Every Molecule Tells a Story

2. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-61552-3
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 300 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 453 g

This latest edition continues the celebration of molecules responsible for the experiences of everyday life such as the air we breathe, the water we drink, the chemicals that fuel our living. It presents new sections, notably the chemistry of molecules in food, including spices; vitamins; molecules with unpleasant smells (which seem to interest many people!); organic halogen compounds, substances which have an undeserved reputation. It also covers developments such as the chemistry of drugs; drugs of abuse, for example opioid painkillers. Based on the highly successful first edition, this book brushes away any preconceived notions about chemistry to demonstrate its importance.

- The author introduces his molecular collection by explaining the relevance of chemistry in our everyday lives.

- The second edition is considerably expanded, and new areas include food chemistry, vitamins, drugs of abuse.

- New discoveries are reflected in existing chapters.

- The chemicals are frequently put in context of their human associations, so that the book goes beyond just ‘the chemistry’.

- A celebration of the molecules of chemistry.

Zielgruppe

Academic, Postgraduate, Professional Reference, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cotton, Simon Anthony

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Chemie Anorganische Chemie
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Vorklinische Medizin: Grundlagenfächer Biochemie (med.)
• Naturwissenschaften Chemie Chemie Allgemein
• Naturwissenschaften Chemie Organische Chemie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1 Food

Introduction

Carbohydrates Polysaccharides

Amino acids and Proteins Aminoacids Polypeptides and proteins

Lipids

Taste Sensations

Meat

Cheese

Blue cheeses

Lactose and Camembert

Cheddar

Bread

Baking

Potato

Raw potatoes

Boiled potatoes

Baked potatoes

Potato chips

Mushrooms

Puffball mushrooms

Onions

Fresh onions

Cooked onions

Tomatoes

Strawberries

Wild strawberries

Oranges and lemons

Orange juice and limonene isomer smells

Chapter 2 Vitamins

Introduction

Vitamin A

Vitamin B1, Thiamin

Vitamin B2, Riboflavin

Vitamin B3, Niacin

Vitamin B5, Pantothenic acid

Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine

Vitamin B7, Biotin

Vitamin B9, Folic acid

Vitamin B12, Cobalamin

Vitamin C, L-Ascorbic acid

Vitamin D, Calciferol

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

Chapter 3 Hot and Cold

Introduction

Spices and ‘hot’

Capsaicin

The TRPV1 receptor

Black pepper

Ginger

Clove

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Szechuan peppers

Cool and menthol

How menthol works

Carvone

A new minty molecule

Mustard

Chapter 4 Abused Painkillers and Other Drugs of Abuse

Opium

Morphine

Heroin

Fentanyl

Carfentanil and other powerful fentanyls

Oxycodone and Oxycontin

Krokodil

Spice

Nitazenes

Chapter 5 Nasty Smells

Introduction

Hydrogen sulphide

Dimethylsulfide

Dimethyldisulfide and the titan arum

Thiols

Skunks

Personal hygiene – and wines

Trimethylamine

The Smell of the Living and the Dead

The scent of death

Molecules and Mosquitoes

Euglossine bees

Chapter 6 War and Peace

Introduction

Cut grass and green aroma

Plant defence

Weaponised insects

Out of detective novels

Blister beetles

Plants attracting insects

Insect repellents

Chapter 7 Organochlorine Compounds

Introduction

Organic chlorine compounds

Chloromethane

Pesticides and DDT

Dieldrin and Aldrin

Chlorinated medicines

Chlorinated phenols

Natural germ-killers from the earth

Teicoplanin

Chloramphenicol

Halogenated Compounds from Marine Fungi

Another killer

Chapter 8 Organofluorine Compounds

Introduction

CFCs, serendipity and a serious problem

Other organofluorine compounds

Other problematic organofluorine compounds

A natural problem

Fluorinated pharmaceuticals

Anaesthetics

Blood substitutes

Perfluorocubane

Chapter 9 Smoking and Vaping

Smoking

Nicotine

Health effects of smoking

Toxic chemicals in tobacco

Vaping

Metal heating elements and metal pieces

Solvents

Flavourings

Diacetyl

Benzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde and vanillin

Vitamin E acetate

Nicotine analogues

Student vaping

Conclusions and summary

Chapter 10 Isotopes

Isotopes

What’s the difference between H2O and D2O?

Lead isotopes

Coinage and Isotopes

Uranium isotopes and their separation

Carbon isotopes

Detecting food fraud

Radiocarbon

Fraudulent white truffles

Isoscapes

Carbon in foods

Strontium isotopes

Isotopes and drugs

King Richard III

Isotopes in solving crimes The Welsh case The ‘Scissor Sisters’ case An unsolved crime. five thousand years ago.

Chapter 11 Methane

Introduction and historical background

Wood, coal and coal gas

Coal, the environment and smogs

Natural gas and methane.

Methane, a greenhouse gas

Über Autor(innen)

Simon Cotton obtained his BSc and PhD in the Chemistry department of Imperial College London, followed by research and teaching appointments at Queen Mary College, London, and the University of East Anglia. He subsequently taught chemistry in both state and independent schools for over 30 years, then in 2011 he became an honorary senior lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, where for five years he taught inorganic and organic chemistry. He has published research on the chemistry of iron, cobalt, scandium, yttrium and the lanthanide elements.

His “Soundbite Molecules” feature ran as a regular column in the magazine Education in Chemistry from 1996 to 2012, reaching every secondary school in the UK. He has written over 100 “Molecules of the Month” articles, which are featured online at http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/motm.htm and recognised globally. Additionally, he has delivered over forty “Chemistry in Its Element” podcasts for the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemistry World website at http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/.

In 2005 he shared the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools Education Award and in 2014 was awarded the British Empire Medal for his work in chemistry and education.

He was editor of “Lanthanide and Actinide Compounds” for the Dictionary of Organometallic Compounds and the Dictionary of Inorganic Compounds between 1984 and 1997. He wrote the account of lanthanide coordination chemistry for the second edition of Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry and the accounts of lanthanide inorganic and coordination chemistry for the first and second editions of the Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry.

This is his ninth book; his previous books are

D. J. Cardin, S. A. Cotton, M. Green, and J. A. Labinger, Organometallic Compounds of the Lanthanides, Actinides and Early Transition Metals, 1985.

S. A. Cotton, Building The Late Mediaeval Suffolk Parish Church, 2019.

S. A. Cotton, Chemistry of Precious Metals, 1997.

S. A. Cotton, Every Molecule Tells a Story, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fl., 2012.

S. A. Cotton, Lanthanide and Actinide Chemistry, 2006.

S. A. Cotton, Lanthanides and Actinides, 1991.

P. May and S. A. Cotton, Molecules That Amaze Us, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fl., 2015.

S. A. Cotton and F. A. Hart, The Heavy Transition Elements, 1975.