• SELF-CONTAINED SECTIONS. Coordination, solid state, and descriptive inorganic chemistry are presented in self-contained sections. The reader can begin in any one of these sections without becoming frustrated at references to material already learned. These self-standing chapters also allow instructors the flexibility to present material in any order.
• A FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING THE PERIODIC TABLE. The author systematically builds a network of interconnected ideas to develop reader confidence and to forge an understanding of the periodic table.
• "THOUGHT" QUESTIONS. These questions, embedded within the body of the text, encourage students to construct and organize ideas, thought patterns, and concepts, and to go beyond merely memorizing groups of facts or trends. Students must "think" their way through the material.
• A FOCUS ON PROBLEM SOLVING. Approximately 1,000 problems challenge students to apply what they have learned to new situations and aid in building a deeper understanding of the material. In addition, a significant number of problems require short explanatory paragraphs, emphasizing the importance of writing in the discipline of chemistry.
• A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. A historical perspective is integrated throughout the text to give students an increased appreciation of the centuries of human endeavor that have led to our present understanding of the chemical world around us.
• A WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS show students the practical uses of inorganic chemistry through the discussion of such diverse subjects as heavy metal poisoning and antidotes, nuclear fusion, battery technology, fluoridation, radon as a carcinogen, and automobile air bags.
• INCREASED EMPHASIS ON THE "NETWORK OF INTERCONNECTED IDEAS." To better help students understand how the seemingly disparate topics of the periodical table connect, the book offers revised coverage of the author's "Network of Interconnected Ideas" including a new icon system, full color endpapers, and a convenient tear-out card.
• REVISED VISUALS. The text's art program has been revised for more clarity, and a new icon system makes the Network of Interconnected Ideas art better connect.
• UPDATED APPLICATIONS. The applications in Chapter 6 have been updated and diversified, and now cover more transition metals. In addition, the applications in the survey of periodic table groups chapters (12-19) have been updated. 
• REORDERED APPENDIXES. The book's appendix have been reorganized to make them easier to use.

1. The Evolving Realm of Inorganic Chemistry.

PART 1: COORDINATION CHEMISTRY.

2. An Introduction to Coordination Chemistry.

3. Structures of Coordination Compounds.

4. Bonding Theories for Coordination Compounds.

5. Rates and Mechanisms of Reactions of Coordination Compounds.

6. Applications of Coordination Compounds.

PART 2: SOLID-STATE CHEMISTRY.

7. Solid-State Structures.

8. Solid-State Energetics.

PART 3: DESCRIPTIVE CHEMISTRY OF THE REPRESENTATIVE ELEMENTS.

9. Building a Network of Ideas to Make Sense of the Periodic Table.

10. Hydrogen and Hydrides.

11. Oxygen, Aqueous Solutions, and the Acid-Base Character of Oxides and Hydroxides.

12. Group 1A: The Alkali Metals.

13. Group 2A: The Alkaline-Earth Metals.

14. The Group 3A Elements.

15. The Group 4A Elements.

16. Group 5A: The Pnicogens.

17. Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium, and Polonium.

18. Group 7A: The Halogens.

19. Group 8A: The Noble Gases.

Glen E. Rodgers

Dr. Glen E. Rodgers is a Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. Educated at Tufts University (BS, 1966) and Cornell University (PhD, 1971), he taught for five years at Muskingum College in Ohio before moving to Allegheny where he taught from 1975 to 2005. He taught introductory chemistry on several levels, chemistry for nurses, chemistry for non-science majors, a "First Seminar" entitled "The Making of the Atomic Bomb: More Bang for Your Buck", a "Sophomore Seminar" entitled "Communicating Chemistry," inorganic chemistry (on both the sophomore and advanced undergraduate levels), and numerous interdisciplinary courses with colleagues in history, education, English, philosophy, psychology, and economics. He has received a variety of teaching honors including the 1993 Julian Ross Award, presented by Allegheny College "for singular accomplishments and contributions through excellence in teaching." He and his wife have led or co-led several Allegheny travel seminars to places such as England, Scotland, Paris, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia. Now a full time writer, his current and future projects include a book with the working title "Traveling with the Atom." He lives with his wife Kathleen in southern New Hampshire. They are the parents of three daughters, Jennifer, Emily, and Rebecca.