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REACTIONS

Theodore Gray

An Illustrated Exploration of Elements Molecules, and Change in the Universe

In Reactions, bestselling author Theodore Gray demonstrates, through stunning, never-before-seen images and illustrations, how molecules interact and change in ways that are essential to our existence.
With Reactions, Theodore Gray completes the journey through the chemical world that began with the tour de force The Elements and continued with Molecules. In The Elements Gray showed us a never-before-seen photographic view of the 118 elements in the periodic table. In Molecules, he showed us how the elements combine to form the matter that makes up our world. At last, we've arrived at the final step in the chemical process. Reactions begins with a recap of elements and molecules and the goes on to explain the concepts that characterize a chemical reaction, including energy, entropy, and time. Gray introduces us to his favorite reactions, from those characterized by ignition and explosion, to photosynthesis, to "The Boring Chapter" in which he dives deep into reactions like paint drying, grass growing, and water boiling. Reactions is the spectacular finale of the three-act chemical drama that Gray has illustrated for us over the years in his engaging, entertaining, and inimitable way. Theodore Gray is the author of The Elements, Molecules, and Reactions as well as Theodore Gray's Completely Mad Science, How Things Work, and Engines. He is the creator of the bestselling iPad apps "Elements" and "Molecules," which have both been named App of the Week by Apple, and he was the director of "Disney Animated," also honored by Apple as iPad App of the Year. He co-founded Wolfram Research, Inc., makers of the widely used software Mathematica and the the Wolfram Alpha website. He lives in Urbana, Illinois.
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Published 2020-10-27 by Black Dog & Leventhal

Comments

Reactions concludes Gray's epic story of our chemical world.... In Elements, Gray taught us about the 118 elements; Molecules showed us how they combine; and in Reactions, he demonstrates, through his arresting photography and witty text, how molecules interact in ways that are essential to our very existence.

[A] sumptuous coffee-table odyssey from the characters of individual atoms to our astonishing ability to 'see' molecules orbiting distant stars. The pictures complement the text ideally, whether of sugar and oxygen reacting in 'a lovely fireball' or-in the enjoyably named 'The Boring Chapter'-an artist's impression of what paint is doing while you watch it dry. The perfect adjunct to a chemistry set for any curious youngster, as long as you're not worried about explosions.