• 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, boxes relate key chemical concepts to biological situations, to help students see the relevance of grasping these concepts on their wider field of study
• Refers throughout to key themes that pervade chemistry, to convey to the student the notion that chemistry is not an unfathomable, boundless subject, but can be understood in terms of a finite number of key principles
• 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
• Online Resource Centre with figures from the book for lecturers and multiple choice questions for students

Readership: Foundation-level and first-year undergraduate Biological Science students without A-level Chemistry

Jonathan Crowe, Tony Bradshaw, Head of Section and Principal Lecturer in the School of Biological and Molecular Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, and Paul Monk, Senior Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, Manchester Metropolitan University

"This text is what it says - essential chemical concepts for students studying the biosciences. The inclusion of chapters on instrumental analytical techniques and organic reactions and mechanisms puts this book way ahead of others currently on offer for this area. Anyone involved in teaching a foundation chemistry course, especially for students with a limited chemical background, would do well to consider adopting this as a core text." - Linda Morris in Education in Chemistry, March 2007

"The authors have packed a remarkable amount of chemistry into this book and yet succeed in not making it intimidating. Undergraduates struggling with chemical concepts, postgraduates who missed out on detailed chemistry courses and staff despairing of the lack of chemical literacy of their students might well find that this book helps solve their problems." - David J Timson, Queen's University, Belfast in The Biochemist

1: Introduction: why bother with chemistry?
2: Atoms: the foundations of life
3: Compounds and Chemical Bonding: bringing atoms together
4: Molecular Forces: 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: Chemical Analysis 1: how do we know what is there?
11: Chemical Analysis 2: how do we know how much is there?
12: Isomerism: generating chemical variety
13: Chemical Reactions: bringing molecules to life
14: Energy: what makes reactions go?
15: Kinetics: what affects the speed of reactions?
16: Equilibria: in which direction do reactions go?
17: The Aqueous Environment: the medium of life