Physical Chemistry: Understanding our Chemical World is a gentle introduction to the principles and applications of physical chemistry. Concepts and theories are introduced through a wide range of applications and case studies drawn from everyday life. Each topic is structured in a short, self-contained chapter that begins with the question “Why does it happen?”, followed by an answer using real-life examples and applications. Any necessary chemical and mathematical theory is discussed afterwards. By omitting most of the thorny mathematics, the author successfully makes physical chemistry comprehensible; by providing answers to everyday life questions, the author successfully makes the text very interesting to read.

The book’s introduction prepares readers for the unusual etymological emphasis throughout the text. The several tables in this section contain commonly used words and roots with their origin, meaning, and examples of their usage. A useful list of symbols used in the text comes after the etymological tables. Four pages of redundant standard prefixes for powers of ten follow. A table of physical constants should appear in this part of the text, but does not. The first five chapters follow the traditional sequence: gas laws, laws of thermodynamics, phase equilibria, etc. The remainder of the book follows a less traditional sequence; acids and bases are covered in Chapter 6, electrochemistry in Chapter 7, chemical kinetics in Chapter 8, spectroscopy in Chapter 9, and adsorption and colloids in Chapter 10. The appendix contains answers to the problems, a very extensive bibliography, and an acceptable index.

Overall, the book is well designed but would have a better appearance if color were used. There are a number of shaded boxes in the margins that contain clarifications of the reading. Occasionally there is a justification box that provides a detailed derivation of a concept, but for the most part mathematical derivations are absent. There are occasional aside boxes that cover a range of topics from writing table headers to why we must shake when performing a separation of two solutions. Figures are simple and used sparingly. Problems and worked examples are not frequent but adequate.

Taken as a whole, the content is somewhat incomplete. Thermodynamics and kinetics are discussed adequately, but not quantum mechanics or statistical mechanics. For example, I found no mention of the Schrödinger equation or the partition function. The deficiency of these important physical chemistry topics and the lack of mathematical rigor cause this text not to be suitable as the primary book in an upper level chemistry course. However, the clear explanations and affordable price make this book an ideal primer for students, researchers, and professionals. The question and answer format makes the book fun to read. I highly recommend this text for anyone who wants to know “Why do damp clothes become dry when hung outside?” or “Why does dew form on a cold morning?” Inquisitive readers will get many hours of enjoyment from this book.