Chemistry: Science of Change

The organization of the text treats chemistry as an experimental subject by beginning with observable, macroscopic chemistry and later moving to the quantum mechanical theory that provides the underpinning of modern chemistry.

David W. Oxtoby became the ninth president of Pomona College on July 1, 2003. An internationally noted chemist, he previously served as dean of physical sciences at the University of Chicago. At Pomona, he holds a coterminous appointment as president and professor of chemistry. Before coming to Pomona, he was associated with the University of Chicago for nearly three decades, with brief interludes to serve as a visiting professor at such places as the University of Paris; the University of Bristol in Great Britain; and the University of Sydney in Australia. Oxtoby is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. After earning his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Harvard University, he went on to earn his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. As a research chemist, he is author or co-author of more than 165 scientific articles on such subjects as light scattering, chemical reaction dynamics and phase transitions. In addition to co-authoring Principles of Modern Chemistry and Chemistry: Science of Change, he has received fellowships from the Guggenheim, von Humboldt, Dreyfus, Sloan, Danforth and National Science foundations.

Wade A. Freeman completed a B.S. degree in Chemistry with distinction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at the University of Michigan. At the University of Illinois, Chicago he has been an assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, worked as an academic adviser for undergraduates, and directed the general chemistry program. His work in chemical education includes running the "Gifted Summer Institutes in Chemistry" for high-achieving high school students and annually administering and teaching a series of Summer Institutes for high school teachers. He was a co-founder in 1994 of the Chicago Chemistry Van Project, which delivers specialized equipment and other support to Chicago high school chemistry laboratories.In 1986 he collaborated with David Oxtoby and Norman Nachtrieb to write Chemistry: Science of Change. Freeman is a member of the Board of Directors of the UIC Institute for Mathematics and Science Education, and a member of the University Affiliate Advisory Panel of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. He has also served on multiple external evaluation panels for high school and university programs.

Toby Block was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and received her BS in chemistry (cum laude) from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. She earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry (with an inorganic minor) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point teaching introductory chemistry, physical chemistry, and inorganic chemistry before joining the staff of the Georgia Institute of Technology as a laboratory coordinator in 1980. At Georgia Tech, Block supervises the work of teaching assistants in the introductory chemistry laboratories and lectures to introductory chemistry classes. She chaired the 1990 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education at Georgia Tech campus. Toby Block is also an author of LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY, Fourth Edition.