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Chemical Principles, 9th Edition

Steven S. Zumdahl, Donald J. DeCoste

  • Copyright 2027
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2026-01-01T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $254.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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Chemical Principles 9th Edition by Steven S. Zumdahl/Donald J. DeCoste
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Overview

The updated 9th edition of "Chemical Principles" offers students a rigorous but understandable introduction to chemistry that guides students to think like chemists and solve problems creatively. This edition features updated Marathon Problems that act as the capstone to each chapter as well as new Chemical Insights that demonstrate why chemistry matters to a variety of applications. Zumdahl/DeCoste’s "Chemical Principles" is now available in WebAssign, Cengage’s online platform for STEM courses designed to help students understand core concepts, develop problem-solving skills and learn from mistakes, while offering instructors unmatched flexibility.

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Meet the Authors

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Steven S. Zumdahl

Steve Zumdahl is the author of market-leading textbooks in introductory chemistry, general chemistry, honors-level chemistry, and high school chemistry. Recently retired from his long-time position as Director of Undergraduate Programs at the University of Illinois, he has received numerous awards for his contributions to chemical education. These include the National Catalyst Award in recognition of his contribution to chemical education, the University of Illinois Teaching Award, the UIUC Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Award, and the School of Chemical Sciences Teaching Award (five times). He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Wheaton College (IL), and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

Donald J. DeCoste

Donald J. DeCoste is Associate Director of General Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign and has been teaching chemistry at the high school and college levels for 26 years. He earned his BS in Chemistry and PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign. At UIUC he has developed chemistry courses for nonscience majors, preservice secondary teachers, and preservice elementary teachers. He teaches courses in introductory chemistry and the teaching of chemistry and has received the School of Chemical Sciences Teaching Award four times. Don has led workshops for secondary teachers and graduate student teaching assistants, discussing the methods and benefits of getting students more actively involved in class. When not involved in teaching and advising, Don enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

What's New

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  • Assignments in WebAssign help students master core concepts and understand their mistakes with textbook problems, answer-specific feedback, solution videos and more.
  • Assignments in WebAssign help students master core concepts and understand their mistakes with textbook problems, answer-specific feedback, solution videos and more.

Features

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  • A unique organization leverages students’ math skills to explore acid-base equilibria early in the course. Chapters are flexible so instructors can organize the course in a variety of ways to meet student needs.
  • The text teaches students to think like chemists, emphasizing creative problem solving and applying mathematical skills to go beyond simple algorithms.
  • Assignments in WebAssign help students master core concepts and understand their mistakes with textbook problems, answer-specific feedback, solution videos and more.
  • Skill-building ChemWork problems — available in WebAssign — support students through the problem-solving process with guidance similar to what an instructor might offer in office hours.
  • Marathon problems, designed to challenge students, are the capstone of each chapter. They ask students to reason through complex problems and elicit class discussion.
  • Chemical Insights appearing throughout the text make chemistry relevant to students with applications including superconductivity, laser cooling, nanogenerators and more.
  • A unique organization leverages students’ math skills to explore acid-base equilibria early in the course. Chapters are flexible so instructors can organize the course in a variety of ways to meet student needs.
  • The text includes discussions of the exact treatment of buffered solutions (Chapter 8), adiabatic processes (Chapter 10), the mathematics involved in relating the number of microstates to the concept of entropy (Chapter 10), and molecular, rotational, vibrational, electronic, and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (Chapter 14). These sections provide more depth at a slightly more rigorous level, consistent with the book’s overall focus.
  • Chemical Insights Boxes. Chemistry comes to life with these inspiring boxes, which cover various applications related to the field of chemistry. Topics include superconductivity, laser cooling, fracking, gorilla glass, nanogenerators, and more.

Table of Contents

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1. Chemists and Chemistry.
2. Atoms, Molecules, and Ions.
3. Stoichiometry.
4. Types of Chemical Reactions and Solution Stoichiometry.
5. Gases.
6. Chemical Equilibrium.
7. Acids and Bases.
8. Applications of Aqueous Equilibria.
9. Energy, Enthalpy, and Thermochemistry.
10. Spontaneity, Entropy, and Free Energy.
11. Electrochemistry.
12. Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Theory.
13. Bonding: General Concepts.
14. Covalent Bonding: Orbitals.
15. Chemical Kinetics.
16. Liquids and Solids.
17. Properties of Solutions.
18. The Representative Elements.
19. Transition Metals and Coordination Chemistry.
20. The Nucleus: A Chemist’s View.
21. Organic and Biochemical Molecules.
Appendix 1. Mathematical Procedures.
Appendix 2. Units of Measurement and Conversions Among Units.

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  • ISBN-10: 1535884495
  • ISBN-13: 9781535884495
  • RETAIL $254.95
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now