Upon first glance, Chemistry appears to be a fairly traditional, albeit slimmer, text. Once the cover is opened, that impression is changed; both the organization and presentation of the material are quite distinctive. The material, covered in a mere eleven chapters, ranges from “Water: A Natural Wonder” to “Reaction Pathways.” A strong feature is “Investigate This”, boxed activities that are abundant throughout the chapters. These exercises serve to introduce students to new concepts through these active investigations and questions, the ramifications of which are explored through group discussions (“Consider This”). The inquiry-based format allows students to gain ownership of material as they observe chemical phenomena first hand. Additionally, boxed “Worked Examples” offer students the tools necessary to be successful problem-solvers. At the conclusion of a topic are “Reflection and Projection” sections that focus on the important aspects of that topic and help students connect to the next topics.

What really sets this book apart is its seemingly continuous synthesis of material. Each chapter builds upon the contents of the previous ones such that the knowledge base is reinforced. For example, chapter 1, “Water: A Natural Wonder” introduces students to phenomena that explain the peculiar nature of water. This exploration continues in chapter 2, “Aqueous Solutions and Solubility”, which examines the role of water in solubility and chemical reactions. The text takes students from their comfort zone, “What do you already know about water,” to applications of their chemical knowledge, “What are the interactions of glucose with water?”.

Although there are fewer chapters in Chemistry than in most first-year texts, all pertinent topics of an introductory chemistry course are included, just in very nontraditional formats. Chapter 1 exemplifies this approach: after reviewing properties of water, the text introduces topics necessary to explain these properties. The traditional topics (states of matter, atoms, elements) are included as well as Lewis structures, molecular geometry, polarity, and intermolecular attractive forces. Hands-on activities involving molecular models emphasize the three-dimensional nature of molecules.

An important aspect of this text is its emphasis on energy changes; energy diagrams are introduced with phase changes in Chapter 1 and are continuously used throughout the textbook. Chapter 1 concludes with counting moles and specific heat. Although this approach sounds overwhelming considering the amount of material covered in one single chapter, the authors of Chemistry have elected to introduce details of concepts on a need-to-know basis; many concepts are reintroduced in later chapters in more detail.

Chemical phenomena take on new relevance for students as the text includes a plethora of applications in biological systems, organic chemistry, and environmental chemistry. From hydrogen bonding in proteins and DNA (Chapter 1) through metal ion complexes with EDTA and the porphine ring system in heme (Chapter 6) to enzymatic catalysis and a thorough treatment of Michaelis–Menton kinetics (Chapter 11), students see immediate connections between chemistry and the real world. These illustrations may provide instructors with vehicles for some of those “aha” moments in the classroom.

The treatment of two topics in Chemistry really stands out. Chapter 3, “Origin of Atoms”, examines the birth of new elements, via an early introduction of nuclear reactions. From an introduction to the atomic model through the big bang theory to the determination of the age of stars; Chemistry unites this material in a unique and exciting presentation. Chapter 8, “Entropy and Molecular Organization”, includes one of the best analyses of entropy in any chemistry text. The use of statistical models in conjunction with manipulatives allows the students to explore this concept in a very powerful manner.

The Web site provided by the publisher complements the book. The student site contains interactive exercises, animations, and quizzes that are tied to the text by marginal icons. Students who need a quick review of basic concepts can take advantage of the Personal Tutor. Instructor resources include the Faculty Resource and Organizational Guide (FROG) that contains detailed material lists and instructions for the classroom investigations as well as solutions to problems and sample exams.

After attending a GenChem Project Workshop in July 2003, I adopted the gamma version of Chemistry last fall. For instructors looking to incorporate inquiry-based learning into the classroom, this book is a must. Armed with the detailed instructions from the FROG, experienced instructors could move comfortably into this inquiry-based format. Additionally, Chemistry provides the cohesion missing from many general chemistry textbooks. This text should provide students with an excellent conceptual picture of chemistry, allowing them to move beyond mere memorization.