Cobb and Fetterolf present safety information and a shopping list early in the book. This list includes all the chemicals and other materials needed for doing the activities that are sprinkled throughout the book. Many of the chemicals (baking soda) are from the grocery store, although a few items (tincture of iodine and aquarium pH-lowering solution, for example) may require a visit to a pharmacy or specialty store. The overall list of materials is manageable, at about 80 items for the more than 20 demonstrations the book presents.

Each chapter is introduced by one or more short demonstrations that preview the chapter’s theoretical content. Many of these demos appear to be unique to this book, which keeps them entertaining even for the teacher or chemistry enthusiast who may already be familiar with many common chemical demonstrations. Most demonstrations are quite complete, although I occasionally found myself wishing for a bit more detail. For example, Demonstration 5 describes how to make a black pigment by precipitation. Cobb and Fetterolf note, “Historically, this material was used as black ink, and this precipitation reaction was used to produce it” (p 96). I wish they had gone on to describe how to make this product into ink, as I would have made some myself and perhaps used it to pen this review.

Overall the book is extremely well written. The tone and pacing are reader-friendly, and I did not spot a single typographical or factual error of any kind. The content is coherent and ordered logically. The first part of the book introduces basic knowledge about such topics as intermolecular forces and chemical kinetics, while the second part integrates these ideas in sections that introduce organic, analytical, and biochemistry. Later chapters reinforce concepts presented earlier in the book. The writing style remains accessible throughout, even when the content becomes complex (as in the chapter introducing biochemistry). The book also offers some interdisciplinary flavor; the authors contend that readers in previous centuries were more familiar with chemistry than audiences are today, so they have prefaced each section with chemically allusive literary quotations.

Interested adults with little background knowledge of chemistry will find that The Joy of Chemistry can be read straight through as if it were a novel, although the reader likely will want to perform each demonstration to feel the book’s full impact. This would be a great book club selection, as the demonstrations could be done in turn by different members of a group of readers. Reading in a group would also aid in understanding new concepts, particularly if a few group members have had prior experience with chemistry. Though this book is quite well written, squeezing even an introduction to the entire field of chemistry into less than 400 pages requires a fast pace indeed.

This would also be a great book for the chemistry teacher at the high school or introductory college level who is searching for interesting ways to present chemistry to students. Although not every area of introductory chemistry is covered in the book, those that are included are presented in an engaging manner that could easily be transferred to the classroom setting. Because the writing style is so accessible, academically gifted students as young as eighth grade would probably be capable of reading this book. The Joy of Chemistry would also be ideal for home-schooled students because the demonstrations require no special laboratory equipment. My only other suggestion for the authors would be to recommend a coffee filter for filtration, rather than the paper towel they suggest (p 273). As anyone who has tried making coffee with one can attest, paper towels make poor filters.

In summary, this is a great book for persons who want to remain interested while increasing their knowledge of chemical principles and the ways in which these principles operate in everyday life. I give the book my strongest recommendation.

Literature Cited

1. Rombauer, Irma S. Joy of Cooking 1931 Facsimile Edition: A Facsimile of the First Edition 1931; Scribner: New York, 1998. Becker, Marion Rombauer; Becker, Ethan; Rombauer, Irma S. The All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking, Rev. ed.; Scribner: New York, 1997.