Descriptive inorganic chemistry is a big subject. No student is capable of learning all the facts.

Educators have responded to this by contending that what students need to do is not learn facts but the principles and theories behind the facts. The problem with this approach is that chemical principles and theories are only able to explain a small fraction of all the facts. Teaching inorganic chemistry in this way therefore leaves students ignorant of many important facts.

This short text seeks to resolve this problem. It sets out the descriptive inorganic chemistry every chemistry student should know.

1. Hydrogen
2. Oxygen
3. Carbon
4. Calcium
5. Sodium and Potassium
6. Chlorine
7. Fluorine
8. Nitrogen
9. Sulfur
10. Phosphorus
11. Silicon
12. Iron
13. Aluminium
14. Copper
15. Manganese
16. Chromium
17. Nickel
18. Zinc
19. Other Important Elements
20. Other Notable Elements