Way to learn Chemistry?

[StigmaShadow]

I took chemistry for about 4 months in High School. I ended up dropping out but would like to learn the basics, does anyone know of any good sites/tuts/etc or other ways to learn?

I could go to a local library but am rather lazy and would rather sit on my laptop...

thanks in advance

 

[psychomimetic]

^ What a useful comment [which has been removed, as it is in no way helps the OP - RL] that is. If you have nothing to say then why do you bother posting? Being a dick doesn't really add anything to the conversation.

It's actually very possible to learn chemistry on your own, I did it and many of my friends have learned it to a far more advanced degree then myself. You probably won't be able to do stuff like genetic engineering or synthesis of chemicals to a complex degree, but it's pretty easy to learn how to do medium-hard procedures.

First you should figure out what area of chemistry you want to focus on. If you really don't know much or anything then you should start with a chemistry textbook. General Chemistry by Linus Pauling is a classic, it's a daunting book and it's probably not advisable to read it straight through or you might go insane, but it can give you all the basic concepts of chemistry and some more advanced stuff.

If it's drugs that are your primary interest here then TIHKAL and PIHKAL contain a lot of info, but won't really teach you anything if you don't already know the basics. Both TIHKAL and PIHKAL's second portions (the parts of the books about specific drugs and chemistry as opposed to the narrative sections) are available for free online.

Wikipedia is good for chemistry stuff. What is it you need help with? If you want to learn chemistry online then google can help you. For instance, google valence electrons and get to reading. Chemistry is a broad subject, and reading part or all of a textbook is probably the best introduction you can get. You can use the internet to find out which textbooks are best (google "good basic chemistry textbooks" and read posts what college folks think). After that you should probably narrow your focus to a specific field. Neurochemistry is my favorite.

Another thing you can do is order books to your home using the internet if you're too lazy to get up and go to a library or bookstore. I know people who've taught themselves chemistry using almost only the internet, you just need to make sure that the stuff you're reading is legitimate and not random bullshit. Science journals often have websites at which you can read abstracts and articles of studies, which can broaden existing knowledge. If drugs are your interest Erowid.org also has stuff about the chemistry of various substances.

 

[Arnold]

There's this company called ' The teaching company ' in short TTC they've got an 18 hour course on high school chemistry which is perfect for basics.
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=1012 80$ if you want to buy. Torrent ttc chemistry
http://www.learner.org/resources/series168.html that's free to watch to.
If you want a bit more advanced there are universities that have online video's of chemistry classes but they're a bit more specific and can be found on torrent sites, not really a problem mentioning it since they're free to watch.

 

[Dave]

As a chemist, I'd suggest actually taking a chemistry program. Sure, the basics are easy, but what you're taught in high-school is either extremely simplified, a century or more out of date, or both. If you ever want to do any reactions, you will need proper education in the subject, including hands-on experience. People have been able to learn some aspects of chemistry without going to classes, but it generally involves far more self-motivated work.

Do not attempt anything with organic solvents, strong reagents, acids/bases or any chemistry more complicated than brewing a cup of coffee without at least intro university level LAB experience. You can really hurt yourself, those around you, and fuck your environment up without proper safety and disposal/neutralization techniques.

 

[Bedhead]

Arnold hit it on the head. TTC's "High School Chemistry" is what you want. Moles, gas law, stoicheometry - it's all there.

That level of chemistry is very easy to teach to yourself.

Anything organic, will take a lot more work and a lot of motivation. Additionally, when you do organic yourself, it's a bit too heavy on theory. It's one thing to read and understand the concept behind an A/B extraction - and another to actually carry out the extraction, dealing with a possible emulsion, working a stop cock, etc. Unless you're taking a class or have access to a lab with someone there to show you what to do, it's hard to put learned principles into practice.

Maybe you're refluxing a solution w/ ether as the solvent. You fuck up. Ether has been rising from the condenser for the last hour. You go to light a smoke or something (not that'd you smoke in a lab, well... maybe a ghetto meth lab ) and KABOOM.

 

[Cyc]

I'm not sure what you mean by "the basics."

Introductory chemistry tends to focus a lot of attention on conversions, notation, electron behaviour, orbital theory, gas laws, thermodynamics and reaction rates.. and unless you're a chemist, this will have no application other than writing tests and lab reports. Of course knowing these things will allow you to understand what is happening and why, but in all honesty, the cool part of chemistry can be done with a 30 minute video on lab techniques, the ability to add and subtract, and a step-by-step list.

 

[fasteddie]

For Organic Chem, it's hard to beat Morrison & Boyd.