Chemistry: An Industry-Based Laboratory Manual

Have you ever had a discussion with an industrial chemist about the job? Have you ever shadowed a chemist or chemical technician in an industrial or government laboratory for a day? If you have done these things, you were likely surprised at how foreign the language seemed or startled at how unfamiliar the surroundings were. Was there any talk of the quantum mechanical model of the atom? No. Was there any activity relating to Molecular Orbital Theory of bonding? No. Was the lab a large room with six 12-foot lab benches capable of accommodating up to two dozen chemists? No, not usually. Unless you took an "industry based" chemistry course, you probably came away from this experience with the thought "Why don't textbooks and lab manuals do a better job of communicating what real-world chemists do?" Chemistry: An Industry-Based Laboratory Manual does just that. It covers laboratory safety, record-keeping, control charts, certified reference materials, and much more. "Who uses this stuff anyway?" you may ask. Chemistry: An Industry-Based Laboratory Manual supplies the answer. It features applications of basic chemistry concepts to the real-world work of chemistry professionals. It brings real-world examples to laboratory experiences and covers voluntary industry standards for laboratory workers in the chemical process industries. It places a strong emphasis on the real work of chemistry professionals.

John Kenkel is a chemistry instructor at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, NE