The majority of people recall chemistry from their schooldays as being largely unintelligible, fact-rich but understanding-poor, smelly, and so disconnected from the actual world of events and pleasures that it didn’t seem worthwhile for anyone but the most introverted to attempt to understand its filthy concepts, spells, recipes, and rules. All of that needs to change, says Peter Atkins.
In this Very Short Introduction to Chemistry, he exhorts us to view chemistry from a chemist’s perspective in order to comprehend its fundamental ideas and realize how it contributes to both human culture and our material comfort. Atkins demonstrates how the chemical industry, which produces the fuels for heating, electricity generation, transportation, and materials for our clothes and furniture, provides the infrastructure for our civilization.
Atkins presents a fascinating, clear, and rigorous exploration of the world of chemistry – its structure, core concepts, and exciting contributions to new cutting-edge technologies – by taking into account the remarkable accomplishments that chemistry has made and by examining its place between both physics and biology.
