I want to teach myself General Chemistry, what should I look at first, second for a consistent study regiment?

Question

I have a textbook but I don't know where i should begin to teach myself.

I am college level

Answer 1

What is your level?

Answer 2

It is really worth investing in a copy of a textbook that you LIKE. You can get out-of date editions extremely cheaply, and these are perfectly good as the subject does not change that fast.

Look for clear explanations, straightforward writing style, realistic drawings of the shapes of molecules, useful chapter reviews, real world applications, and worked problems. Also chapter end exercises; you don't need to do them all, but enough so that you feel confident you have got the point.

Don't rush the early chapters, especially the ones on balancing equations and stoichiometry. Students' problems at a later stage are often caused by weaknesses earlier on.

My favorite text for teaching Freshman (US) General Chem was Olmstead and Williams. I also suggest reading books from your local library on chemistry-related subjects,

You will need enough algebra to deal with simple and quadratic equations, and, for the second half of the course, logs and exponents.

Begin by brushing up your math. Then choose your textbook (you will learn quite a lot just by doing this). Then start at Page 1.

I should add, skip the stuff about scientific method (usually garbage), and about significant figures (dead boring, either common sense or bad approximations to some very advanced mathematics, and why should Chemistry, rather than anything else be expected to cope with it?)

Best of luck in this thoroughly admirable endeavor.

Answer 3

I would suggest obtaining a small book like "As a Second Language" to accompany your text book. Smaller books have the following benefits:

1. They are worded less formally which can make them easier to understand.
2. They often specifically address points of confusion that are common for students.
3. Most chemistry courses do not cover an entire chemistry textbook. A small book will cover subjects that are most important, and common to all chemistry courses.

If you are against small books, I would suggest looking for a class syllabus, either online or get one from an instructor/student. It will give you an idea of what a normal chemistry class covers.

Answer 4

You might also look into hiring a tutor. If you're in the town of a college, put up a flier or inquire about a chem major or a grad student who can help you along. Sometimes it really helps to go through with someone else, even if it's just for an hour an hour or 2 a week to answer questions and set you up for some stuff to study for the next week.
If you want to pay, that's fine. If you're feeling frugal, however, find out when the gen-chem T.A.'s have their office hours, and go in for some tutoring. They probably won't figure out, and even if you tell them, most will be glad to help you (I remember spending most of my office hours wishing someone would come in to help).

If you're looking for an order to learn things in,
http://home.sandiego.edu/~jkua/chem151fall06/gcsyllabus.html
Here's a sample general chemistry syllabus. Others are available from a google search.

Answer 5

Where are you living? Maybe I can teach you for free. I have two years experience on teaching general chemistry.