Translated from the French by Florence Constable Bicknell. A wondrous introduction to the world of chemistry, designed specifically for younger readers with the intention of arousing their interest in science. Using everyday objects found around the house or in the local store, this book is set as a storyline in which an "Uncle Paul" teaches his two nephews the secrets behind building an artificial volcano; how to set metals on fire; the flammable properties of water; how to make a fire hotter; how to make soap bubbles rise; how to make invisible ink; the science behind effervescent wines, ciders, and beer; how plants feed on carbon, water, and air-and much, much more. From the translator's preface: "The personal, biographical interest of the book is not to be overlooked. The boys Jules and Emile are the author's own children; faithfully portrayed even to the names they bear. In his captivating fashion the man of vast learning makes himself at once teacher and comrade to his young hearers, and we learn that 'his chemistry lessons especially had a great success.' "With apparatus of his own devising and of the simplest kind he could perform a host of elementary experiments, the apparatus as a rule consisting of the most ordinary materials, such as a common flask or bottle, an old mustard-pot, a tumbler, a goose-quill or a pipe-stem. "A series of astonishing phenomena amazed their wondering eyes. He made them see, touch, taste, handle, and smell, and always 'the hand assisted the word, ' always 'the example accompanied the precept, ' for no one more fully valued the profound maxim, so neglected and misunderstood, that 'to see is to know.'"

Images and text capture the astonishing beauty of the chemical processes that create snowflakes, bubbles, flames, and other wonders of nature. Chemistry is not just about microscopic atoms doing inscrutable things; it is the process that makes flowers and galaxies. We rely on it for bread-baking, vegetable-growing, and producing the materials of daily life. In stunning images and illuminating text, this book captures chemistry as it unfolds. Using such techniques as microphotography, time-lapse photography, and infrared thermal imaging, The Beauty of Chemistry shows us how chemistry underpins the formation of snowflakes, the science of champagne, the colors of flowers, and other wonders of nature and technology. We see the marvelous configurations of chemical gardens; the amazing transformations of evaporation, distillation, and precipitation; heat made visible; and more.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.