- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press (17 May 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0691000581
- ISBN-13: 978-0691000589
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.3 x 2.6 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,235,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
It covers almost every possible recent development in chemistry in just the right amount of detail.... The old disciplines of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry of the stuffy textbooks are ploughed over and a new patchwork of fields created to fill their place.
Product Description
Some of the most exciting scientific developments in recent years have come not from theoretical physicists, astronomers or molecular biologists, but instead from the chemistry lab. Chemists have created superconducting ceramics for brain scanners, designed liquid crystal flat screens for televisions and watch displays, and made fabrics that change colour while you wear them. This study provides the lay reader with insights into the world of modern chemistry. Here, for example, chemists find new uses for the improbable buckminsterfullerene molecules - 60-atom carbon soccerballs dubbed "buckyballs" - which seem to have applications for everything from lubrication to medicine to electronics. The book is not intended as an introduction to chemistry, but as an accessible survey of recent developments throughout many of the major fields allied with chemistry: from research in traditional areas such as crystallography and spectroscopy to entirely new fields of study such as molecular electronics, artificial enzymes, and "smart" polymer gels.
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First Sentence
In 1989, chemists working at Harvard University in Massachusetts brewed up a horribly lethal concoction called palytoxin - one of the most poisonous natural chemicals known and the most toxic ever to be synthesized artificially. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In 1989, chemists working at Harvard University in Massachusetts brewed up a horribly lethal concoction called palytoxin - one of the most poisonous natural chemicals known and the most toxic ever to be synthesized artificially. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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6 reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
A fascinating update on a neglected area
27 Oct 1999
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The author contends that physics and astronomy get all the public attention these days, to the neglect of chemistry, yet advances in this field have more real impact on our lives. The most interesting parts of this book show how we are adapting biochemistry, such as enzymes, to everyday production of useful chemical resources. The book is written at the level of the "old" Scientific American, with plenty of real science and less of the "gee-whiz" of other popularizations. Thankfully, there is little need for math here, but read the first section carefully, where he explains the basic physics of molecules, which is central to the rest of the book. I enjoyed it thoroughly and it really brought this reader, who had his last chemistry in 1961, up to speed on chemistry today.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
A fantastic review of or introduction to molecular design
9 April 2002
Format:Paperback
When looking for detailed, specific information about nanotechnology, I stumbled across this book. At that time, I knew that there was a link between chemistry and nanotechnology, but was having trouble finding chemistry books that made sense from a molecular engineering (nanotechnology) point of view.
I rarely read technical books from cover to cover, but this one was so engaging and covered so many topics that I actually WANTED to learn more about that I found I could not put it down. Most chemistry books seem to be focused on bulk properties of broad classes of chemical compounds (i.e. "When compounds of class A are mixed with compounds of class B, the result is typically compounds of classes D and E). This was the only popular book I found that day that specifically discussed atomic and molecular processes from an ATOMIC level.
After reading the book, I found myself reading complex technical articles with surprising ease and understanding terminology that I otherwise would not have recognized, though I might have been exposed to it in college.
The end of the book contains several chapters describing the author's particular views about the origins of life and the universe, and about various environmental crises with a noticeable, but not overriding, disdain for certain other points of view. I appreciated that the author shared his opinions on these matters, but also kept them to the end and clearly separated from the rest of the book. This section is still engaging and presents interesting points of view.
This book combines historical stories and anecdotes with explanations of traditional chemistry to show how "chemistry" has changed and how it has spawned the new field of molecular engineering (popularly known as Nanotechnology), related to but distinct from chemical engineering.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Excellent, thorough, and thought provoking
14 Feb 2006
Format:Paperback
Odd to say that a book published in 1994 is still relevant but the frontiers of science are pushed out so quickly that is always a good to wonder about. Ball's book is well written and thorough but at times can drag on a bit. Some level of understanding of college level chemistry will be helpful but not necessary. I'm a biologist at heart but chemistry - especially this kind of chemistry - always fascinates me. This is the realm of tinker toys on the molecular level. Reading the book makes chemistry exciting - why should the physicists have all the fun? Ball shows how chemistry is being used to make new kinds of materials that have great impact on everyday living. He gives excellent explanations of technique and the historical context of the present work. There's a lot here but it's well worth it.
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