Steve and Susan Zumdahl's texts focus on helping students build critical thinking skills through the process of becoming independent problem-solvers. They help students learn to "think like chemists" so they can apply the problem-solving process to all aspects of their lives. In this Second Edition of CHEMISTRY: AN ATOMS FIRST APPROACH, the Zumdahls use a meaningful approach that begins with the atom and proceeds through the concept of molecules, structure, and bonding to more complex materials and their properties. Because this approach differs from what most students have experienced in high school courses, it encourages them to focus on conceptual learning early in the course, rather than relying on memorization and a “plug and chug” method of problem solving that even the best students can fall back on when confronted with familiar material. The atoms first organization provides an opportunity for students to use the tools of critical thinkers: to ask questions, to apply rules and models, and to evaluate outcomes. This briefer, paperbound version does not contain the end-of-chapter problems, which can be assigned in OWLv2, the online homework and learning system for this book. Access to OWLv2 and the MindTap Reader eBook is included with the Hybrid version. The MindTap Reader is the full version of the text, with all end-of-chapter questions and problem sets.

Review: Measurement and Calculations in Chemistry.
1. Chemical Foundations.
2. Atomic Structure and Periodicity.
3. Bonding: General Concepts.
4. Molecular Structure and Orbitals.
5. Stoichiometry.
6. Types of Chemical Reactions and Solution Stoichiometry.
7. Chemical Energy.
8. Gases.
9. Liquids and Solids.
10. Properties of Solutions.
11. Chemical Kinetics.
12. Chemical Equilibrium.
13. Acids and Bases.
14. Acid-Base Equilibria
15. Solubility and Complex Ion Equilibria.
16. Spontaneity, Entropy, and Free Energy.
17. Electrochemistry.
18. The Nucleus: A Chemist's View.
19. The Representative Elements.
20. Transition Metals and Coordination Chemistry.
21. Organic and Biological Molecules.

Steve and Susan Zumdahl's texts focus on helping students build critical thinking skills through the process of becoming independent problem-solvers. They help students learn to "think like chemists" so they can apply the problem-solving process to all aspects of their lives. In this Second Edition of CHEMISTRY: AN ATOMS FIRST APPROACH, the Zumdahls use a meaningful approach that begins with the atom and proceeds through the concept of molecules, structure, and bonding to more complex materials and their properties. Because this approach differs from what most students have experienced in high school courses, it encourages them to focus on conceptual learning early in the course, rather than relying on memorization and a “plug and chug” method of problem solving that even the best students can fall back on when confronted with familiar material. The atoms first organization provides an opportunity for students to use the tools of critical thinkers: to ask questions, to apply rules and models, and to evaluate outcomes. This briefer, paperbound version does not contain the end-of-chapter problems, which can be assigned in OWLv2, the online homework and learning system for this book. Access to OWLv2 and the MindTap Reader eBook is included with the Hybrid version. The MindTap Reader is the full version of the text, with all end-of-chapter questions and problem sets. NEW “CRITICAL THINKING” QUESTIONS provide a greater emphasis on the importance of conceptual learning. NEW CHEMWORK EXERCISES, which can be worked using the online system or as pencil-and-paper problems, test students’ understanding of core chapter concepts. NEW ATOMS FIRST MARGIN NOTES throughout the text enhance teaching and learning using an atoms first approach. NEW ATOMS FIRST BOXED FEATURES “CONNECTING TO ATOMS” help students understand how varying chapter content works together under an atoms first approach through a summary of key concepts at point-of-use, which provides both a review of atoms first concepts and a glimpse of what is ahead. ENHANCED ONLINE LEARNING: The #1 online homework and learning system for chemistry, OWLv2, is available for this text--and now features more flexible student and instructor functionality, new personalized study tools, enhanced integration with learning management systems, and improved analytics. OWLv2 for this text also includes Quick Prep, an online short course that reviews key chemistry concepts and essential skills, new Adaptive Study Plans, hundreds of new interactive versions of the text’s end-of-chapter questions, and new tutors, visualizations, and simulations that have been converted from Flash to HTML, allowing for easier navigation and streamlined grading. AN ATOMS FIRST APPROACH: By taking an atoms first approach, the authors provide students with a unified story built around an organizing principle--start the course with the smallest element, the atom, and build from there. Building their explanations around this structure, the authors consistently show the importance and relevance of studying chemistry. A FOCUS ON CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING: Rather than focusing on memorizing, the book gives students the tools they need to become critical thinkers: to ask questions, to apply rules and develop models, and to evaluate the outcome. A STRONG PROBLEM-SOLVING ORIENTATION: Throughout the text, problem-solving strategies help students learn to solve problems by thinking them through rather than brute-force memorizing. Section 5.3 "Learning to Solve Problems" emphasizes the importance of thoughtful, creative problem solving, demonstrating that thinking through a problem produces more long-term, meaningful learning that can be applied to "real life" than memorizing steps that apply only to a particular type of problem. The problem-solving process is organized in terms of "Where are we going?"; "How do we get there?"; and "Reality Check," which prompts students to check whether their answer makes sense. STUDENT-ORIENTED LEARNING AIDS: Problem-solving strategy boxes help students focus on particular aspects of problem-solving; concept summary boxes help students organize their thinking about crucial concepts; critical-thinking questions help students to contemplate various atoms first concepts; chemical connections boxes present applications of chemistry in various fields and in daily life; and atoms first boxes provide an overall summary at critical junctures that ties together concepts to enhance student understanding.