FAQ

FAQ

Who is this book for?

It is for readers who have met chemistry's rules and want to know why they hold. Upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and teachers are the main audience. It assumes calculus and basic linear algebra; Appendix A covers the rest.

Do I need to read it in order?

For Part I, yes. Each chapter answers questions the previous one left open. For Parts II and III you can dip in, and the "What remains unexplained" tables tell you which earlier chapters a topic depends on.

Why are there no exercises?

It is a deliberate choice. Worked examples with real data are built into the text instead.

Where are the numbers from?

Physical constants are CODATA 2018. Molecular data such as bond lengths, frequencies and ionization energies are standard literature values. Where a value was quoted approximately, or a model parameter was chosen for illustration, the text or caption says so. If you find a wrong number, please open an issue.

The math doesn't render in my Markdown viewer.

GitHub and Obsidian both render the $…$ / $$…$$ math. Other viewers may not, in which case use the PDF.

How do I rebuild the PDF after editing?

Run npm install, then npm run pdf. See Building the PDF.

Can I use this with Claude or another AI assistant?

Yes. The bundled MCP Server lets an assistant search, quote, show figures from and build PDFs of the book.

Can I reuse the content?

Yes. It is under the MIT License; keep the copyright notice.

Why do some principles change status between chapters?

Changing status is how the book works. A principle starts as Empirical when it is first observed and becomes Derived once the theory that explains it has been built. Chapter 22 tracks these changes in a status ledger.