As the central science that bridges biology and physics, chemistry explains the diversity of all things tangible at a molecular level. Chemistry is the science of matter – its composition, structure, properties, and how it changes. Understand chemistry, and you'll know why some things oxidize and others explode; why food is good to eat and coal is not. Understand chemistry and know what reasonable expectations you can have of a product, and how to separate fact from fiction. Chemistry is the heart of cooking, it can keep you safe, and it explains why things work. 30-Second Chemistry brings the subject out of the lab and boils it down to its essential elements – in just 30 seconds.
Nivaldo Tro is a professor of chemistry at Westmont College in Santa Barbara,California. He has been honored as Westmont's outstanding teacher of the year three times and has also received the college's outstanding researcher of the year award. Professor Tro is best known for his chemistry textbooks, which are used at over 600 colleges and universities around the world and which have been translated into five different languages including Korean,Chinese, Italian, Greek, and French.