In this new edition the presentation, organization, and visual representation has been refined. All of the book has been revised, much has been rewritten and there is some completely new material. The fifth edition has been written with the student in mind, and we have added new pedagogical features and have enhanced others.
The topics in Part 1, Foundations, have been revised to make them more accessible to the reader with more qualitative explanation accompanying the more mathematical treatments.
Part 2, The elements and their compounds, has been reorganized. The section starts with a new chapter which draws together periodic trends and cross references forward to the descriptive chapters. Most of these chapters have been reorganised into two sections; Essentials describes the essential chemistry of the elements and the Detail provides a more thorough account. The chemical properties of each group of elements and their compounds are enriched with descriptions of current applications. The patterns and trends that emerge are rationalized by drawing on the principles introduced in Part 1.
Part 3, Frontiers, takes the reader to the edge of knowledge in several areas of current research. These chapters explore specialized subjects that are of importance to industry, materials, and biology and include catalysis, nanomaterials, and bioinorganic chemistry.
All the illustrations and the marginal structures---nearly 1500 in all---have been redrawn and are presented in full colour. We have used colour systematically rather than just for decoration, and have ensured that it serves a pedagogical purpose.
New Molecular Modelling Problems- Over the past two decades computational chemistry has evolved from a highly specialized tool, available to relatively few researchers, into a powerful and practical alternative to experimentation, accessible to all chemists. The driving force behind this evolution is the remarkable progress in computer technology.
With this edition there is the addition of new molecular modelling problems for almost every chapter, which can be found on the text's companion web site.