Chemical Education Today edited by
Book & Media Reviews
December is a gift-giving month in many cultures. This month we present some gift book suggestions for your favorite chemist. The first three books reviewed are large format coffee-table books. Written by and for chemists, Nicolaou and Montagnon’s Molecules That Changed the World is an exploration of natural products synthesis. Two books by Theodore Gray target a more general audience: Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home—But Probably Shouldn’t and The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. And for your favorite organometallic chemist, we present Landmarks in Organo-Transition Metal Chemistry—A Personal View by Helmut Werner. Happy pages to all! CBF
Theo Gray’s Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home—But Probably Shouldn’t by Theodore Gray Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, New York, NY, 2009. 240 pp. ISBN 978-1579127916 (hardcover). $24.95 reviewed by Robert E. Buntrock
To someone who grew up with a basement laboratory (a Gilbert chemistry set augmented with items from a decommissioned high school lab), this book was a riot to review. I was unfamiliar with Theo Gray, but he has been writing a column in Popular Science (“Gray Matter”) on science projects since 2003 (1). Many of those columns have migrated into this book. As you might imagine from the source, the approach is doit-yourself (DIY) for the home or shop investigator. The 9 × 10inch format is well presented with excellent photos. The text is humorous but informative to a nonchemist. The directions are terse, but in most cases the experiments are presumably doable (no, this reviewer did not try any). Some of the required equipment is oriented to the sophisticated handyperson and it, along with some of the materials, can be quite costly. In fact, some of the materials may not be available at all to the layperson.
Cheryl Baldwin Frech University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK 73034
The chemical elements and compounds described are usually accompanied by a sidebar from the periodic table. (Gray also maintains a spectacular, detailed, photographic version of the periodic table—see ref 2—that has been published in book format and is reviewed on page 1374 of this issue.) The experiments (more than 50) involve chemistry (liquid cell batteries, thermite reactions), physics (radioactive decay, maglev), and shop mechanics (electroplating, lead shot). The background information is written with a good deal of humor, but the humor is not without content; scientists and science students will be able to glean much from such material. This reviewer was well aware (from experience) of the dangers (and impossibility) of mixing red phosphorus and potassium chlorate, but he did not know that the danger came from the momentary formation of white phosphorus by friction. (This is how strike-anywhere matches work.) The text for each experiment includes historical background, mechanical pitfalls and sidetracks, and safety issues. Some minor factual errors are present that readers may notice. Safety issues are the most controversial. Gray does describe them in detail, but he is possibly too cavalier in some areas. He wears eye protection (safety goggles) but should often wear a face shield. He doesn’t see the need to use eye protection when working with “safe” chemicals such as baking soda, whereas good laboratory practice requires the use of eye protection at all times. The experiments are designed for competent, proficient adults, and Gray recommends cautiously working up to an experiment to test one’s abilities and bailing out of the procedure if you are unsure about the safety. He stresses that “This book does not tell you enough to do all of the experiments safely!” and only experience can fill in the rest. Specific profound hazards are highlighted, and prominent and appropriate safety measures are stressed. All in all, this is an excellent book. However, I’ll rest on my memories and leave the performance of the experiments to Gray and others. (Gray is mechanically proficient and has an isolated, well-equipped shop and laboratory to “play” in.) The audience for this book is somewhat problematic: the experiments are not completely suitable for students and are aimed more at the Popular Science audience (no offense intended). However, if educators wish to supplement traditional chemistry demos and experiments of authors such as Bassam Shakhashiri (3) (who provided advice for the book), this book is not only a good read but may provide useful additional information for teachers. Some may wish to try a few of the experiments, like the preparation of in situ liquid nitrogen ice cream with excellent texture. The book also exists online (4) and includes video clips as well as the text and photographs. Literature Cited 1. http://www.popsci.com/graymatter (accessed Oct 2009). 2. http://www.periodictable.com/ (accessed Oct 2009). 3. Shakhashiri, B. Z. Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Volume 1; University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, WI, 1983. 4. http://graysci.com/ (accessed Oct 2009).
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 12 December 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
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Robert E. Buntrock is a (semi) retired chemist and chemical information consultant with Buntrock Associates, 16 Willow Drive, Orono, ME 04473;
[email protected].
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Note: Ningfeng Zhao would like to acknowledge his coworkers’ contributions to the WileyPLUS with CATALYST review published in J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 692. Sheila Armentrout, Scott Kirkby, Reza Mohseni, and Jeffrey Wardeska joined Zhao in a team project to redesign General Chemistry at East Tennessee State University. CBF
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 86 No. 12 December 2009 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • © Division of Chemical Education
