This is similar to my other threads, but for chemistry this time. After 20 years of being a locksmith, I have decided that I want to get a university degree and I'll be starting next year! As part of my degree, I will be doing two chemistry courses which will cover:
- Intermolecular forces, chemical equilibrium, energy considerations and chemical reactivity applied to aspects of chemistry and biochemistry
- Structure of the atom and molecular bonding
- Chemistry of the metals and non-metals
- Bonding in transition (d-block elements, coordination complexes, bioinorganic systems)
- Aspects of acid/base equilibria, kinetics and electrochemical processes
- Importance of molecular shape and how chemists determine the structure of compounds using spectroscopic techniques including ultraviolet, infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- Chemical synthesis with reference to addition and subtraction reactions
- Strategies for synthesis and properties of biologically significant molecules
The problem? It has been two decades since I've touched any textbook, let alone a chemistry textbook, yet I need to learn chemistry from 'what is chemistry?' to first year university chemistry that is rigorous.
If you were in my situation, what would your strategy be? Should I learn GCSE chemistry, AS/A-Level chemistry and then first year university chemistry? Or should I be able to start from a university chemistry textbook?