II stuff, but the exam will only place me out of General Chemistry I. Hence why I asked what would be a good textbook that would cover me through General Chemistry II.

I know it's going to be tough, but I can do it. I did very well in my previous Chemistry course so some of the material will be a review. So that helps me out a bit.
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Oh, ok. Good luck to you then! :luck: AP Chem was definitely one of the more difficult exams. BC Calc was in a world of its own.
 
FloatOn said:
Oh, ok. Good luck to you then! :luck: AP Chem was definitely one of the more difficult exams. BC Calc was in a world of its own.
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Thank you :D. And yeah, BC Calc is nasty. I'm not even in that class.
 
I spent most of my freshman year at one university and transferred before winter quarter to another. Both used Chemistry: The Central Science by Brown, LeMay, and Bursten. It's fantastic.

But my advice? Just use whatever your prof tells you to. Otherwise you might end up wasting your time with material you'll never cover in class. Unless you can get a copy of the syllabus from your prof ahead of time, you'll just have a plethora of material to wade through and half of it might not be covered in your class, or at least not until far later.

Focus on what you're doing now and master that. That's far more important.
 
Oh, and both universities used Brown, LeMay, and Bursten for Gen Chem I and II.
 
jefgreen said:
Which edition of that book should I buy? Also, should this book cover material that would be taught in Gen. Chem. II?
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Yes it is good for G-Chem 1 and 2 and more. I used the eighth edition which is only eight cents now. You should get the 10th edition (used here for $7.02) Just to say you have a newer one. Do not buy the 11th edition because not a word has changed in the book since then. Shoot, you would be fine with the 8th edition too but I just like having newer books.

Good luck man, and it will be the best 10 bucks (after shipping) you ever spent.

To all of you that APed out of Chem, take chem again in college. This is too high yeild of an MCAT topic to miss out on like this. I promise you will not regret it and plus it is an easy A if you already APed out.
 
s1lver said:
ACS Study Guide.

Our final exam was based on that and I think almost every school uses it too so get it early (15 bucks including shipping)!



PS - Don't buy books. Use sites like chegg to rent them for like 80% off the retail price.
Click to expand...

or most of the time you can buy them from half.com for the same price as chegg etc. charges to rent them, then you actually get to keep it
 
xnfs93hy said:
I'd like to know what would be a good textbook to purchase. Also, what supplemental material did you use (if any)?
Click to expand...
I recommended "Chemistry: The Central Science." It is written by Theodore Brown, H. Eugene LeMay, Bruce E. Bursten, Catherine Murphy, Patrick Woodward, and Matthew E. Stoltzfus.
If you are a beginner and want to learn all about chemistry than this book is right option to buy. It is very well structured, student engaging and easy to understand. For more details: @bit.ly/2fBlXYj
 
lorenzomicron said:
I think the Brown, Le May, and Bauer book is best.

Amazon product
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Nope, I read both since I'm fond of chemistry. I compared the two. Tro has easier problems and some of the solutions are incorrect. Where as, Brown has more difficult problems, and explains the material and a complicated way. Tro breaks it down. It's all a basis of personal preference. I'd go with Tro and do the problems from Brown if you have both lol
 
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