Chemistry for the Biosciences

• 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

"I cannot rave enough about this book. I have spent months being utterly mystified on an Open University undergraduate chemistry course and I finally dropped out. I wish I had had this book at the time! Concepts that seemed completely incomprehensible are explained with everyday examples and suddenly everything becomes easy and perfectly logical - it is true, chemistry does make sense! This book is undoubtedly one of the best textbooks I have ever seen. I only wish I had found it sooner! Amazon Reviewer"

"Anyone involved in a foundation chemistry course, especially for students with a limited chemical background, would do well to consider adopting this as a core text. " - Linda Mann, Education in Chemistry

"The text is clear and precise, and at times utterly delightful, with fantastic analogies that have remained in my head for weeks after reading it." - Kirsty MacLeod, 4th year Zoology student, St. Andrews University

"The absolute best bit of this book for me, as someone who struggles with maths, is the way that the mathematical problems are explained in simple steps that do not assume a good level of prior knowledge." - Stuart Fisk, 3rd year

"The second edition of Chemistry for the Biosciences: The Essential Concepts nicely plugs the gap between basic primers and more complex chemistry texts for those bioscientists needing a stronger understanding of the chemical foundation of life." - Luke Hillary, University of York

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