Molecules at an Exhibition: Portraits of Intriguing Materials in Everyday Life

Mr. Elmsley is a stylist potent enough to make what to most people is a ho-hum subject into interesting reading. As a budding chemist myself I am not of that ilk; even so a person with the least bit of curiosity about how things work will be enlightened and entertained by Elmsley's exposition about chemistry as it affects our everyday lives.The expostion is titled in imitation of Moussorgsky's pictures at an Exposition and refers to the loose organization of essays around topics, e.g., the chemistry of polymers.The essays are somewhat uneven, however, in terms of the energy behind their creation and, consequently, the volume of interest they might generate. These essays were created by the author over a largish period of time, as he writes a column for a British newspaper on chemical topics. The essay on penicillin, for example, is of some antiquity. And it is just here I find the greatest fault with Elmsley's writing. During the development of penicillin, which took place during the Second War, its British originators wanted to patent it, but were vetoed by their group leader on the grounds that things of great humanitarian value as this would surely prove to be should not be privatized. This is made out to be a value of the English character. Since the Islands were under Luftwaffe attack, the mass production of the first antibiotic was taken to America where the strain of mold was expropriated and patented by one of the local scientists, a dasdardly act that, of course, made him rich. SUch ruthlessness is made out to be a feature of the American character by Elmsley. Sorry, John.

Except for his review on folic acid- which is not up to date. It's FOLATE which does the magic and prevent neural tube defects. Many cant metabolize folic acid- synthetic.

The book looked like new- it was perfect! A must read for any Chemistry buff or teacher.

I had to get this book for class and it was in great shape for not alot of money! I got it just in time for class and it arrived in good shape. Thank you for the book

This is a WONDERFUL book and I shall certainly be buying more Emsleys - Nature's Building Blocks is already on the waiting to be read pile.We have here, a serious chemist, university lecturer in chemistry for 25 years, amongst other credits, who is also that wonderful thing A WRITER. Someone with knowledge, someone who can make that knowledge fun, fascinating, accessible - but not offensively `for dummies' for those of us who are interested in the subject but lack the will or the skill to plough through earnest, dry and dustily academic tomes on the subject. The overall flavour is of someone talking you through juicily fascinating pieces of chemical gossip!Emsley cleverly arranges the chemistry he 'exhibits' into different galleries, and pretends to be a tour guide walking us through the rooms. An informative and entertaining tour guide. So we have, for example, a gallery devoted to metals which are essential for the body's health such as calcium, copper, tin etc. In each 'gallery' he explores a range of uses of each material.Other 'galleries' molecules that are malevolent (poisons), molecules in the home - surfectants, disinfectants etc, molecules 'that stalk the earth' for example, air, water - each gallery is fascinating!Curiously, he doesn't come across as being particularly environmentally conscious, passing without undue emotion such worrying pieces of information as `known reserves of tin will last only about 30 years at the current rate of consumption' `exploitable reserves of copper are expected to last for only another 50 years' And for anyone who thinks, well, that's still ages away, this book was published in 1998. There has been no 'revised edition' Yes. Time to knock 13 years off those estimates. Recycle those cans!!I could wish at times that he gave detailed footnotes/references to sources, as there is some information which I take issue with - HRT, osteoporosis protection vs associated risks of long term prescription - Emsley seemed a little unaware or certainly doesn't CITE his evidence which made him come down on the side of HRT rather than the other side; the 'other side' were vindicated as a result of the 2004 'nurses longtitudinal study' which changed prescription protocols.I was also delighted to find information which explained one possible reason for certain essential oils having positive uplifting and calming effects and being seen as euphorics - Melatonin, which is a neurochemical linked with the sleep response, is produced from serotonin, which is derived from the amino acid tryptophan - found in bananas, and possibly responsible for the `old wives (often a lot of truth in these) tale' that eating a banana at bedtime can help you sleep better. All these naturally occurring chemical building blocks are derived from a simpler molecule, indole which is found in measurable quantity in jasmine and also neroliMainly this book has left me equally balanced in despair at our ability to think long term, but also, with HUGE delight in the ingenuity and inventiveness of our species.I chuckled at Emsley's account of the invention of celluloid 'The story of celluloid began in 1845 when the Swiss German chemist Christian Schonbein reacted cotton with a mixture of concentrated sulphuric acid and nitric acid' Well, when was the last time YOU woke up and thought 'It's a nice day today, what shall I do?? Well I wonder what would happen if I took that old shirt of mine and poured some concentrated sulphuric and nitric acid on it'Yes, of course I know scientific research and invention isn't like that. Well not COMPLETELY like that. But allow the non-scientists of us to dream a little, and enjoy the fantasy!I'm just off to find an old blouse and see what I can pour on it.................

Have you ever wondered about the chemistry behind everyday materials like salt, fuels, caffeine or medicine? This book takes a bunch of molecules familiar to most people, either from their everyday life or from news headlines and explores them from a chemist's point of view.The result is an intriguing book, written in an enthusiastic and friendly style. It doesn't take much understanding of chemistry to follow Emsley and he offers interesting perspectives to everyday materials. Molecules at an Exhibition is a good and entertaining way to increase one's knowledge on chemistry. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)

Its one of those anecdotical and thought provocking essays on the subject of chemistry.. while telling the story, you actually learn something and not necessarily in chemistry, this is what makes the book so interesting.If you are like me, not crazy to be a chemist wiz, but like to have functinal knowledge of what materials and compunds affect you everyday, then this is the book. Also it serves as stepping stones or lateral-thought provocations that will make you have other points of view open.

This is a WONDERFUL book (thankyou to Amazon reviewer Mike who alerted me to Emsley) and I shall certainly be buying more Emsleys - Nature's Building Blocks is already on the waiting to be read pile.We have here, a serious chemist, university lecturer in chemistry for 25 years, amongst other credits, who is also that wonderful thing A WRITER. Someone with knowledge, someone who can make that knowledge fun, fascinating, accessible - but not offensively `for dummies' for those of us who are interested in the subject but lack the will or the skill to plough through earnest, dry and dustily academic tomes on the subject. The overall flavour is of someone talking you through juicily fascinating pieces of chemical gossip!Emsley cleverly arranges the chemistry he 'exhibits' into different galleries, and pretends to be a tour guide walking us through the rooms. An informative and entertaining tour guide. So we have, for example, a gallery devoted to metals which are essential for the body's health such as calcium, copper, tin etc. In each 'gallery' he explores a range of uses of each material.Other 'galleries' molecules that are malevolent (poisons), molecules in the home - surfectants, disinfectants etc, molecules 'that stalk the earth' for example, air, water - each gallery is fascinating!Curiously, he doesn't come across as being particularly environmentally conscious, passing without undue emotion such worrying pieces of information as `known reserves of tin will last only about 30 years at the current rate of consumption' `exploitable reserves of copper are expected to last for only another 50 years' And for anyone who thinks, well, that's still ages away, this book was published in 1998. There has been no 'revised edition' Yes. Time to knock 13 years off those estimates. Recycle those cans!!I could wish at times that he gave detailed footnotes/references to sources, as there is some information which I take issue with - HRT, osteoporosis protection vs associated risks of long term prescription - Emsley seemed a little unaware or certainly doesn't CITE his evidence which made him come down on the side of HRT rather than the other side; the 'other side' were vindicated as a result of the 2004 'nurses longtitudinal study' which changed prescription protocols.I was also delighted to find information which explained one possible reason for certain essential oils having positive uplifting and calming effects and being seen as euphorics - Melatonin, which is a neurochemical linked with the sleep response, is produced from serotonin, which is derived from the amino acid tryptophan - found in bananas, and possibly responsible for the `old wives (often a lot of truth in these) tale' that eating a banana at bedtime can help you sleep better. All these naturally occurring chemical building blocks are derived from a simpler molecule, indole which is found in measurable quantity in jasmine and also neroliMainly this book has left me equally balanced in despair at our ability to think long term, but also, with HUGE delight in the ingenuity and inventiveness of our species.I chuckled at Emsley's account of the invention of celluloid 'The story of celluloid began in 1845 when the Swiss German chemist Christian Schonbein reacted cotton with a mixture of concentrated sulphuric acid and nitric acid' Well, when was the last time YOU woke up and thought 'It's a nice day today, what shall I do?? Well I wonder what would happen if I took that old shirt of mine and poured some concentrated sulphuric and nitric acid on it'Yes, of course I know scientific research and invention isn't like that. Well not COMPLETELY like that. But allow the non-scientists of us to dream a little, and enjoy the fantasy!I'm just off to find an old blouse and see what I can pour on it.................

I love this book. My Mrs thinks I'm a nerd...she's a senior pharmacist so deals with chemicals and their effects on the body all day long...I just like to learn stuff...if you want to know about elements and what they do / do for us and their main applications read this...I wish I had this book years (and years) ago when I was doing my A level chemistry or metallurgy degree..

I have to confess that after reading his first brilliant book 'Natures Building Blocks' that i did not envisage that he could have matched it.This is a different (and highly practical) review of chemicals and substances that had me transfixed...I am only part way through the book but I can see that it is a works well at many levels. He is a formidable authority with intense background knowledge. A real pleasure in fact .

Educational and engaging, this is a fun book. I bought it for the section on material, but enjoyed the rest of it too. Well written, a great way to take science to the masses.

Just a good book introducing you to a wide range of chemicals and their uses to society and yourself! You don't need much previous knowledge to understand this book and can thus be read by anyone.