Customer Reviews:
 An entertaining exhibition December 17, 2007
Mikko Saari (Tampere, Finland)
Have you ever wondered about the chemistry behind everyday materials like salt, fuels, caffeine or medicine? This book takes a bunch of molecules familiar to most people, either from their everyday life or from news headlines and explores them from a chemist's point of view.
The result is an intriguing book, written in an enthusiastic and friendly style. It doesn't take much understanding of chemistry to follow Emsley and he offers interesting perspectives to everyday materials. Molecules at an Exhibition is a good and entertaining way to increase one's knowledge on chemistry. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)
A simple guide to everyday items June 17, 2005
R. W. Rose
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book gives you a sense of understanding how chemicals that we meet every day affect us. It is easy to follow without having an in depth knowledge of chemistry and the author shows great skill in making his subject accessible to all.
 Molecules at an Exhibition by John Emsley May 27, 2005
Natalie (Cheshire, England)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In my opinion, John Emsley is a fantastic writer. I have thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Anyone with a general interest in chemistry or even just science would enjoy this book; it is full of interesting facts.
A vast knowledge of chemistry is not needed, I am merely an A-level chemist myself!!
Read it and I hope you love it half as much as I have.
Informative, well-written exploration of everyday chemicals April 25, 2000
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
The title of this book could make it seem like a complicated, very technical book. However, within the first few pages, it is evident that this is not the case. The way it is written means that even complicated terms are thoroughly explained, and even those with next to no chemical knowledge can clearly understand and enjoy this book. Fantastic!
Fascinating look at everyday materials. May 30, 1998
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
Molecules might seem an unlikely topic for a popular work, but the author is one of those rare teachers who can breathe life into the most unpromising subject. This work is a guided tour through some of the most interesting materials on earth - or perhaps this is Emsley's art.
He has organized his subjects thematically in broad areas such as health, transport, and the environment, with eight galleries of a dozen portraits each. The history of each is traced, with information on its structure, origin, and its role in our world. Some substances, such as selenium, prove unexpectedly vital. Others, such as Sarin, the terrorists' nerve gas, began innocuously enough but have been adopted for evil purposes. Still others hold the key to the secret of chocolate, how Teflon sticks to pans, and possibly a clean, renewable fuel for the future. All are interesting.
The alchemy is Emsley's transmutation of chemistry into entertaining instruction. (The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)
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