Chemistry in Context, 9e, is intended for chemistry students who are non-science majors. Rather than presenting chemistry in the atoms-first approach, CiC extracts chemistry from students' surroundings. For example, the first chapter is about the chemistry of portable electronic devices and introduces the basics of the periodic table in the context of a smartphone.
The material for each chapter is introduced with an introductory video and provides an opportunity for students to reflect on what students already know about the topics.
There are clear learning outcomes laid out at the beginning of each chapter and each chapter ends with a conclusion and a list of learning objectives. Throughout each chapter, students are provided opportunities to process what they're learning through activities, real data, diagrams, simulations and more.
Tables allow students to connect chemical principles with real-world applications. dispelling misconceptions is also a focus of the text and when the opportunity presents itself, fun facts and non-essential information is shared using margin notes.
Understanding chemistry on the molecular level is essential, so the text introduces a variety of ways to represent chemical structures. This historical context of some important breakthroughs is highlighted, and the book concludes with a capstone chapter that ties together many themes covered in the book with a forensic mystery to solve.