Being able to perform calculations with confidence and dexterity is essential to making good progress in chemistry at A-level and beyond. Unfortunately, many students have been led to believe that carrying out chemical calculations amounts to nothing more than plugging numbers into the ‘right’ formula. As students often discover to their cost, examination questions cannot be tackled without a sound understanding of how the mathematics involved relates to the underlying chemistry.
In this unique volume, Dr Burkitt explains the basics of chemical calculations ‘from the foundations up’, often using simple analogies from everyday life to explain abstract chemical concepts. Although he has made few assumptions regarding his readers’ existing level of competence in chemistry, Dr Burkitt is confident that the reading of his book will equip students with the core skills necessary to cope with examination-level questions.
The seven chapters and two appendices are:
Chapter 1. First things first: Getting to Grips with Chemical Formulae and Equations
Chapter 2. Amount of Substance (the dreaded Mole)
Chapter 3. Reacting Mass Calculations
Chapter 4. The Ideal Gas Equation
Chapter 5. Concentrations in Aqueous Solution
Chapter 6. Getting into Hot Water: The Direct Measurement of Enthalpy Changes
Chapter 7. Bypassing the Roadblocks with Hess’s Law
Appendix I. Formulae of common ions
Appendix II. How to construct half-equations
In this unique volume, Dr Burkitt explains the basics of chemical calculations ‘from the foundations up’, often using simple analogies from everyday life to explain abstract chemical concepts. Although he has made few assumptions regarding his readers’ existing level of competence in chemistry, Dr Burkitt is confident that the reading of his book will equip students with the core skills necessary to cope with examination-level questions.
The seven chapters and two appendices are:
Chapter 1. First things first: Getting to Grips with Chemical Formulae and Equations
Chapter 2. Amount of Substance (the dreaded Mole)
Chapter 3. Reacting Mass Calculations
Chapter 4. The Ideal Gas Equation
Chapter 5. Concentrations in Aqueous Solution
Chapter 6. Getting into Hot Water: The Direct Measurement of Enthalpy Changes
Chapter 7. Bypassing the Roadblocks with Hess’s Law
Appendix I. Formulae of common ions
Appendix II. How to construct half-equations
