General Chemistry (Dover Books on Chemistry)

I am currently a chemistry student in an honors general chemistry course at an Ivy League university, and I can say with certitude that this is an excellent resource for any chemistry student (with a decent knowledge of calculus), especially considering the price. I don't think it best to use as a default textbook for a modern general chemistry course (Oxtoby and Atkins are both very good; I especially like Atkins because I find the explanations superior to Oxtoby, though if you want the more advanced text you should go with Oxtoby, but be aware that it incorporates a lot of physics in its explanations) but as a supplementary resource it is wonderful. Stylistically, it is very easy to read and everything is explained very clearly. You can tell Pauling's audience was his students. I have a great deal of interest in chemistry and I appreciate the history that it provides on all of the experiments and discoveries, which I find to be lacking in most modern sources, like the aforementioned Oxtoby and Atkins. It is exceptional in that it covers so many diverse topics, which is wonderful because general chemistry is so broad, and in particular has a lot of material on biochemistry and quantum chemistry, which makes a lot of sense considering Pauling's achievements in those fields. Its age does show in the some of the notation. For instance, it seems to defer to using formal rather than molar concentrations, which I had never seen previously (they are however, essentially the same thing; formal simply ignores the species in solution and only looks at the initial number of moles of species present, while molar takes into account species present). I just wish there were a solutions manual somewhere.

Perhaps not how chemistry is taught nowadays, but the book is still full of insights, and it shows one how instrumental Pauling was in changing the way chemistry was taught and how chemistry textbooks would come to be written. It’s positioned at the cusp of when a wide collection of chemical reactions and behavior would transition from parallel observations based organized by the groups of the periodic table, to an understanding of periodic behavior as a consequence of the underlying orbitals and molecular structure as revealed experimentally by crystallography and theoretically by quantum mechanics. All textbooks since show the overtones, often simplified and schematized, from this seminal work. A classic and still worth reading today.

I am a chemistry teacher and a chemist, with a background in physical chemistry. I have had the good fortune of having some world-class chemists as teachers during my education, who's insight and wisdom I have (with much effort) tried to incorporate into my own teaching style, as they have changed my life in very significant ways. I purchased this textbook after reading many positive reviews, leaving me curious to hear the words from the horses mouth. Although I have only read the first few chapters so far, I can say that this is the greatest inorganic chemistry textbook that I have ever read. Pauling does a beautiful job of synthesizing classic and modern physics in developing the theories of what is now known as Quantum Mechanics -- his approach is from that of pure thermodynamics, and masterfully done, I might add. Never condescending, but coming from a very different level of understanding, reading this book is like watching any master artist creating their art before your very eyes -- genius in it's raw, pure, unadulterated form. The best that any intelligent being can do is sit back and watch the artist do his thing -- in awe.

I have not read this book cover to cover, and I have not read it so thoroughly that anyone should take in too deeply what I think of it. I would not recommend this book to be used as a primary textbook in class. This is not because the explanations and ideas are completely outmoded, but because it is organized differently from how a typical college course is set up - the organization is "old-school" so to speak. I have taken two general chemistry courses, and the contents of this book are very different from what I studied in class. The fundamental ideas are the same, but with a different emphasis and approach; and personally, I like the book's approach better; it is more comprehensive. Pauling does not omit the better mathematics of chemistry (as it was done and is being done in my chemistry courses), thus introducing the reader to the most elegant and most exciting aspects of chemistry. I have not bothered to work on the practice problems which the book provides since I do not have much leisure time to study subjects outside the courses I am taking, so I cannot make any useful comments respecting that. What struck me about the book is its detailed descriptions of the properties of "interesting" atoms and compounds (e.g. hydrogen, iron, ammonia). It struck me because I am beginning to lose interest in chemistry (because of the way it is taught in class), and reading these chapters provides me with reasons to find chemistry interesting as a whole instead of just the chemistry which overlaps with atomic physics. It gives me an "intuitive feel" for the atoms involved - therefore, less memorization; always a plus. And of course, the chapters on thermodynamics and quantum mechanics are superb. Pauling goes through these topics with a depth which would frighten condescending instructors. That being said, I do not think I would have succeeded in class relying on this book alone; it is, as a previous reviewer said, "eccentric". It is an excellent supplement, but I do not believe it will be enjoyed by anyone without prior knowledge of chemistry or who is not taking a course organized the Pauling way.

When Linus Pauling was teaching undergraduates at Caltech, he found that none of the existing undergrad texts would serve his purpose.So he decided to write his own. This was in the 1940's. The result, 'General Chemistry', even after more than 50 years, is one of the best introductions to chemistry at the University level that I know of. I discovered this book in my sophomore year and after that I couldn't put it down. If you really read this book thoroughly, you can probably say that you have an excellent grasp of most of the fundamental principles of chemistry. Pauling's masterly style of explaining the essentials without compromising on information is unmatched. The small, simple calculations that he illustrates in each chapter are enlightening. In addition, the book is lavishly illustrated with beautiful figures by Roger Hayward. Pauling has a special knack of bringing out the flavor of seemingly boring but important topics like thermochemistry and ionic equilibrium. If you want one book that will launch your chemical knowledge on the right trajectory, trust me and buy this one. You will be enlightened by it forever.

This is a dover edition of a 'modern' book on chemistry. It is very well written and interesting. It is a good complementary source of information to standard textbooks.

I am about to start a General Chemistry class at university and was nervous because I have never taken high school chem. This book is great! It explains everything clearly, and breaks down hard abstract concepts into clear analogies for us humanists. The layout is super helpful, too, with key concepts highlighted in green boxes or in bold green script. The tests throughout the chapters are an excellent way to check be sure that you have learned each new thing, and the answer key helps you understand even better. I'm so grateful I got this book. I feel so much more confident now about my ability to solve equations and understand this subject. I'm amazed every time I take one of the tests that I get the answers right. When I looked at chem books in the past, my eyes glazed over, and I thought I'd never get my head around this topic. This book is making it all make sense.

I read about half of this to better understand basic chemistry for a biology class i was taking. Very interesting stuff, and you can't beat the Dover Editions on price. Not sure of course that this represents the current state of the art in chemistry given the original publication date, but if you want a good introduction, this will do.

Lo considero un libro imprescindible para enseñar con fundamento la Química General y, aunque el libro tiene 50 años contiene datos útiles que no han sido después usados por libros mas modernos, por ejemplo sobre la fuerza de los oxiácidos.

A masterly book by a double Nobel. First published over 80 years ago. Deservedly survived, and deserves to remain so for decades to come. I was intrigued by his cute method for de-brominating a compound, which also demonstrates the importance of choosing the right solvent.

Il y a exactement 50 ans, le très excellent Monsieur Bachot, Professeur de Physique et Chimie au Lycée du Parc à Lyon, cette année là chargé entre autres de la classe de Mathématiques supérieures où j'avais été admis, nous demandait d'acheter(une édition antérieure de)ce livre, malgré son coût, et bien qu'il ne corresponde pas vraiment au contenu et encore moins à l'approche du programme officiel. 21 mois plus tard, reçu au concours d'entrée à l'Ecole Supérieure d'Electricité, mais totalement impécunieux, je devais à mon grand regret revendre mon Linus Pauling. Je l'ai maintenant retrouvé, avec une grande joie. Pour quelqu'un qui n'a pas ouvert un livre de chimie depuis près d'un demi siècle, l'ouvrage de Linus Pauling est un véritable bain de jouvence. A lire et relire, absolument.

This is an unabriged Dover publication of the 1970 (3rd edition) of Linus Pauling's book for 1st year college students. I like it for its thoroughly modern approach in skilfully meshing atomic structure and physical chemistry with the more orthodox inorganic treatment. The notable bonus is the inclusion of biochemistry and nuclear chemistry, though organic chemistry is rather compressed into one of the 26 chapters - a litle surprising for a Nobel Laureate who is deservedly famous in this area. There are 16 useful appendices and a detailed index. Cost-wise, an absolute bargain.

It best for beginners