Chemists have created superconducting ceramics for brain scanners, designed liquid crystal flat screens for televisions and watch displays, and made fabrics that change color while you wear them. This book lets the lay reader into the world of modern chemistry.

The book is not intended as an introduction to chemistry, but as an accessible survey of recent developments throughout many of the major fields allied with chemistry: from research in traditional areas such as crystallography and spectroscopy to entirely new fields of study such as molecular electronics, artificial enzymes, and 'smart' polymer gels. Ball's grand tour along the leading edge of scientific discovery will appeal to all curious readers, with or without any scientific training, to chemistry students looking for future careers, and to practicing chemical researchers looking for information on other specialties within their discipline.

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Acknowledgements
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Ch. 1 <
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How It All Fits Together: The architecture of molecules
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Bringing Down the Barriers: Getting chemical reactions to go
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Caught in the Act: Watching atoms dance
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Impossible Order: When atoms meet geometry
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Perfect Hosts and Welcome Guests: Molecules that recognize each other and build themselves
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Metals from Molecules: Electronics goes organic
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A Soft and Sticky World: The self-organizing magic of colloid chemistry
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Chemical Beginnings: How chemistry came to life
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Far from Stable: Fractals, chaos, and complexity in chemistry
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Transforming the Globe: The crises of atmospheric chemistry
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Bibliography
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Index