Chemistry: The Molecules of Life

About this book

Chemistry: The Molecules of Life emphasizes the fundamentals of chemistry to create a foundation of knowledge and connects the content to students' lives with relevant and contemporary examples. This text encourages students to develop problem-solving skills with practice exercises, worked examples, and support material. Chemistry: The Molecules of Life engages students from all majors with a wide range of pedagogical features and demonstrates chemistry's relevance to everyday life.

Rather than presenting chemistry as an isolated discipline, Chemistry: The Molecules of Life emphasizes the importance of chemical knowledge for understanding the molecular basis of life, which is relevant to students' health, environment, and everyday experiences. This contextual focus promotes scientific literacy and helps students develop the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate scientific information presented in the media and make informed decisions about their personal well-being.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. Antibiotics and resistance: an introduction to the molecules of life
Chapter 2. Elements of life and death: the chemistry of elements and atoms
Chapter 3. Chemical bonding
Chapter 4. Carbon: the element of life
Chapter 5. Molecular diversity
Chapter 6. Chemical reactions
Chapter 7. Monomers and polymers
Chapter 8. The unusual nature of water
Chapter 9. Molecules and ions in solution
Chapter 10. Measuring concentration
Chapter 11. Acids and bases
Chapter 12. DNA-the molecule of heredity
Chapter 13. From DNA to proteins
Chapter 14. Enzymes as biological catalysts
Chapter 15. Drug development

Appendix A Scientific Notation and Units
Appendix B Significant Figures
Appendix C Logarithms and the pH Scale
Appendix D Answers to Try It Yourself and Practice Exercises
Appendix E Answers to Selected Learning Resources (End-of-Chapter Questions)
Glossary
Credits
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Trace Jordan is Director of Foundations of Scientific Inquiry in the College Core Curriculum at New York University. Neville Kallenbach is Professor of Chemistry at New York University.