Fifty Fascinating Molecules from A to Z: Volume 1 - Simon Cotton

Fifty Fascinating Molecules From A to Z, Volume 1 follows on from the author’s earlier Every Molecule Tells a Story and Every Molecule Matters, and also relate the stories of a wide range of molecules.

They encompass familiar names - medicines including aspirin, cisplatin and morphine; flavourings such as menthol and vanilla; and substances of abuse like cocaine and methamphetamine. But there are the unexpected, like the poisons that crop in the stories of James Bond and Dr Crippen; the molecules that give chillies and mustard their particular charm; the polymers that the 20th century made a part of everyday life – polythene, nylon and terylene; and other everyday molecules, such as hexenal, with a role in the smell of a summer’s day; dimethyl sulphide, which will takes you to the seaside, and water, a substance that so many take for granted. It is not just about molecules. Chemicals like the medicines that we rely on were brought to use by scientists. Read about these molecules and their creators here.

Key Features

Many important medicinal molecules are featured, including Artemisinin; Aspirin; Atropine; Cisplatin; Codeine; Ivermectin; Mefloquine; Morphine; Paracetamol; Penicillin; Quinine; Streptomycin; Sulfanilamide; Taxol; Tetracycline; and Thalidomide.

Numerous abused drugs of importance are featured, including Cathinones & Khat; Cocaine; Desomorphine; Fentanyl; Heroin (Morphine); LSD; Methamphetamine; and Oxycodone; ‘Spice’.

Several important polymers are discussed, including Nylon; Polythene; and Terylene.

Several molecules important in the environment are included, such as Dichlorodifluoromethae (CF2Cl2); Chloromethane; Dimethylsulfide; Octane (and isooctane); Water.

The text also covers a number of molecules with particular smells and/or flavours, such as 2-acetylpyrroline; Capsaicin; Chanel No. 5; Cinnamaldehyde; Limonene; Menthol; and Vanillin.

The book is complemented by a widely encompassing bibliography of approaching 1000 references from the original literature, which supply all the background you could reasonably expect for each one of the molecules detailed in all the chapters.