Strange Chemistry - The Stories Your Chemistry Teacher Wouldn''t Tell You

Informationen zum Autor STEVEN FARMER, Ph.D., has worked as a chemistry instructor at California State University, Sacramento and at University of California, Davis. Currently, he holds the position of Professor of Chemistry at Sonoma State University (SSU). Dr. Farmer is a seasoned teacher with over a decade of experience teaching general chemistry, organic chemistry, and advanced organic synthesis courses. He has earned six teaching awards, including the Sarlo Excellence in Teaching Award, which is given to only one of the over 500 SSU faculty each year. He performs research involving chemical education and is actively involved in giving outreach lectures to the public. Klappentext This book opens the audience's eyes to the extraordinary scientific secrets hiding in everyday objects. Helping readers increase chemistry knowledge in a fun and entertaining way, the book is perfect as a supplementary textbook or gift to curious professionals and novices.* Appeals to a modern audience of science lovers by discussing multiple examples of chemistry in everyday life* Addresses compounds that affect everyone in one way or another: poisons, pharmaceuticals, foods, and illicit drugs; thereby evoking a powerful emotional response which increases interest in the topic at hand* Focuses on edgy types of stories that chemists generally tend to avoid so as not to paint chemistry in a bad light; however, these are the stories that people find interesting* Provides detailed and sophisticated stories that increase the reader's fundamental scientific knowledge* Discusses complex topics in an engaging and accessible manner, providing the "how" and "why" that takes readers deeper into the stories Zusammenfassung This book opens the audience s eyes to the extraordinary scientific secrets hiding in everyday objects. Helping readers increase chemistry knowledge in a fun and entertaining way, the book is perfect as a supplementary textbook or gift to curious professionals and novices. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii 1 If You Do Not Know Any Chemistry, This Chapter Is For You 1 Representing Atoms and Molecules in Chemistry 1 Neurotransmitters 7 Intermolecular Forces 11 2 The Only True Aphrodisiac and Other Chemical Extremes 15 Death Is ItsWithdrawal Symptom! 15 What Is the Number One Cause of Liver Failure in the United States? 18 The Most Addictive Substance Known 21 40 Million Times DeadlierThan Cyanide 24 The Most Abused Drug in the United States 27 What Is the Only Known Aphrodisiac? 28 The Most Consumed Psychoactive Substance 30 40,000 Tons of Aspirin 33 How Bitter Is the Bitterest? 34 $62.5 Trillion per Gram 36 What Is the Most Abundant Source of Air Pollution? 39 Where DidThat Rash Come From? 41 ItWould Take an Elephant on a Pencil 43 The Largest Industrial Accident inWorld History 46 What Is the Most Important Chemical Reaction? 49 Further Reading 53 3 The Poisons in Everyday Things 63 Why Is Antifreeze Lethal? 63 Aqua Dots:What a Difference a Carbon Makes! 66 How Can Visine Kill You? 68 Death by BENGAY  70 It Is in 93% of People in the United States 72 The Dreaded...Apricot Pits? 75 Honey Intoxication 79 The DMSO Patient 81 Deadly Helium Balloons 82 The 2007 Pet Food Recall 83 Mercury in Vaccines and Eye Drops? 87 TheWorld's Deadliest Frog 88 Leaded Candy 89 Why not Drink "Real" Root Beer? 90 The Killer Fog 92 Nail Polish or Nail Poison? 93 Game Board Danger 94 What Molecule Killed "Weird Al" Yankovic's Parents? 96 Deadly Popcorn 98 EvenWater Can Be Poisonous 99 Further Reading 101 4 Why Old Books Smell Good and Other Mysteries...

List of contents

Preface xiii
 
Acknowledgments xvii
 
1 If You Do Not Know Any Chemistry, This Chapter Is For You 1
 
Representing Atoms and Molecules in Chemistry 1
 
Neurotransmitters 7
 
Intermolecular Forces 11
 
2 The Only True Aphrodisiac and Other Chemical Extremes 15
 
Death Is ItsWithdrawal Symptom! 15
 
What Is the Number One Cause of Liver Failure in the United States? 18
 
The Most Addictive Substance Known 21
 
40 Million Times DeadlierThan Cyanide 24
 
The Most Abused Drug in the United States 27
 
What Is the Only Known Aphrodisiac? 28
 
The Most Consumed Psychoactive Substance 30
 
40,000 Tons of Aspirin 33
 
How Bitter Is the Bitterest? 34
 
$62.5 Trillion per Gram 36
 
What Is the Most Abundant Source of Air Pollution? 39
 
Where DidThat Rash Come From? 41
 
ItWould Take an Elephant on a Pencil 43
 
The Largest Industrial Accident inWorld History 46
 
What Is the Most Important Chemical Reaction? 49
 
Further Reading 53
 
3 The Poisons in Everyday Things 63
 
Why Is Antifreeze Lethal? 63
 
Aqua Dots:What a Difference a Carbon Makes! 66
 
How Can Visine Kill You? 68
 
Death by BENGAY 70
 
It Is in 93% of People in the United States 72
 
The Dreaded...Apricot Pits? 75
 
Honey Intoxication 79
 
The DMSO Patient 81
 
Deadly Helium Balloons 82
 
The 2007 Pet Food Recall 83
 
Mercury in Vaccines and Eye Drops? 87
 
TheWorld's Deadliest Frog 88
 
Leaded Candy 89
 
Why not Drink "Real" Root Beer? 90
 
The Killer Fog 92
 
Nail Polish or Nail Poison? 93
 
Game Board Danger 94
 
What Molecule Killed "Weird Al" Yankovic's Parents? 96
 
Deadly Popcorn 98
 
EvenWater Can Be Poisonous 99
 
Further Reading 101
 
4 Why Old Books Smell Good and Other Mysteries of Everyday Objects 113
 
The Smell of Old Books and the Hidden Vanilla Extract Underworld 113
 
That Smell Is You! 117
 
Electric Blue 118
 
TheWorld's Most Abundant Organic Compound 120
 
Chalk Used to Be Alive 122
 
Decaffeinated? Try Deflavored! 123
 
Bad Blood 125
 
The Problem with Dry Cleaning 128
 
The Smell of Dead Fish 131
 
How to Make a Spark 133
 
The "New Car Smell" 133
 
A Gecko Cannot Stick to It! 135
 
Why Are Day Glow Colors and Highlighter Pens So Bright? 137
 
Why Your White Clothes Are not Really White? 139
 
How Can a Spray-on Sunscreen Be Dangerous? 141
 
There Is Ink inThat Paper 141
 
Vomit and Sunless Tanners 143
 
Formaldehyde: Funerals, Flooring, and Outer Space 144
 
Further Reading 148
 
5 Bath Salts and Other Drugs of Abuse 157
 
What Are the Dangers of Bath Salts? 157
 
What to Do If YouWant Your Skin to Turn Blue 163
 
The Flesh-Rotting Street Drug 165
 
How Does a Breathalyzer Detect a Blood Alcohol Level? 167
 
How to Become a Brewery 168
 
HowWas a Painkiller Used to Free Hostages? 171
 
The Secret Ingredient in Coca-Cola 173
 
Why Is Crack Cocaine So Addicting? 174
 
Cocaine Smuggling versus MethamphetamineManufacture 177
 
What Basic Common Ingredient Is Needed toMake the Drugs Vicodin , Percocet , Oxycontin , and Percodan ? 177
 
Drug Money Is Right 181
 
What Percentage of Americans Use Prescription Drugs? 182
 
Are You Ready for Powdered Alcohol? 183
 
Ecstasy Is Ruining the Rain Forests 185

Report

"Behind every chemist is a teacher who, by their enthusiasm, has made the subject interesting to his or her pupils. Dr. Farmer is such a teacher who has gone to great pains to make his subject relevant to his audience ... The author has composed over a hundred articles on various topics across the whole spectrum of chemistry ranging from the initial chapter on the nature of the chemical bond to the composition of road asphalt ... [this book] should be possessed by every chemistry teacher and I cannot recommend it too highly." Chromatographia, December 2017
 

"A chemistry professor teaches "the stories your chemistry teachers wouldn't tell you" through short, accessible lessons on drugs, deadly household items, mysteries of ordinary objects, and more ... Each lesson is no more than a few pages long and successfully shows how relevant chemistry is in everyday life ...The short sections and accessible language will keep readers' attention, and the frequent addition of molecular structures could be a useful addition to chemistry courses. An engaging chemistry lesson that also serves as an encyclopedia to understanding the world around us." Kirkus, January 2018

Product details

• Authors: S Farmer, Steven Farmer, Steven C. Farmer
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2017
• EAN: 9781119265269
• ISBN: 978-1-119-26526-9
• No. of pages: 364
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > General, dictionaries; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Chemistry > Organic chemistry; Non-fiction book > Nature, technology > Natural science; Chemie, Analytische Chemie, chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Allg. Chemie