Laboratory introduction to bio-inorganic chemistry Book

I used this (third) edition of Silbey & Alberty for several years in teaching an undergraduate PChem course. Not because it's perfect, but just because it's less imperfect than most of the others.

It has all of the standard topics, in a fairly standard order. The notation is consistent, and not too annoying. (Everyone will find something to object to in every book, whether it's the sign convention for heat and work, the adherence to IUPAC symbology for heats of vaporization, or the variables used for quantum numbers.) The level of detail is appropriate for students with a decent background in calculus: it provides derivations for most (but not all) topics that I would expect, but doesn't go into so much depth that you find yourself skipping large sections in a standard undergrad course. The students didn't enjoy reading this text, but I have yet to find a PChem text that most students will enjoy on their first pass. The in-text problems are generally pretty good. There are a few errors in the solutions manual (as always), but the text is fairly mature.

On the whole, Silbey & Alberty is a good, inoffensive choice for a traditional PChem course , especially if you don't like the Atkins. But if you have the flexibility to consider a quantum-first approach or a bio emphasis, there are better choices.