43 Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry 2.1
David Harvey (DePauw University)
2016
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
Analytical Chemistry 2.0 provides balance between theory and practice, between “classical” and “modern” analytical methods, between analyzing samples and collecting samples and preparing them for analysis, and between analytical methods and data analysis.
Formats: PDF
Suggested for: CHEM 311
Be Prepared! Everything you should know for 1st year Chemistry 
Andrew Vreugdenhil and Kelly Wright (Trent University)
2019
Licence: CC BY
These online Pre-Chemistry modules are designed to function as chemistry preparation for first-year chemistry students. They are particularly useful for students who, for various reasons, are otherwise not confident in their preparation for first-year university-level chemistry.
Format: Online
Suggested for: CHEM 217
Chemistry: Atoms First – 2e
Paul Flowers (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Edward J. Neth (University of Connecticut), and William R. Robinson (OpenStax)
2019
Licence: CC BY
This OpenStax textbook was developed with chemistry professors and a pedagogical approach, with Chemistry OpenStax as the foundation. As the name suggests, this text uses an “atoms first” approach to the subject which involves the introduction of atomic and molecular structure at the beginning of the course material.
Formats: Online and PDF
Suggested for: CHEM 217
Chemistry – 2e
Paul Flowers (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Klaus Theopold (University of Delaware), and Richard Langley (Stephen F. Austin State University) (OpenStax)
2019
Licence: CC BY
This Openstax text was the precursor to the Chemistry: Atoms First book. This text covers the same concepts but through a different approach. This resource has been successfully adopted and adapted.
Formats: Online and PDF
Suggested for: CHEM 217
Chemistry and the Environment: A Chemistry Perspective for discussion of Environmental Issues
Licence: CC BY
This textbook designed to accompany a one-semester course in chemistry-based discussions of important environmental issues such as air pollution, the ozone layer, climate change and water quality. Chemical principles are introduced, followed by environmental ‘focus’ sections to base discussions on the scientific principles and societal intricacies of the individual topics.
Formats: Online
Suggested for: CHEM 330
Chemistry for the life sciences I: A Supplementary Textbook to the Online Lecture Notes
Ying Zheng (University of Lethbridge)
2018
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
The topics of this course are arranged around two important themes in today’s world: water and energy. The book was written in a story-telling style in the hope that, as the story unfolds, the students will gradually adopt a chemist’s perspective in viewing the world around us. It was also written in a question-and-answer style so that the readers may acquire a critical-thinking attitude and learn the various problem-solving skills as they take part in answering each question.
Format: PDF
Suggested for: CHEM 217
CLUE: Chemistry, Life, the Universe and Everything
Melanie Cooper (Michigan State University) and Michael Klymbowsky (University of Colorado Boulder)
2019
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
Chemistry, Life the Universe and Everything (CLUE) is a transformed general chemistry curriculum, developed by an interdisciplinary team of a chemist and a molecular biologist, that aims to bring about evidence-based change in general chemistry. General Chemistry is a gateway course for many students intending on careers in scientific, engineering, and healthcare-related disciplines. CLUE was developed using a design research approach that focuses on scaffolded progressions around four core ideas: structure and properties, bonding and interactions, energy, and change and stability. The course emphasizes causal mechanistic reasoning in order to help students move beyond knowing that, to knowing how and knowing why chemical phenomena occur.
Formats: Online, PDF, EPUB, MOBI, and more
Suggested for: CHEM 217, CHEM 218
Concept Development Studies in Chemistry
Licence: CC BY
“Concept Development Studies in Chemistry” is an online textbook for an Introductory General Chemistry course. Each module develops a central concept in Chemistry from experimental observations and inductive reasoning. This approach complements an interactive or active learning teaching approach.
Formats: Online, PDF, EPUB, and more
Suggested for: CHEM 217, CHEM 218
First Year General Chemistry
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
This textbook was developed for a first year Chemistry course at Queen’s University and provides a succinct explanation of the basics of chemistry in easy-to-use language and examples.
Formats: Online
Suggested for: CHEM 217, CHEM 218
General Chemistry for Gee-Gees
Kevin Roy, Mahdi Zeghal, Jessica M. Thomas and Kathy-Sarah Focsaneanu (University of Ottawa)
2021
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
This book was designed for students enrolled in CHM1311 Principles of Chemistry at the University of Ottawa.
Format: Online
Suggested for: CHEM 217, CHEM 218
Human Biochemistry
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
Available through LibreTexts, this is a comprehensive text meant for university-level biochemistry courses covering topics such as cellular structure, lipid structure, carbohydrate, DNA, binding, transport, kinetics, metabolism, catalysis, oxidation, and signal transduction. There are links and references for further investigation and chapter-based questions. This largely imitates commercial biochemistry textbooks.
Formats: Online, PDF
Suggested for: CHEM 301
Introductory Chemistry – First Canadian Edition
Jessie A. Key (Vancouver Island University)
2014
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
This text is a Canadian adaptation of Introductory Chemistry, an open textbook that was developed by a chemistry professor at Vancouver Island University as part of the B.C. Open Textbook Project. This text has been successfully adopted and includes over 20 additional sections.
Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, MOBI and more
Suggested for: CHEM 217, CHEM 218
Key Elements of Green Chemistry
Licence: CC BY
This text was designed for an introductory course in green chemistry. It has been reviewed at the Open Textbook Library.
Formats: PDF
Suggested for: CHEM 330
Laboratory Manual: General Chemistry II Honors – First Edition
Adedoyin M. Adeyiga, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
2025
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
General Chemistry II Honors Laboratory Manual (2025) is designed to expose students to labs with applications. Chemical instrumentation for analyses of different substances is showcased; analysis of common household and environmental samples was delved into. The belief is that honors level students should get early introduction to chemical instrumentation and their use in carrying out sample testing and analysis.
Formats: PDF, EPUB
Suggested for: CHEM 218
OCLUE: Organic Chemistry, Life, the Universe & Everything
Melanie M. Cooper (Michigan State University) and Michael W. Klymkowsky (University of Colorado Boulder)
2019
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
The essence of organic chemistry is how carbon atoms interact with other atoms and groups of atoms to produce an astounding array of complex and interesting molecules. The basics of bonding and intermolecular interactions are introduced in the general chemistry version of CLUE (Chemistry, Life, the Universe & Everything), along with how the structure of a molecule affects its properties, how the energy changes associated with chemical and physical changes can be predicted and explained, and how chemical systems can be stabilized or perturbed by changing conditions. These four core ideas (structure-property relationships, bonding and interactions, energy, and stability, and change) are continued on into OCLUE and are deepened and expanded as we discover and explain ever more complex chemical systems.
Formats: Online, PDF, EPUB, MOBI, and more
Suggested for: CHEM 350, CHEM 360
Organic Chemistry – A Tenth Edition
John E. McMurry, Cornell University
2023
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
John McMurry’s Organic Chemistry is renowned as the most clearly written book available for organic chemistry. In John McMurry’s words, “I wrote this book because I love writing. I get great pleasure and satisfaction from taking a complicated subject, turning it around until I see it clearly from a new angle, and then explaining it in simple words.” In Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition from OpenStax, McMurry continues this tradition while updating scientific discoveries, highlighting new applications, scrutinizing every piece of art, and providing example problems to assist students. Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition continues to meet the scope and sequence of a two-semester organic chemistry course that follows a functional group approach. A highlighted list of changes along with a detailed table of contents and ancillary descriptions can be found on the Instructor and Student resources sections of this page.
Formats: Online, PDF
Organic Chemistry I
Xin Liu (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)
2021
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
An open textbook that is suitable for the first semester of Organic Chemistry. Basic concepts of the structures and reactivities of organic molecules are covered in this open textbook. Besides the fundamental discussions of organic acids-bases, stereochemistry, IR and NMR, this book also includes the topics of substitution and elimination reactions, radical substitution of alkanes, preparation and reactions of alkenes and alkynes.
Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, and more
Suggested for: CHEM 350, CHEM 360
Virtual Textbook of Organic Chemistry
William Reusch (Michigan State University)
2010
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
An interactive textbook covering the usual topics treated in a college sophomore-level course. Links are offered to advanced discussions of selected topics.
Format: Online
