Atkins, Peter W.; Shriver, D. F. (2010). Inorganic Chemistry (5thed.). W. H. Freeman. ISBN 978-1-4292-1820-7.

Atkins, Peter W.; Jones, Loretta (2023). Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight (8thed.). New York: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1319437930.He was a member of the Council of the Royal Institution and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He was the founding chairman of IUPAC Committee on Chemistry Education, and is a trustee of a variety of charities.

In December 2006, Atkins was interviewed by journalist Rod Liddle in a UK television documentary on atheism called The Trouble with Atheism. In the documentary, Liddle asked Atkins: "Give me your views on the existence, or otherwise, of God." Atkins replied: "Well, it's fairly straightforward: There isn't one. And there's no evidence for one, no reason to believe that there is one, and so I don't believe that there is one. And I think that it is rather foolish that people do think that there is one." [12] In July 2016, Atkins was quoted as stating, “We are a hiccup on the way from one oblivion to another oblivion.” [13] Atkins left school ( Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham) at fifteen and took a job at Monsanto as a laboratory assistant. He studied for A-levels by himself and gained a place, following a last-minute interview, at the University of Leicester. Atkins, Peter W.; Beran, J. A. (1992). General Chemistry (2nded.). New York: Scientific American Books. ISBN 978-0716724964. The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. 2010. ISBN 978-0-19-957219-9.Atkins is a well-known atheist. [4] He has written and spoken on issues of humanism, atheism, and conflicts between science and religion. According to Atkins, whereas religion scorns the power of human comprehension, science respects it. [5] Physical Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. 2014. ISBN 978-0-19-968909-5. Atkins studied chemistry there, obtaining a BSc degree in chemistry, and a PhD degree in 1964 for research into electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and other aspects of theoretical chemistry. Atkins then took a postdoctoral position at UCLA as a Harkness Fellow of the Commonwealth fund. [1] He returned to Britain in 1965 as a fellow and tutor of Lincoln College, Oxford, and lecturer in physical chemistry (later, professor of physical chemistry). In 1969, he won the Royal Society of Chemistry's Meldola Medal. In 1996 he was awarded the Title of Distinction of Professor of Chemistry. He retired in 2007, and since then has been a full-time author. [2] Smart, Simon (15 July 2016). "The Meaningful Universe". Centre for Public Christianity . Retrieved 14 November 2021.