Anthony Fisher‐Cripps has produces a number of companion guides to fields of science at the undergraduate level. The format is to explain each topic on one A5 page (as we would say in Europe). The topics are divided into twelve sections ranging from the structure of matter to biochemistry. That is from the subatomic to the largest molecules. Along the way it deals with the periodic table, states of matter, chemical reactions and electrochemistry. As it is a while since I did any theoretical chemistry, I divided the topics into those I knew about and those I did not. So the first group were the topics I studied at A‐level or subsequently as either a university student or librarian. I found the accounts understandable and on the whole complete. As a biologist I probably would have liked more on the biochemical, but what is there is sufficient for someone who is not a biologist. I also learnt things I did not know. In particular, the use of different pH indicators in titration was something of which I was not aware (I also found one of the very few errors; the account mentions titrating a strong acid against a strong acid; the second acid should be a base). There is also an error in the structural formula for t‐butyl alcohol which has two OH groups rather than one. I know errors do occur, and in a book like this spotting them can be an unintended part of the learning process.
Much of the information on atomic structure and the details of the process of chemical reactions are beyond what I studied at A‐level, and probably some of it was not even known then. I found the explanations were understandable and that I could more of less follow them. I am sure that today's students would find them as fully understandable, as I found the more traditional chemistry topics.
This book has to be seen as an adjunct to more detailed texts, lectures and chemical practical classes. It is a book student will buy as summary of parts of their study and as an aid to revision. It will also be useful to those who teach chemistry at school level to update their notes. Unfortunately chemistry is often taught by non‐chemists, and this book may help them to understand some of the topics.
