Molecules by Theodore Gray

Molecules Iphone app.

The book, Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything, is a welcome sequel to the very informative book The Elements by Theodore Gray.

The illustrations in the book along with the molecular structure of each substance allowed me to learn about the chemicals in a way more accessible than a chemistry text book.  The book is text light and heavy on the visuals.

My current research involves looking at the soot, char and ash produced after burning wood and other substances.  The visual images in this section were very informative.

He attacks controversial topics like thiomerosal, the mercury containing compound used for preserving vaccines and explains why it is used and why it is not a problem.

He mentions that the arsenic containing dye Paris Green can be broken down by fungal growth.  He said the compound produced was toxic but didn't mention it was arsine. 

His discussion of artificial vs. natural was very informative.  Natural vanilla contains a tiny amount of radioactive carbon 14 whereas the artificial vanilla made from coal tar does not as the carbon has fully decayed.  I also took particular delight with the knowledge that some of the most expensive perfume in the world is made of whale vomit.  Marketing people of course use the chemical name rather than be fully descriptive of the source. 

Theodore Gray - 30 minutes