Every Molecule Matters (2 ed)

By (author) Simon Cotton,Simon Anthony Cotton

ISBN13: 9781032615523

Imprint: CRC Press

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Format: Hardback

Published: 22/07/2025

Availability: Not yet available

Description
Every Molecule Matters is a successor to the author’s earlier Every Molecule Tells a Story, and tells the story of a wide range of molecules. These range from the familiar odours which give pleasure to eating (and the spices that add piquancy) and the vitamins that are vital to our survival, to the way in which insects and plants use chemicals to protect themselves. There’s controversy, with the compounds of chlorine which range from life-supporting anaesthetics and natural antibiotics to insecticides like DDT, which saved innumerable lives but became an environmental cause-celebre. Through the addictive power of nicotine, smoking tobacco morphed from being a curiosity imported from the Americas to a megapound industry that left human illness and death in its wake. And how safe is vaping? Find out about the painkillers that have become drugs of abuse. And smile at the smelly sulphur compounds that are unpleasant human odorants (and defence molecules for skunks), control natural cycles in the environment or act as flavourings to wine. You will discover them all in here. This book displays the structures of hundreds of compounds, used by humans, animals and plants. Some are beneficial; some are not. Find out here why you should be better informed about them. This collection of molecules illustrates the relevance of chemistry in our everyday lives. 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.
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
  • Inorganic chemistry
  • Organic chemistry
  • Professional & Vocational
  • Tertiary Education (US: College)
Height:
Width:
Spine:
Weight:453.00
List Price: £84.99