
Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Peter Atkins
Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction encourages us to look at chemistry anew, through a chemist's eyes, in order to understand its central concepts and to see how it ...
More

4. Types and hexagons
William H. Brock
in The History of Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
‘Types and hexagons’ introduces some of the key characters involved in making important contributions to the field of chemistry: Antoine Fourcroy, who created the divisions of inorganic and ...
More

1. Its origins, scope, and organization
Peter Atkins
in Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
After a very brief glance at the origins of chemistry in alchemy, ‘Its origins, scope, and organization’ makes the point that all modern discussions of the subject are in terms of atoms, ...
More

Organic Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Graham Patrick
Organic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds of carbon. As well as being central to life, in the form of large molecules such as nucleic acids and proteins, organic compounds are ...
More

Water: A Very Short Introduction
John Finney
Water dominates the surface of Earth and is vital to life on our planet. It is a remarkable liquid that shows anomalous behaviour. Water: A Very Short Introduction introduces the science of ...
More

The History of Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
William H. Brock
From the earliest exploration of natural materials and their transformations to today’s materials science, chemistry has always been the central discipline that underpins both the physical ...
More

Introduction
William H. Brock
in The History of Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Chemistry has always been the science of matter and a technology for creating new things through metamorphosis and transmutation. In 1800 the elements and compounds known to chemistry ...
More

Epilogue
William H. Brock
in The History of Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
The Epilogue concludes with a brief look at some of the exciting, and more positive, aspects of chemistry since the 1960s: the use of computers to study perfect three-dimensional structural ...
More

2. Matter from the outside
Peter Atkins
in Physical Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
‘Matter from the outside’ focuses on the applications of thermodynamics in physical chemistry. Thermodynamics is the science of energy and the transformations that it can undergo. It plays ...
More

6. Its achievements
Peter Atkins
in Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
‘Its achievements’ shows how the principles and concepts outlined in the preceding chapters contribute to the modern world. It reviews chemistry’s contribution to modern materials, ...
More

Why causation?
Stephen Mumford and Rani Lill Anjum
in Causation: A Very Short Introduction
‘Why causation?’ introduces the reader to one of the core topics in philosophy, but which is important to everyone whether a scientist, social scientist, or philosopher. The key theories of ...
More

2. Its principles: atoms and molecules
Peter Atkins
in Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
There are a number of fundamental concepts that are essential to know about in order to understand any account of modern chemistry. ‘Its principles: atoms and molecules’ describes, in very ...
More

1. Introduction
Graham Patrick
in Organic Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-based compounds in terms of their structure, properties, and synthesis. One reason for considering organic chemistry as a specialist field is ...
More

Molecules: A Very Short Introduction
Philip Ball
Molecules: A Very Short Introduction investigates the nature of molecules and how molecular structures and activities underlie the properties of materials and the processes of ...
More

2. Vital signs: the molecules of life
Philip Ball
in Molecules: A Very Short Introduction
‘Vital signs: the molecules of life’ outlines the molecular basis of life. Understanding molecular life is as much about understanding interactions between molecules and their position ...
More

1. Engineers of the invisible: making molecules
Philip Ball
in Molecules: A Very Short Introduction
‘Engineers of the invisible: making molecules’ explores how molecules can be explained, represented, and manufactured. Chemistry studies the properties of elements, and molecules are the ...
More

Physical Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Peter Atkins
With the development of a variety of exciting new areas of research involving computational chemistry, nano- and smart materials, and applications of the recently discovered graphene, there ...
More

1. On the nature of stuff
William H. Brock
in The History of Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
‘On the nature of stuff’ shows that the ability to control fire and temperature led to the first chemical technologies: the production of pottery from fired clays and tempers, metals, ...
More

3. Gases and atoms
William H. Brock
in The History of Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Until the mid-18th century, chemists had no understanding of the role of air in chemical changes. The Chemical Revolution was not merely conceptual, but also instrumental in that it ...
More

2. The analysis of stuff
William H. Brock
in The History of Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
The fundamental problem in chemistry is transmutation. How can two homogeneous stuffs with very different properties merge to form another homogeneous material whose properties are ...
More