25 Best 「chemistry」 Books of 2024| Books Explorer

In this article, we will rank the recommended books for chemistry. The list is compiled and ranked by our own score based on reviews and reputation on the Internet.
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Table of Contents
  1. The Disappearing Spoon
  2. Chemistry Workbook For Dummies with Online Practice
  3. Organic Chemistry As a Second Language: First Semester Topics
  4. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
  5. Tools Of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
  6. Chemistry: A Molecular Approach (3rd Edition)
  7. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
  8. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics: in Chemistry, Materials Science, and Biology
  9. Natural Obsessions: Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell
  10. How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
Other 15 books
No.1
100

The Disappearing Spoon

Kean, Sam
Little, Brown and Company

From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, finance, mythology, the arts, medicine, and more, as told by the Periodic Table. Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. The Disappearing Spoon masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery -- from the Big Bang through the end of time. Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. A classic science prank is to mold gallium spoons, serve them with tea, and watch guests recoil as their utensils disappear.

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No.2
95

Take the confusion out of chemistry with hundreds of practice problems Chemistry Workbook For Dummies is your ultimate companion for introductory chemistry at the high school or college level. Packed with hundreds of practice problems, this workbook gives you the practice you need to internalize the essential concepts that form the foundations of chemistry. From matter and molecules to moles and measurements, these problems cover the full spectrum of topics you'll see in class―and each section includes key concept review and full explanations for every problem to quickly get you on the right track. This new third edition includes access to an online test bank, where you'll find bonus chapter quizzes to help you test your understanding and pinpoint areas in need of review. Whether you're preparing for an exam or seeking a start-to-finish study aid, this workbook is your ticket to acing basic chemistry. \nChemistry problems can look intimidating; it's a whole new language, with different rules, new symbols, and complex concepts. The good news is that practice makes perfect, and this book provides plenty of it―with easy-to-understand coaching every step of the way. \n\nDelve deep into the parts of the periodic table Get comfortable with units, scientific notation, and chemical equations Work with states, phases, energy, and charges Master nomenclature, acids, bases, titrations, redox reactions, and more \nUnderstanding introductory chemistry is critical for your success in all science classes to follow; keeping up with the material now makes life much easier down the education road. Chemistry Workbook For Dummies gives you the practice you need to succeed!

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No.3
95

Readers continue to turn to Klein's Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: First Semester Topics, 4th Edition because it enables them to better understand fundamental principles, solve problems, and focus on what they need to know to succeed. This edition explores the major principles in the field and explains why they are relevant. It is written in a way that clearly shows the patterns in organic chemistry so that readers can gain a deeper conceptual understanding of the material. Topics are presented clearly in an accessible writing style along with numerous hands-on problem solving exercises.

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No.4
84

Long before Oliver Sacks became a distinguished neurologist and bestselling writer, he was a small English boy fascinated by metals–also by chemical reactions (the louder and smellier the better), photography, squids and cuttlefish, H.G. Wells, and the periodic table. In this endlessly charming and eloquent memoir, the author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings chronicles his love affair with science and the magnificently odd and sometimes harrowing childhood in which that love affair unfolded.In Uncle Tungsten we meet Sacks’ extraordinary family, from his surgeon mother (who introduces the fourteen-year-old Oliver to the art of human dissection) and his father, a family doctor who imbues in his son an early enthusiasm for housecalls, to his “Uncle Tungsten,” whose factory produces tungsten-filament lightbulbs. We follow the young Oliver as he is exiled at the age of six to a grim, sadistic boarding school to escape the London Blitz, and later watch as he sets about passionately reliving the exploits of his chemical heroes–in his own home laboratory. Uncle Tungsten is a crystalline view of a brilliant young mind springing to life, a story of growing up which is by turns elegiac, comic, and wistful, full of the electrifying joy of discovery.

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No.5
84

The latest groundbreaking tome from Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek.From the author:“For the last two years, I’ve interviewed more than 200 world-class performers for my podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. The guests range from super celebs (Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc.) and athletes (icons of powerlifting, gymnastics, surfing, etc.) to legendary Special Operations commanders and black-market biochemists. For most of my guests, it’s the first time they’ve agreed to a two-to-three-hour interview. This unusual depth has helped make The Tim Ferriss Show the first business/interview podcast to pass 100 million downloads.“This book contains the distilled tools, tactics, and ‘inside baseball’ you won’t find anywhere else. It also includes new tips from past guests, and life lessons from new ‘guests’ you haven’t met.“What makes the show different is a relentless focus on actionable details. This is reflected in the questions. For example: What do these people do in the first sixty minutes of each morning? What do their workout routines look like, and why? What books have they gifted most to other people? What are the biggest wastes of time for novices in their field? What supplements do they take on a daily basis?“I don’t view myself as an interviewer. I view myself as an experimenter. If I can’t test something and replicate results in the messy reality of everyday life, I’m not interested.“Everything within these pages has been vetted, explored, and applied to my own life in some fashion. I’ve used dozens of the tactics and philosophies in high-stakes negotiations, high-risk environments, or large business dealings. The lessons have made me millions of dollars and saved me years of wasted effort and frustration.“I created this book, my ultimate notebook of high-leverage tools, for myself. It’s changed my life, and I hope the same for you.”

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No.6
84

ALERT: This is a standalone book and does not contain an access code. If you would like to purchase the version that includes the Access Card Package please visit: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321804716 Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, Third Edition is an innovative, pedagogically driven text that explains challenging concepts in a student-oriented manner. Nivaldo Tro creates a rigorous and accessible treatment of general chemistry in the context of relevance and the big picture. Chemistry is presented visually through multi-level images–macroscopic, molecular, and symbolic representations–helping students see the connections between the world they see around them (macroscopic), the atoms and molecules that compose the world (molecular), and the formulas they write down on paper (symbolic). The hallmarks of Dr. Tro’s problem-solving approach are reinforced through interactive media that provide students with an office-hour type of environment built around worked examples and expanded coverage on the latest developments in chemistry. Pioneering features allow students to sketch their ideas through new problems, and much more.

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No.7
80

Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie." —The New York Observer“The Poisoner’s Handbook breathes deadly life into the Roaring Twenties.” —Financial Times“Reads like science fiction, complete with suspense, mystery and foolhardy guys in lab coats tipping test tubes of mysterious chemicals into their own mouths.” —NPR: What We're ReadingA fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era. In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.In 2014, PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE released a film based on The Poisoner's Handbook.

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No.8
80

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics provides a lucid, up-to-date introduction to the principles of quantum mechanics at the level of undergraduates and first-year graduate students in chemistry, materials science, biology and related fields. It shows how the fundamental concepts of quantum theory arose from classic experiments in physics and chemistry, and presents the quantum-mechanical foundations of modern techniques including molecular spectroscopy, lasers and NMR. Blinder also discusses recent conceptual developments in quantum theory, including Schrödinger's Cat, the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiment, Bell's theorem and quantum computing.

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No.9
78

As dramatic as The Double Hex and as absorbing as The Soul of a New Machine, Natural Obsessions explores the advanced reaches of molecular biology, the nature of the human cell, and the genes that control cancer. It unforgettably portrays some of the best young scientists in the world, the rewards and discouragements of scientific research, and the very process of scientific inquiry.

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No.10
78

“Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured.” —New York TimesA #1 New York Times Bestseller, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, and New York Times Notable BookA brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiencesWhen Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

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No.11
78

Introduction to Polymer Chemistry

Carraher Jr., Charles E.
CRC Press

Introduction to Polymer Chemistry provides undergraduate students with a much-needed, well-rounded presentation of the principles and applications of natural, synthetic, inorganic, and organic polymers. With an emphasis on the environment and green chemistry and materials, this fourth edition continues to provide detailed coverage of natural and synthetic giant molecules, inorganic and organic polymers, elastomers, adhesives, coatings, fibers, plastics, blends, caulks, composites, and ceramics. Building on undergraduate work in foundational courses, the text fulfills the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training (ACS CPT) in-depth course requirement

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No.12
77

Join journalist Barry Werth as he pulls back the curtain on Vertex, a start-up pharmaceutical company, and witness firsthand the intense drama being played out in the pioneering and hugely profitable field of drug research. Founded by Joshua Boger, a dynamic Harvard- and Merck-trained scientific whiz kid, Vertex is dedicated to designing -- atom by atom -- both a new life-saving immunosuppressant drug, and a drug to combat the virus that causes AIDS. You will be hooked from start to finish, as you go from the labs, where obsessive, fiercely competitive scientists struggle for a breakthrough, to Wall Street, where the wheeling and dealing takes on a life of its own, as Boger courts investors and finally decides to take Vertex public. Here is a fascinating no-holds-barred account of the business of science, which includes an updated epilogue about the most recent developments in the quest for a drug to cure AIDS.

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No.13
77

Chemistry: Atoms First

Burdge, Julia
McGraw-Hill Science Engineering

The Atoms First approach provides a consistent and logical method for teaching general chemistry. This approach starts with the fundamental building block of matter, the atom, and uses it as the stepping stone to understanding more complex chemistry topics. Once mastery of the nature of atoms and electrons is achieved, the formation and properties of compounds are developed. Only after the study of matter and the atom will students have sufficient background to fully engage in topics such as stoichiometry, kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics. Thus, the Atoms First method empowers instructors to present the most complete and compelling story of general chemistry. Far from a simple re-ordering of topics, this is a book that will truly meet the needs of the growing atoms-first market.

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No.14
76

Chemistry, Seventh Edition provides the necessary practice, support, concept mastery and individualized instruction that ensure success in the General Chemistry course. The unique "chemical tools" approach employed in this book provides a way of thinking that helps readers develop the ability to analyze and solve both mathematical and conceptual problems.

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No.15
76

This Big Fat Notebook covers everything you need to know during a year of secondary school chemistry class, breaking down one big bad subject into accessible units. Learn to study better and get better grades using mnemonic devices, definitions, diagrams, educational doodles, and quizzes to recap it all. Including: Atoms, elements, compounds and mixtures The periodic table Quantum theory Bonding The mole Chemical reactions and calculations Gas laws Solubility pH scale

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No.16
76

In this timely and much praised book, Barry Werth draws upon inside reporting that spans more than two decades. He provides a groundbreaking close-up of the upstart pharmaceutical company Vertex and the ferocious but indispensable world of Big Pharma that it inhabits.In 1989, the charismatic Joshua Boger left Merck, then America’s most admired business, to found a drug company that would challenge industry giants and transform health care. Werth described the company’s tumultuous early days during the AIDS crisis in The Billion-Dollar Molecule, a celebrated classic of science and business journalism. Now he returns to tell a riveting story of Vertex’s bold endurance and eventual success.The $325 billion-a-year pharmaceutical business is America’s toughest and one of its most profitable. It’s riskier and more rigorous at just about every stage than any other business, from the towering biological uncertainties inherent in its mission to treat disease; to the 30-to-1 failure rate in bringing out a successful medicine even after a molecule clears all the hurdles to get to human testing; to the multibillion-dollar cost of ramping up a successful product; to operating in the world’s most regulated industry, matched only by nuclear power.Werth captures the full scope of Vertex’s twenty-five-year drive to deliver breakthrough medicines. At a time when America struggles to maintain its innovative edge, The Antidote is a powerful inside look at one of the most intriguing and important business stories of recent decades.

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No.17
76

Chemistry? No problem!  This Big Fat Notebook covers everything you need to know during a year of high school chemistry class, breaking down one big bad subject into accessible units. Learn to study better and get better grades using mnemonic devices, definitions, diagrams, educational doodles, and quizzes to recap it all.  Including:  Atoms, elements, compounds and mixtures The periodic table Quantum theory Bonding The mole Chemical reactions and calculations  Gas laws  Solubility  pH scale Titrations  Le Chatelier's principle ...and much more!

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No.18
76

The First Book To Truly Make Chemistry Easy - Special Launch Price!This book includes over 300 illustrations to help you visualize what is necessary to understand chemistry at it's core. While Chemistry is a huge topic, it's not necessary to spend years studying it unless it's your major in college. For most of us, we need a clear grasp on the subject to progress through school. This book has you covered. You will surely not be a chemistry newbie after reading this. You will learn that chemistry is about matter. You can break matter down a great deal-all the way down to molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles. The smaller the matter, the more fascinating it gets.Click the cover to see what's inside. Then get yours now by clicking the "Buy Now" button!

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No.19
75

Physical chemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies atoms, subatoms and particulate phenomena in order to understand concepts related to energy, force, motion, etc. It studies a number of theories to develop a better understanding of the effects of intermolecular forces, surface chemistry, colligative properties and electrochemical cells. This book elucidates new techniques and their applications in a multidisciplinary approach. It strives to provide a fair idea about this discipline and to help develop a better understanding of the latest advances within this field. Those in search of information to further their knowledge will be greatly assisted by this book.

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No.20
75

In Cathedrals of Science, Patrick Coffey describes how chemistry got its modern footing-how thirteen brilliant men and one woman struggled with the laws of the universe and with each other. They wanted to discover how the world worked, but they also wanted credit for making those discoveries, and their personalities often affected how that credit was assigned. Gilbert Lewis, for example, could be reclusive and resentful, and his enmity with Walther Nernst may have cost him the Nobel Prize; Irving Langmuir, gregarious and charming, "rediscovered" Lewis's theory of the chemical bond and received much of the credit for it. Langmuir's personality smoothed his path to the Nobel Prize over Lewis.Coffey deals with moral and societal issues as well. These same scientists were the first to be seen by their countries as military assets. Fritz Haber, dubbed the "father of chemical warfare," pioneered the use of poison gas in World War I-vividly described-and Glenn Seaborg and Harold Urey were leaders in World War II's Manhattan Project; Urey and Linus Pauling worked for nuclear disarmament after the war. Science was not always fair, and many were excluded. The Nazis pushed Jewish scientists like Haber from their posts in the 1930s. Anti-Semitism was also a force in American chemistry, and few women were allowed in; Pauling, for example, used his influence to cut off the funding and block the publications of his rival, Dorothy Wrinch.Cathedrals of Science paints a colorful portrait of the building of modern chemistry from the late 19th to the mid-20th century.

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No.21
75

Principles of Inorganic Chemistry

Close, Dennis
Larsen & Keller Educ

The synthesis and behavior of organometallic and inorganic compounds are studied in inorganic chemistry. All chemical compounds that do not have a carbon-hydrogen bond are known as inorganic compounds. These are generally classified as coordination compounds, transition metal compounds, cluster compounds, bioinorganic compounds, etc. The concepts of the Bohr model of the atom, ligand field theory, molecular orbital theory, density functional theory, VSEPR theory and the molecular symmetry group theory are integral to the development of this field. Inorganic chemistry has applications in all aspects of the chemical industry, such as in catalysis, coatings, surfactants, pigments, etc. besides the agriculture and medicine industry. This textbook is a valuable compilation of topics, ranging from the basic to the most complex theories and principles in the field of inorganic chemistry. It attempts to understand the multiple branches that fall under this discipline and how such concepts have practical applications. It aims to serve as a resource guide for students and experts alike and contribute to the growth of the discipline.

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No.22
75

Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann's contributions to chemistry are well known. Less well known, however, is that over a career that spans nearly fifty years, Hoffmann has thought and written extensively about a wide variety of other topics, such as chemistry's relationship to philosophy, literature, and the arts, including the nature of chemical reasoning, the role of symbolism and writing in science, and the relationship between art and craft and science. In Roald Hoffmann on the Philosophy, Art, and Science of Chemistry, Jeffrey Kovac and Michael Weisberg bring together twenty-eight of Hoffmann's most important essays. Gathered here are Hoffmann's most philosophically significant and interesting essays and lectures, many of which are not widely accessible. In essays such as "Why Buy That Theory," "Nearly Circular Reasoning," "How Should Chemists Think," "The Metaphor, Unchained," "Art in Science," and "Molecular Beauty," we find the mature reflections of one of America's leading scientists. Organized under the general headings of Chemical Reasoning and Explanation, Writing and Communicating, Art and Science, Education, and Ethics, these stimulating essays provide invaluable insight into the teaching and practice of science.

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No.23
75

Written for the laboratory that accompanies the sophomore/junior level courses in Organic Chemistry, Zubrick provides students with a valuable guide to the basic techniques of the Organic Chemistry lab. The book will help students understand and practice good lab safety. It will also help students become familiar with basic instrumentation, techniques and apparatus and help them master the latest techniques such as interpretation of infrared spectroscopy. The guide is mostly macroscale in its orientation.

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No.24
75

In this New York Times Notable Book, "Mark Miodownik, a materials scientist, explains the history and science behind things such as paper, glass, chocolate, and concrete with an infectious enthusiasm."—Scientific AmericanWinner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science BooksWhy is glass see-through? What makes elastic stretchy? Why does any material look and behave the way it does? These are the sorts of questions that renowned materials scientist and New York Times bestselling author Mark Miodownik constantly asks himself. Studying objects as ordinary as an envelope and as unexpected as concrete cloth, he uncovers the fascinating secrets that hold together our physical world.In Stuff Matters, Miodownik explores the materials he encounters in a typical morning, from the steel in his razor to the foam in his sneakers. Full of enthralling tales of the miracles of engineering that permeate our lives, his stories of analysis will make you see stuff in a whole new way."Stuff Matters is about hidden wonders, the astonishing properties of materials we think boring, banal, and unworthy of attention...It's possible this science and these stories have been told elsewhere, but like the best chocolatiers, Miodownik gets the blend right."—New York Times Book Review

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No.25
74

Did you know that all of the elements in the known cosmos can be listed in a table on a single sheet of paper and that chemical combinations of those elements make up the thousands of substances that we interact with every day from space craft propulsion to the batteries in our electric cars? That's chemistry. This book will help you to understand the concepts and principles of chemistry and chemical reactions in a manner that allows you to read a short section and then interact with that information in a way that will reinforce what you just learned in a step-by-step tutorial manner. It’s designed so that you can learn the subject on your own at your own pace and is complete with self-tests and references for review. About the only requirement is some basic high school math. The book covers most of a typical college-level course in general chemistry and gently leads a student to deeper levels and concepts with practice, critical thinking, problem solving and self-assessment at every stage.

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