• Focuses on the key chemical concepts which students of the biosciences need to understand, making the scope of the book directly relevant to the target audience
• Everyday analogies are used throughout, to help students relate unfamiliar concepts to situations and experiences that they are familiar with, and hence boost confidence in learning and understanding the subject
• Wherever possible, biological examples place key chemical concepts in a biological context, to help students see the relevance of grasping these concepts on their wider field of study
• Features self-check questions throughout, to encourage students to check that they understand material as they move through the book, making learning a steady, progressive experience
• An Online Resource Centre features additional materials for both lecturers and students, to enhance the value of the book as a teaching and learning tool

New to this edition

• Significantly expanded coverage of reaction mechanisms now extends over two chapters to give a more in-depth treatment of this topic
• More extensive use of biological examples, particularly in those topics related to physical chemistry, makes the content even more tailored to a bioscience audience
• Greater depth of coverage of selected topics makes the book more useful to a broader range of students, without it sacrificing a focus on essential concepts
• New Maths Tool panels provide extra explanations of key mathematical concepts that are used within the book
• The extensive illustrations are refreshed with a new two-colour text design
• Extended treatment of acids, bases and buffers in chapter 16 emphasises the importance of acids and bases in biological systems
• A greatly reorganized chapter on molecular interactions enhances the coverage of this important topic
• Revised coverage of chemical analysis now includes centrifugation, and features more explanation of the conceptual basis of spectroscopy
• An expanded Online Resource Centre now features online MCQs for students to use during revision or self-directed learning

Readership: Foundation level and first year undergraduate bioscience students, particularly those without A-level chemistry.

Jonathan Crowe and Tony Bradshaw, Head of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University

1: Introduction: why biologists need chemistry
2: Atoms: the foundations of life
3: Compounds and Chemical Bonding: bringing atoms together
4: Molecular Interactions: holding it all together
5: Organic Compounds 1: the framework of life
6: Organic Compounds 2: adding function to the framework of life
7: Biological Macromolecules: providing life's infrastructure
8: Molecular Shape and Structure 1: from atoms to small molecules
9: Molecular Shape and Structure 2: the shape of large molecules
10: Isomerism: generating chemical variety
11: Chemical analysis 1: how do we know what is there?
12: Chemical analysis 2: how do we know how much is there?
13: Energy: what makes reactions go?
14: Kinetics: what affects the speed of a reaction?
15: Equilibria: how far do reactions go?
16: Acids, bases and the aqueous environment: the medium of life
17: Chemical reactions 1: bringing molecules to life
18: Chemical reactions 2: reaction mechanisms driving the chemistry of life