Book excerpt: Without chemistry, bread would not rise, cleaners would not clean, and life itself would not exist. Chemistry is the study of matter and the chemical changes that matter undergoes. The discovery of the atom and how atoms interact with one another has transformed the world. In this illuminating volume, readers learn about the history of chemistry and the concepts they might encounter in an introductory chemistry course, including chemical and volumetric analysis, atomic theory, gravitation, elements and the periodic table, chemical reactions and formulas, and organic and inorganic compounds and bonds. Sidebars highlight key chemists and scientific principles.