A Catalyst Isn't a Wobbly Feline
January 3, 2011 3:54 PM Subscribe
Teach me chemistry! No, not the social kind, the science-y kind.
Due to intellectual laziness and fear of failure I've managed to go my entire life without ever taking a chemistry class, setting foot in a lab, or opening a chemistry textbook. I know nothing about this fundamental topic. I would like to change this.
Please point me to free online resources and suggest books to read or programs to watch or podcasts to listen to that will give me a basic grounding in (organic?) chemistry. I would prefer to start at (and this is kinda shameful) a PRE-HIGH-SCHOOL level, because, like I said, I don't know anything about chemistry at all.
Websites, books, ebooks, TV shows, podcasts, courses available through iTunes U: all are welcome, as is any other educational media I may have inadvertently omitted from the list.
And please: remember my COMPLETE IGNORANCE of the topic. A college-level course would be way beyond me. I need to take baby steps here. Tips on how to best approach the subject also appreciated.
Thanks!
Due to intellectual laziness and fear of failure I've managed to go my entire life without ever taking a chemistry class, setting foot in a lab, or opening a chemistry textbook. I know nothing about this fundamental topic. I would like to change this.
Please point me to free online resources and suggest books to read or programs to watch or podcasts to listen to that will give me a basic grounding in (organic?) chemistry. I would prefer to start at (and this is kinda shameful) a PRE-HIGH-SCHOOL level, because, like I said, I don't know anything about chemistry at all.
Websites, books, ebooks, TV shows, podcasts, courses available through iTunes U: all are welcome, as is any other educational media I may have inadvertently omitted from the list.
And please: remember my COMPLETE IGNORANCE of the topic. A college-level course would be way beyond me. I need to take baby steps here. Tips on how to best approach the subject also appreciated.
Thanks!
I read a great book earlier this year called "The Disappearing Spoon." It's a really good book about the history of the periodic table, and all the elements...what they do, why they act that way, and what we use them for. It's pop-science, so it's still very accessible to a non-science grad. I never took any chemistry either, and I thought it was awesome.
I'm just starting in on another chemistry pop-science book called Napoleon's Buttons. It's got great reviews, but I've only just cracked the cover so I can't give a personal recommendation.
posted by Caravantea at 4:12 PM on January 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm just starting in on another chemistry pop-science book called Napoleon's Buttons. It's got great reviews, but I've only just cracked the cover so I can't give a personal recommendation.
posted by Caravantea at 4:12 PM on January 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
Oh! I remembered another thing. Check out this show, Chemistry: A Volatile History. (Link goes to youtube)
posted by Caravantea at 4:53 PM on January 3, 2011
posted by Caravantea at 4:53 PM on January 3, 2011
This open courseware lecture series from MIT might be a good place to start.
posted by overhauser at 4:54 PM on January 3, 2011
posted by overhauser at 4:54 PM on January 3, 2011
2nding Disappearing Spoon.
Bill Bryson's A Short History of Everything has a lot of the history of chemistry, the periodical table and the like. I found it very entertaining as well as informative.
The podcast "Chemistry in It's Element is a series of interesting short casts about various elements.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:03 PM on January 3, 2011
Bill Bryson's A Short History of Everything has a lot of the history of chemistry, the periodical table and the like. I found it very entertaining as well as informative.
The podcast "Chemistry in It's Element is a series of interesting short casts about various elements.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:03 PM on January 3, 2011
To understand chemistry, you first have to know a bit about atoms. Stick with me here. This'll sound like physics, but it's all pretty important.
An atom is a tiny bit of matter. They're made of even tinier particles called neutrons, protons, and electrons. Everything you see and interact with is made of atoms. There are many different types. The different types of atoms are called elements. Examples include oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, etc. Strictly speaking, the elements differ from each other only by the number of protons in their individual atoms, though they often have different numbers of electrons and neutrons as well.
Electrons move in a kind of cloud surrounding the core of an atom (known as the nucleus). The nucleus is filled with protons and neutrons. Electrons are negatively charged while protons are positively charged. Neutrons are neutral and they're boring so just forget about them. Atoms are most happy when the number of electrons and protons match, because the charge of the atom as a whole (positive charge plus negative charge) balances out. When this is not the case, atoms tend to react with other atoms until the charges are balanced out again. They usually do this by stealing electrons or glomming onto another atom.
Atoms are also unhappy when they don't have specific numbers of electrons. Think of it like this: when you take an egg from a brand new carton, you've got 11 slots filled and one empty. Then the carton doesn't look nice and neat anymore. If you have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, this will make you unhappy. Atoms are like this too. They like nice, neat, filled rows. For complicated reasons, electrons fill something like slots inside an atom. These slots are known as orbitals (though, despite this name, electrons do not actually orbit the nucleus in a traditional sense). When a "row" of orbitals is filled, the atom is happy. When an atom has too many or not enough electrons to fill a row, it will tend to react with other atoms in order to gain or get rid of electrons. Atoms are just that neurotic.
Why does any of this matter? Because the paragraphs above explain most forms of chemical reactivity. Atoms interact with each other in order to become more stable (more happy). Sometimes these interactions involve one atom stealing electrons from another. Sometimes they involve one atom forming bonds with another. But most of this reactivity comes down to balancing charges and filling/emptying orbitals.
The various elements have different chemical properties in large part because they have different numbers of filled/empty orbitals. One element will react with another only if it can become more stable (more happy) by doing so.
There, you just passed first semester.
posted by dephlogisticated at 5:16 PM on January 3, 2011 [4 favorites]
An atom is a tiny bit of matter. They're made of even tinier particles called neutrons, protons, and electrons. Everything you see and interact with is made of atoms. There are many different types. The different types of atoms are called elements. Examples include oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, etc. Strictly speaking, the elements differ from each other only by the number of protons in their individual atoms, though they often have different numbers of electrons and neutrons as well.
Electrons move in a kind of cloud surrounding the core of an atom (known as the nucleus). The nucleus is filled with protons and neutrons. Electrons are negatively charged while protons are positively charged. Neutrons are neutral and they're boring so just forget about them. Atoms are most happy when the number of electrons and protons match, because the charge of the atom as a whole (positive charge plus negative charge) balances out. When this is not the case, atoms tend to react with other atoms until the charges are balanced out again. They usually do this by stealing electrons or glomming onto another atom.
Atoms are also unhappy when they don't have specific numbers of electrons. Think of it like this: when you take an egg from a brand new carton, you've got 11 slots filled and one empty. Then the carton doesn't look nice and neat anymore. If you have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, this will make you unhappy. Atoms are like this too. They like nice, neat, filled rows. For complicated reasons, electrons fill something like slots inside an atom. These slots are known as orbitals (though, despite this name, electrons do not actually orbit the nucleus in a traditional sense). When a "row" of orbitals is filled, the atom is happy. When an atom has too many or not enough electrons to fill a row, it will tend to react with other atoms in order to gain or get rid of electrons. Atoms are just that neurotic.
Why does any of this matter? Because the paragraphs above explain most forms of chemical reactivity. Atoms interact with each other in order to become more stable (more happy). Sometimes these interactions involve one atom stealing electrons from another. Sometimes they involve one atom forming bonds with another. But most of this reactivity comes down to balancing charges and filling/emptying orbitals.
The various elements have different chemical properties in large part because they have different numbers of filled/empty orbitals. One element will react with another only if it can become more stable (more happy) by doing so.
There, you just passed first semester.
posted by dephlogisticated at 5:16 PM on January 3, 2011 [4 favorites]
I loved Brown, LeMay & Bursten's General Chemistry, 7th edition, during my undergraduate years as a chemistry major. It will explain everything about chemistry in a clear logical way.
posted by onegoodthing at 5:56 PM on January 3, 2011
posted by onegoodthing at 5:56 PM on January 3, 2011
I can't hate Larry Gonick's "The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry," it got my nephew through high school chem when I couldn't help.
posted by Marky at 6:31 PM on January 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Marky at 6:31 PM on January 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
I read Napoleon's Buttons for school and thought it was a very cool book. While it does present the topics so that non-scientists can understand, and it explains enough of the science context to get a feel for the specific subject it is currently covering, it may be more meaningful to read after you have looked at some basic academic sources. Especially if you really are starting from nothing. But, books like this can be a nice way to connect some of the dry textbook-learning to the real world.
posted by dormouse at 7:51 PM on January 3, 2011
posted by dormouse at 7:51 PM on January 3, 2011
I found Linus Pauling's General Chemistry surprisingly readable - not that you'd want to read it cover to cover, but start by looking through the table of contents, and reading the opening chapter, and see if it answers some of your questions.
Yes, it's a college level text by a nobel laureate, but I swear, at least in the beginning it's written for someone who doesn't have any knowledge of the topic. Later it gets a little mathy, but there are still a lot of historical anecdotes, real-life examples, and just generally well-written explanations that help keep the whole topic interesting and accessible.
posted by mdn at 9:28 PM on January 3, 2011
Yes, it's a college level text by a nobel laureate, but I swear, at least in the beginning it's written for someone who doesn't have any knowledge of the topic. Later it gets a little mathy, but there are still a lot of historical anecdotes, real-life examples, and just generally well-written explanations that help keep the whole topic interesting and accessible.
posted by mdn at 9:28 PM on January 3, 2011
Now there's chemistry and then there's actual chemistry. Having struggled tremendously to find resources on actual chemistry, I think you'll find that most of these resources just prattle on about Ideal Gas Law, Stoichiometry, and strange fuzzy concepts never fully explained (they would need actual math)...I'll continue rest of the rant against chemistry as taught by chemists if you ask.
Most general chemistry books will quickly put you to sleep doing unit conversions and molality/molarity/mole-whateverity nonesense. These books I've found actually teach meaningful chemistry.
What I've found:
Caveman chemistry
This author teaches chemistry along a historical perspective...first make fire...eventually plastic. You learn actual hands on chemistry and why things happen in the real world...incidentally it also puts a lot of history in a different light.
The Joy of Chemistry
Learn chemistry and history together. Less impressive than caveman chemistry
The Make: Chemistry book:
This is all lab technique for home experimentation...worth buying if even just to read, you get a sense of how chemistry is actually done and what it can do.
http://www.amazon.com/Caveman-Chemistry-Projects-Creation-Production/dp/1581125666/ref=pd_sim_b_7
http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Home-Chemistry-Experiments/dp/0596514921/ref=pd_sim_b_1
http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Chemistry-Amazing-Science-Familiar/dp/1591027713/ref=pd_sim_b_6
posted by Chekhovian at 10:34 PM on January 3, 2011
Most general chemistry books will quickly put you to sleep doing unit conversions and molality/molarity/mole-whateverity nonesense. These books I've found actually teach meaningful chemistry.
What I've found:
Caveman chemistry
This author teaches chemistry along a historical perspective...first make fire...eventually plastic. You learn actual hands on chemistry and why things happen in the real world...incidentally it also puts a lot of history in a different light.
The Joy of Chemistry
Learn chemistry and history together. Less impressive than caveman chemistry
The Make: Chemistry book:
This is all lab technique for home experimentation...worth buying if even just to read, you get a sense of how chemistry is actually done and what it can do.
http://www.amazon.com/Caveman-Chemistry-Projects-Creation-Production/dp/1581125666/ref=pd_sim_b_7
http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Home-Chemistry-Experiments/dp/0596514921/ref=pd_sim_b_1
http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Chemistry-Amazing-Science-Familiar/dp/1591027713/ref=pd_sim_b_6
posted by Chekhovian at 10:34 PM on January 3, 2011
Dephlogisticated, by first "semester" did you mean to say "first day"? :-)
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 10:45 PM on January 3, 2011
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 10:45 PM on January 3, 2011
From the Make review:
"...the book's activities include brewing, ceramics, wool-spinning, manufacture of potash, bronze-smelting, calcining, textile dying, glassmaking, paper-hanging, distillation of strong spirits, ...saponification, crystal-growing, improvised batteries, aniline dye chemistry, silver nitrate photography, ammonia production, electrochemistry"
I dare you to tell me that isn't way cooler than memorizing scores of orgamic molecule structures.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/book_review_caveman_chemistry_by_ke.html
posted by Chekhovian at 10:51 PM on January 3, 2011
"...the book's activities include brewing, ceramics, wool-spinning, manufacture of potash, bronze-smelting, calcining, textile dying, glassmaking, paper-hanging, distillation of strong spirits, ...saponification, crystal-growing, improvised batteries, aniline dye chemistry, silver nitrate photography, ammonia production, electrochemistry"
I dare you to tell me that isn't way cooler than memorizing scores of orgamic molecule structures.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/book_review_caveman_chemistry_by_ke.html
posted by Chekhovian at 10:51 PM on January 3, 2011
And if you just want some pop-sciency fun, go with The Periodic Table of Videos. These guys have done a video for each element, explaining what they are and why they're special. Now they've started chemistry definition videos, which are pretty neat.
posted by Xoder at 3:51 AM on January 4, 2011
posted by Xoder at 3:51 AM on January 4, 2011
Asimov on Chemistry swims up in my memory as a good starting set of texts. Asimov makes the science memorable and interesting to learn. I read this when I was in my teens and eventually got a degree in chemistry!
Also, why do you have a question mark after organic in your question? What are you really interested in learning how to do? With that info, more focused direction may be providable, such as links to pertinent fora.
posted by telstar at 4:04 AM on January 4, 2011
Also, why do you have a question mark after organic in your question? What are you really interested in learning how to do? With that info, more focused direction may be providable, such as links to pertinent fora.
posted by telstar at 4:04 AM on January 4, 2011
I can't think of any better way to kill off a nascent interest in chemistry than by studying organic chem.
posted by electroboy at 7:59 AM on January 4, 2011
posted by electroboy at 7:59 AM on January 4, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for all the good pointers, folks!
What are you really interested in learning how to do?
Cook meth.
No, not really. I'm not really looking to DO anything with the knowledge. It's less for practical application and more to just fill in blanks in my understanding of the world. Specifically, I feel like I have a decent layman's grasp of biology and a somewhat shakier but still OK general knowledge of physics (dephlogisticated's explanation of atomic structure was familiar to me, for example). Chemistry, though, seems to be the science that bridges physics and biology, thus my "(organic?)" qualifier.
My Amazon cart is filling up and bookmark folders are bulging! Thanks for the help.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:13 AM on January 4, 2011
What are you really interested in learning how to do?
Cook meth.
No, not really. I'm not really looking to DO anything with the knowledge. It's less for practical application and more to just fill in blanks in my understanding of the world. Specifically, I feel like I have a decent layman's grasp of biology and a somewhat shakier but still OK general knowledge of physics (dephlogisticated's explanation of atomic structure was familiar to me, for example). Chemistry, though, seems to be the science that bridges physics and biology, thus my "(organic?)" qualifier.
My Amazon cart is filling up and bookmark folders are bulging! Thanks for the help.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:13 AM on January 4, 2011
I need to emphasize, in case others have not made it clear: do not attempt to study organic chemistry. It is not the squishy, biology-related branch of chemistry you may imagine from the name. It is very technical and uses all of college general chemistry as a prerequisite. Pre-med students drop out because they can't handle it.
posted by scose at 12:09 PM on January 4, 2011
posted by scose at 12:09 PM on January 4, 2011
do not attempt to study organic chemistry. Pre-med students drop out because they can't handle it.
This is why I avoid doctors like the plague. I'd say o-chem is interesting if you're not simply looking at it as a hurdle to a big paycheck. The Punk has a good starting attitude, in my opinion, and may find organic chemistry fascinating. But I also think that Mr. Bitter may eventually find himself looking at more bio-chem than o-chem.
I'm not really looking to DO anything with the knowledge.
Well, you may change your mind once you get into the studying. Experiment is paramount to this kind of knowledge.
posted by telstar at 6:05 AM on January 5, 2011
This is why I avoid doctors like the plague. I'd say o-chem is interesting if you're not simply looking at it as a hurdle to a big paycheck. The Punk has a good starting attitude, in my opinion, and may find organic chemistry fascinating. But I also think that Mr. Bitter may eventually find himself looking at more bio-chem than o-chem.
I'm not really looking to DO anything with the knowledge.
Well, you may change your mind once you get into the studying. Experiment is paramount to this kind of knowledge.
posted by telstar at 6:05 AM on January 5, 2011
I would like to come out officially against the prevailing view that organic chem is impossibly hard and/or miserable to learn. I never found it half as hard as calculus, or physics, or for that matter gen chem. It was ultimately very rewarding.
Plus mechanisms are kind of fun.
posted by dephlogisticated at 1:07 PM on January 5, 2011
Plus mechanisms are kind of fun.
posted by dephlogisticated at 1:07 PM on January 5, 2011
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posted by EtzHadaat at 4:10 PM on January 3, 2011 [1 favorite]