Following in the tradition of its first three editions, the goal of Chemistry
in Context, fourth edition, is to establish chemical principles on a need-to-know
basis within a contextual framework of significant social, political, economic,
and ethical issues. We believe that by using this approach, students not majoring
in a science develop critical thinking ability, the chemical knowledge and competence
to better assess risks and benefits, and the skills that lead them to be able
to make informed and reasonable decisions about technology-based issues. The
word "context" derives from the Latin word meaning "to weave".
Thus, the spider web motif on the cover, used for the first three editions,
continues with this edition because a web exemplifies the complex connections
between chemistry and society. Chemistry in Context is not a traditional chemistry book for non-science
majors. In this book, chemistry is woven into the web of life. The chapter titles
of Chemistry in Context reflect today's technological issues and the
chemistry principles imbedded within them. Global warming, alternate fuels,
nutrition, and genetic engineering are examples of such issues. To understand
and respond thoughtfully in an informed manner to these vitally important issues,
students must know the chemical principles that underlie the socio-technological
issues. This book presents those principles as needed, in a manner intended
to better prepare students to be well-informed citizens. Organization
The basic organization and premise remain the same as in previous editions.
The focal point of each chapter is a real-world societal issue with significant
chemical context. The first six chapters are core chapters in which basic chemical
principles are introduced and expanded upon on the need-to-know basis. These
six chapters provide a coherent strand of issues focusing on a single theme-
the environment. Within them, a foundation of necessary chemical concepts is
developed from which other chemical principles are derived in subsequent chapters.
Chapters 7 and 8 consider alternate (non-fossil fuel) energy sourcesnuclear
power, fuel cells, and batteries. The emphases in the remaining chapters are
carbon-based issues and chemical principles related to polymers, drugs, nutrition,
and genetic engineering. Thus, one-third of the text has an organic/biochemistry
flavor. These latter chapters provide students with the opportunity to focus
on additional interests beyond the core topics, as time permits. Most users
teach seven to nine chapters in a typical one-semester course. All content has been thoroughly updated. Tables, figures, and data are as up-to-date
as possible using a printed format. Icons within the chapters direct the student
to the Internet to get the latest information from the Web for answering questions
and evaluating the information obtained from the Web. Chapter 8 has been refocused to concentrate on electron transfers in chemical
reactions, leading to an expansion of the coverage of fuel cells, including
their latest designs, and modern batteries. Pedagogy
This text abounds in helpful pedagogy for students! Chapter Overview, Conclusion, Chapter Summary and Marginal Notes
are study tools for the student. The Chapter Overview and Conclusion draw together
the major themes at the beginning and end of each chapter. The Chapter Summary
calls attention to the most important skills and application developed in the
chapter. Marginal Notes are used to succinctly summarize and emphasize key points
or to link to sections in other chapters. The in-chapter featuresYour Turn, Consider This, and Sceptical
Chymistare activities for skill practice, to raise issues for thought,
and to use critical thinking in extending and applying chemical principles.
Your Turn activities provide opportunities for students to practice a
skill or calculation that has been illustrated in the text. Consider This
questions are decision-making activities requiring risk-benefit analysis, consideration
of opposing viewpoints, speculation on the consequences of a particular action,
or formulation and defense of a personal position. The Sceptical Chymist
activities require analytical skills in response to various statements and assertions
made in the popular media. These activities take their title, and its peculiar
spelling, from an influential book written in 1661 by Robert Boyle, an important
scientist and an early investigator of the properties of air. Icons for Green Chemistry, the Web Exercises, and Figures Alive Interactives
link special content in the text and the extension exercises on the Chemistry
in Context Online Learning Center. Green chemistry is integrated within
the text. The icon pulls the student attention to examples in which green chemical
principles are applied. An icon identifies each Consider This or Sceptical Chymist
activity in which students should go to the Chemistry in Context Online Learning
Center for further exploration. For the Figures Alive Interactives, the icon
is adjacent to the text figure featured in the interactive. The icon signals
the student to go to the Online Learning Center and learn by doing the interactive
activities associated with the figure and its extensions. Problem Solving
There are two main locations of problem-solving activities in Chemistry in
Context. The in-chapter problems are the Your Turn, Consider This, and Sceptical
Chymist activities, as described earlier. End-of-chapter problems are divided into three categories. Emphasizing Essentials
are questions to practice and sharpen chemistry skills developed in the chapter.
Concentrating on Concepts questions focus on chemical concepts and their
relationships to the socio-technological topics under discussion. Questions
in the Exploring Extensions category present a challenge to go beyond
the textbook material by providing an opportunity to extend and integrate skill,
concepts, and communication. The latter two categories of questions also incorporate
the use of the Internet as a source of data and opinions. The questions with
colored numbers are answered in Appendix 5. Media Web Exercises- Continued from the third edition, the web exercises use
the Internet to answer various questions posed in many of the Consider This
and Sceptical Chymist activities, as well as in chapter-end questions.
Web-based exercises allow the student to apply information to their own lives,
use real-time data, get up-to-date information, and evaluate controversies using
the web. The web presents students with the opportunity and the responsibility
to critically evaluate web information among web sites of widely differing quality
and validity. Many of the web-based activities are linked to the Chemistry
in Context web site (www.mhhe.com/physsci/chemistry/cic/). Supplemental readings are listed on the Chemistry in Context
web site rather than in the text so that updates can be provided in a timely
way. NEW!Figures Alive Interactivities- These are tied to a figure
in each chapter. Each interactive allows students to better understand the concepts
in the figure by using interactivity to develop to this knowledge. The interactivities
are based upon the same categories as the chapter-end problems-Emphasizing
Essentials, Concentrating on Concepts, and Exploring Extensions.
NEW!Quiz Questions- This set of questions allows students to
test their knowledge on the material presented in each chapter. Questions based
upon skills and concepts presented in the chapter give students a quick assessment
of their knowledge and what they need to study further. As with previous editions, a very detailed Instructor's Resource Guide
(IRG) is available, compiled by Marcia Gillette. Unlike its predecessors, which
were printed, the fourth edition's IRG is available only on the Chemistry
in Context web site. For those whose course includes a laboratory component,
a Laboratory Manual, compiled and edited by Wilmer Stratton, is available.
The experiments use microscale equipment (wellplates and Beral-type pipets)
and common materials. Project-type and cooperative/collaborative laboratory
experiments are included. It is always a pleasure to bring a new textbook or new edition to fruition.
But the work is not done by just one individual. It is a team effort, one comprised
of the work of many talented individuals. We have been fortunate to have the
continuing, unstinting support of Sylvia Ware, Director of the ACS Division
of Education and International Activities, who helped to create the first edition
of Chemistry in Context. We also recognize the able assistance of Dr.
Jerry Bell and Dr. Marta Gmurczyk of that ACS Education Division office. The
McGraw-Hill team has been superb in all aspects of the project. Kent Peterson
(Publisher) leads this outstanding team of Shirley Oberbroeckling (Developmental
Editor, Chemistry), Vicki Krug (Project Manager), Phil Meek (Senior Media Producer),
and Stacy Patch (Senior Media Project Manager), a team that does its job with
the enviable combination of high quality and good humor. The fourth edition is the product of a collaborative effort among writing team
members¾ Catherine Middlecamp, Lucy Pryde Eubanks, Norbert Pienta, and
Conrad Stanitski. This is the maiden voyage in this realm for Norbert Pienta,
a new co-author and colleague. We have benefited from his diverse expertise.
We are very excited by the new features of this fourth edition, which exemplify
how we continue to "press the envelope" to bring chemistry in creative,
appropriate ways to non-science majors, while being honest to the science. We
look forward to your comments. Conrad Stanitski Senior Author and Editor-in-Chief Conrads@mail.uca.edu
March 2002 Instructor Resources Instructors Resource Guide
The Instructors Resource Guide, edited by Marcia Gillette (University of Indiana-Kokomo),
can be found on the Online Learning Center under Instructor Resources. The guide
contains: - A chemical topic matrix provides listing of chemical principles commonly
covered in a general chemistry course.
- Course syllabi give some indication about the scope, pace and scheduling
of the course.
- Topical Essays give a variety of background material and pragmatic suggestions
for teaching strategies and student development goals.
- Answers for suggested responses to many of the open-ended questions in the
Consider This and the solutions to the in-chapter and chapter-end exercises
and questions.
- The instructors guide for the laboratory experiments.
Online Learning Center (www.mhhe.com/cic)
The Online Learning Center (OLC) is a comprehensive, book-specific website offering
excellent tools for both the instructor and the student. Instructors can create
an interactive course with the integration of this site, and a secured Instructor
Center stores your essential course materials to save you prep time before class.
This Instructor Center offers the Instructors Resource Guide. The Student Center
offers Web Exercises, Figures Alive Interactives and quiz questions for each
chapter. The Online Learning Center content has been created for use in PageOut,
WebCt and Blackboard course management systems. Digital Content Manager
The Digital Content Manager is a multimedia collection of visual resources allowing
instructors to utilize artwork from the text in multiple formats to create customized
classroom presentations, visually-based tests and quizzes, dynamic course website
content, or attractive printer support materials. The Digital Content Manager
is a cross-platform CD containing an image library, photo library, and a table
library. Transparency Set
The transparency set contains selected four-color illustration from the text
reproduced on acetate for overhead projection. Course Management Systems
PageOut is specifically designed to help you with your individual course needs.
PageOut will assist you in integrating your syllabus with Chemistry in Context,
and state-of-the-art new media tools. At the heart of PageOut you will find
integrated multimedia and a full-scale Online Learning Center. The content from the Online Learning Center is available in WebCT and Blackboard
upon request to your sales representative. Student Resources Laboratory Manual
The laboratory manual, edited by Wilmer Stratton, includes experiments using
microscale equipment and common materials. The experiments have been chosen
and designed to reflect and amplify the contents of Chemistry in Context.
Chemical information about the world around us can be obtained with simple chemical
equipment and procedures. Online Learning Center (Log on at www.mhhe.com/cic.)
The Online Learning Center (OLC) is a comprehensive, exclusive website that
provides the student access to the web related activities in selected Consider
This and Sceptical Chymist marked by the icon and the end of chapter questions
marked by the icon. New to the Online Learning Center is the Figures Alive Interactives
(marked by the figure in the text) that lead the student through the discovery
of various layers of knowledge inherent in the figure. The website also includes quizzing and other study tools for the students.
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