Chemical Principles

 (8 customer reviews)

Without a doubt, Zumdahl is the worst chemistry book I have ever used. He tries to use a watered down version of calculus to explain concepts that really end up becoming meaningless. Thermodynamics in Zumdahl is nothing more than a set of arbitrary conventions he constantly changes. I used this book for the intensive chemistry course at Columbia University last year, and ended up buying a copy of Mahan's "University Chemistry" from the 60's to actually learn the material. While Zumdahl rambles for chapters to explain a acid-base equilibrium, Mahan does so a few pages, with clear equations and reasoning. The only reason I give it two stars is because the challenge problems are actually challenging, and the solution manual is good to use in coordination with the book. But for anyone actually wanting to learn chemistry, use Mahan or really anything published before 1990.

I transferred to a college which uses this textbook for their chemistry sequence, so I'm able to compare it to the one I used before. This textbook doesn't explain very well. Instead of presenting what's important, the author spends too much time deriving equations, something which first year chemistry students do not need to know. Important equations that are highlighted in my other chemistry textbook were not even highlighted or boxed in Zumdahl. If you have to use this textbook, good luck. If you have a choice or you're self-studying chemistry, stay away from Zumdahl. There are much better options.

This book was used for my honors chemistry course at my university. For what reason, I don't know.

Let me just start of with the positives, although there's not that many. . .

PROS
- The end-of-chapter problems are challenging. If you're the type that likes to master a topic, these problems are perfect for you.
- Zumdahl highlights the most important equations for you. This will save you unnecessary hand action.

Yup, that's it.

CONS
- BADLY WRITTEN. Almost every sentence is wordy; this detracts from the subject matter.
- It takes Zumdahl forever to get to the point; in fact, sometimes he never even gets there, any way. He'll start with some unneeded drawn-out example, and he'll just continue talking about it without stating a fact explicitly. For example: Freezing point depression and boiling point elevation are colligative properties. That is, they depend on the quantity, not identity, of the solute particles in...Read more