• Question: What book would you recommend for someone who likes chemistry?

    Asked by hays499rya to Michael S, Martin M, Kirsty R, Erin P, David B, Bruno Silvester L, Andrew, Alexander DB on 8 Feb 2024.
    • Photo: Erin Pallott

      Erin Pallott answered on 8 Feb 2024:


      I have not read it myself yet, but The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean tells the stories of how different periodic elements were discovered.
      I find books on how scientists discovered things to be the most interesting, but most of my favourites are more biology related.

    • Photo: Andrew Gore

      Andrew Gore answered on 8 Feb 2024:


      Chemical Engineers Handbook, by Perry and Chilton. I still have my copy from 1974 (fifth Edition) copy.

    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 8 Feb 2024:


      There are quite a few coffee table chemistry books… but the one I like covers Astrochemistry…. that’s the Chemically-controlled Cosmos by David Williams and Tom Hartquist. You might also like the Science of Chocolate published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

    • Photo: Michael Schubert

      Michael Schubert answered on 8 Feb 2024:


      Someone has already mentioned The Disappearing Spoon, which is a good one. I also like the books Your Atomic Self (especially if you also like biology) and Napoleon’s Buttons (especially if you also like history).

    • Photo: Bruno Silvester Lopes

      Bruno Silvester Lopes answered on 8 Feb 2024:


      No idea..sorry but as a researcher from microbiology background…I love reading research papers!

    • Photo: David Bremner

      David Bremner answered on 9 Feb 2024:


      With information to access at our fingertips do people still use books the same? The last book i had was for my degree and was Organic Chemistry by Fessenden and Fessenden, it was very informative but it was also huge and a bit dry reading.

    • Photo: Alexander De Bruin

      Alexander De Bruin answered on 9 Feb 2024:


      not chemistry specific, but “Bad Science” by Ben Goldacre is excellent for a science enthusiast

    • Photo: Kirsty Ross

      Kirsty Ross answered on 19 Feb 2024:


      I’d recommend The Fugitive Chemist by Dr Abedawn Khalaf. You can get it from Abebooks (other booksellers are available)
      https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31499768977&searchurl=sortby%3D17%26tn%3Dfugitive%2Bchemist&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title1

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