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The Chemistry LibreTexts library is a principal hub of the LibreTexts project, which is a multi-institutional collaborative venture to develop the next generation of open-access texts to improve postsecondary education at all levels of higher learning. The LibreTexts approach is highly collaborative where an Open Access textbook environment is under constant revision by students, faculty, and outside experts to supplant conventional paper-based books.  

LibreTexts are custom developed for individual instructors/classes and schools. The Modules in the Core supplement the LibreTexts.

The University of California, Davis is a major public research university and one of the 10 campuses of the University of California system. Located in Davis, California, just west of Sacramento, it encompasses 7,309 acres of land.

Chemistry is all around us "from the air we breathe to the food we eat" to the items at the super market that say “no chemicals added”. In fact, it is impossible to create something without using chemistry because chemistry consists of all matter. It allows us to answer questions as simple as why a candle goes out when a glass is placed over it to more complex questions such as does a candle actually burn in zero gravity? Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes such as ice changing from the solid to liquid to gas phase. People have used it for things such as creating metal from an ore, dying fabric, and making cheese. Chemistry deals with different substances and how they can interact with each other to create a product.

As you begin your study of college chemistry, those of you who do not intend to become professional chemists may well wonder why you need to study chemistry. You will soon discover that a basic understanding of chemistry is useful in a wide range of disciplines and career paths. You will also discover that an understanding of chemistry helps you make informed decisions about many issues that affect you, your community, and your world. A major goal of this text is to demonstrate the importance of chemistry in your daily life and in our collective understanding of both the physical world we occupy and the biological realm of which we are a part.

This book was designed to be used for Chemistry 2A: Periodic table, stoichiometry, chemical equations, physical properties and kinetic theory of gases, atomic and molecular structure and chemical bonding. Laboratory experiments in stoichiometric relations, properties and collection of gases, atomic spectroscopy, and introductory quantitative analysis.

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