Extreme Novice

[Sarah_Tonin]

Could any bee's suggest a good basic chemistry book or website to learn the fundamentals from?

I am retarted and cannot understand how to arrange a formula in a physical representation for starters.

Thanks in Advance

[lugh]

You should start with

Post 181182

(LaBTop: "Professional Chemistry Links", Methods Discourse), and then go through the other posts in that thread, then start reading the other sticky threads in the forums, they're there for a reason  

[Sarah_Tonin]

Thanks!!

[Sarah_Tonin]

Well, I followed a few links from that post.  However I am still looking for a printable document equivalent to Chemistry for dummies. 

I am reading a lot of PiHKAL and I am very interested in understanding it. 

So any help (patience) for this novice-bee would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

[PrimoPyro]

Post 215822 (missing)

(PrimoPyro: "Good Books.", General Discourse)  

                                               PrimoPyro
Vivent Longtemps la Ruche!

[Osmium]

The best beginner chemistry book I know is 'Chemistry' by Charles E. Mortimer, published by Wadsworth Publishing, 10 Davis Drive, Belmont, California 94002.
According to Amazon it is out of print and sells for $30 used, which is close to its original price. I wish someone had shown me that book when I was still in high school.
I own a translated 5th edition which was published by a European company, and I've heard that there was a 6th. I hope the publishers will come out with a 7th edition, so that all newbees can easily get it.

It's the perfect textbook for people who are completely clueless about chemistry. You don't have to know anything at all, and once you finish this book you will know more than most bees here. It is VERY easy to understand, gives lots of detailed examples, each chapter contains a short synopsis and a bunch of short homework-like tasks at the end which rehash everything you just learned. This sounds like hard work, but reading that book is fun!

This book only explains very basic organic chemistry. And it is NOT a cookbook. But before you can submerge into organic chemistry you have to learn the basics anyway, and this is the best and easiest book I have seen so far.
If you can find it then buy it! It is worth its weight in gold.

[bujinkan]

im not sure of your true level of understanding, so you can just browse through these and take what you need.
the first one i think youll use the most.

http://library.thinkquest.org/2923/

http://www.shodor.org/UNChem/basic/

http://members.tripod.com/~EppE/index.htm

http://www.chemguide.co.uk/orgmenu.html

personally i like to learn from a book, but most of this stuff is printable...it might not be as easy to understand as osmiums book, but you can pick and choose.

chemisty is easy or difficult depending on how it is explained more so probably than any other subjuct.

[Sarah_Tonin]

Thanks alot for the help I appreciate it!!