The joy of chemistry
Subtitle: the amazing science of familiar things
By: Cathy Cobb & Monty L. Fetterolf
Contributors: Fetterolf, Monty L.
Publisher: Prometheus
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Amherst, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 393
ISBN-13: 9781591027713; 9781448713974
Subjects: Chemistry; Popular works; Chemie
Description: This book challenges the perception of chemistry as too difficult to bother with and too clinical to be any for. Cathy Cobb and Monty L Fetterolf, both professional chemists and experienced educators, introduce readers to the magic, elegance, and, yes, joy of chemistry. From the fascination of fall foliage and fireworks, to the functioning of smoke detectors and computers, to the fundamentals of digestion (as when good pizza goes bad!), the authors illustrate the concepts of chemistry in terms of everyday experience, using familiar materials. The authors begin with a bangs colourful bottle rocket assembled from common objects you find in the garage - and then present the principles of chemistry using household chemicals and friendly, non-technical language. They guide the reader through the basics of atomic structure, the nature of molecular bonds, and the vibrant universe of chemical reactions. Using analogy and example to illuminate essential concepts such as thermodynamics, photochemistry, electrochemistry, and chemical equilibrium, they explain the whys and wherefores of chemical reactions. Hands-on demonstrations, selected for their ease of execution and relevance, illustrate basic principles, and lively commentaries emphasise the fun and fascination of learning about chemistry. This delightful and richly informative book amply proves that chemistry can appeal to our intuition, logic, and - if we are willing to get down and dirty - our sense of enjoyment too --- Product Description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 349-353) and index.
Table of contents: title: PART 1 INTRODUCTION: Theory, Octaves, and Scales; title: CHAPTER 1. Electrons and Atoms, Elephants and Fleas; title: CHAPTER 2. Periodically Speaking; title: CHAPTER 3. Reason, Reactions, and Redox; title: CHAPTER 4. The Basic Stuff; title: CHAPTER 5. Chemical Partners: Who Does What to Whom; title: CHAPTER 6. The Tie That Binds, the Chemicals That Bond; title: CHAPTER 7. Sticking to Principles; title: CHAPTER 8. Slipping and Sliding, Intermolecularly; title: CHAPTER 9. Concentration-On Being Alone Together; title: CHAPTER 10. It's a Gas; title: CHAPTER 11. When Gases Put On Airs; title: CHAPTER 12. Crystal Clear Chemistry; title: CHAPTER 13. When Matters Heat Up; title: CHAPTER 14. A Whole New Phase; title: CHAPTER 15. Equilibrium-Chemistry's Two-Way Street; title: CHAPTER 16. Colligative Properties-Strength in Numbers; title: CHAPTER 17. Chemical Kinetics-A Veritable Explosion; title: CHAPTER 18. Electrons and Photons-Turning on the Light; title: PART 2 INTRODUCTION: Playing the Tunes; title: CHAPTER 1. Simply Organic; title: CHAPTER 2. Chemistry Rocks; title: CHAPTER 3. The Body of Chemistry Meets the Chemistry of the Body; title: CHAPTER 4. Chemist as Analyst; title: CHAPTER 5. Harry, Hogwarts, and Folk Pharmacopoeias-Mysteries in the Past and Magic in the Future.