Book and Media Review pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Review of Every Molecule Tells a Story Scott Smidt* Laramie County Community College, Albany County Campus, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, United States All entries include images of the molecular structure and mention commercial uses or natural functions of the molecule; many entries include information about the molecule’s discovery or its historical use. And, as noted, links to pop culture are integrated throughout, so readers interested in who introduced The Beatles to marijuana can find the culprit named on page 146. For readers focused more on chemical aspects, the book will settle any long-standing laboratory arguments regarding the origin of pure acetic acid being described as “glacial”. I find that the index of a book like this gives insight into the idiosyncrasies of the information provided. Thus, we find that the author has found a way to include mention of “armpit odor”, “walrus livers”, and the provocative “drunken monkey hypothesis”. The 1980s pop band Dexys Midnight Runners also appears in the index. (Naturally, their big hit “Come on Eileen” gets its own entry.) Ultimately, if you are someone who tries to entertain and catch the interest of students with quirky stories of molecules, then this book would be a wonderful addition to your bookshelf. If you assign your students the task of writing reports about molecules, this book will earn its keep in your institution’s library as a reference of first resort. Depending on how you count them, Every Molecule Tells a Story tells the stories of perhaps a few hundred molecules. Considering that there are over 68 million substances listed in the CAS Registry,2 one cannot help wondering if a sequel is already in the making.
Every Molecule Tells a Story, by Simon Cotton. CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2012. xiii + 266 pp. ISBN: 978-1439807736 (hardcover). $59.95.
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imon Cotton, author of Every Molecule Tells a Story, writes the Soundbite Molecules column in the Royal Society of Chemistry publication, Education in Chemistry and contributes occasional pieces to the Molecule of the Month Web site.1 Although some of the molecules profiled in the book first had their stories told on the Web site, the stories have been thoroughly revised for this book.
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Cover image provided by CRC Press and reproduced with permission.
Corresponding Author
I imagine one of the great difficulties in writing a book about a variety of molecules is identifying the audience. The author pictures the book’s target audience as chemistry students and teachers, and hopes that it will be used as a ready reference. This rings true to me, because the lack of a common narrative thread means this is not a book to be read cover to cover. It will most likely be used as a go-to reference or a source of interesting tidbits by someone looking for basic information about a specific molecule, or by someone browsing for any interesting facts without a specific molecule in mind. This allows the author a bit more freedom regarding the level of detail provided. Specifics about synthesis and reactivity will be useful to chemistry-savvy readers, while historical background and pop-culture references will be accessible to all. The molecules are organized into 14 chapters based on function, the type of molecule, or where the molecule is found. For example, there are chapters on molecules that function as cosmetics, explosives, natural killers, and natural healers. Other chapters introduce synthetic polymers, hydrocarbons, and acids and alkalis. The stories of some molecules are told in only a few lines, others in a few pages. As a result, the amount of detail varies. © 2013 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
*E-mail:
[email protected].
REFERENCES
(1) The Molecule of the Month Home Page, based at the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/ motm.htm (accessed Jan 2013). (2) CAS Registry of Chemical Substances. http://www.cas.org/ content/chemical-substances (accessed Jan 2013).
Published: February 19, 2013 276
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed400057k | J. Chem. Educ. 2013, 90, 276−276
