From bonds and reactions to acids, bases, and the mole, this book focuses on the essential information and concepts students encounter in a first semester college or high school chemistry class.

Includes index.

Matter and energy: exploring the stuff of chemistry -- What's in an atom? -- The periodic table -- Nuclear chemistry -- Ionic bonding -- Covalent bonding -- Chemical reactions -- Electrochemistry : using electrons -- Measuring substances with the mole -- A salute to solutions -- Acids and bases -- Clearing the air on gases -- Ten serendipitous discoveries in chemistry.