Creative Chemistry

Edwin E. Slosson

Creative Chemistry

PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS

CREATIVE
“CHEMISTRY.

Slosson reviews the transformation of alchemistry from an obscure and
imprecise practice to the science of chemistry. Along the way, he explains
how the modern industrial world now relies on fertilizers, explosives, textile
materials, polymers and metals.

By exploring the properties of a once undervalued element, the high
strength of vanadium steel made the Ford car possible. Another element,
cerium, appears in butane lighters and was once seen as a threat to the
match industry in France.

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In his chapter on oils, Slosson reviews the development of hydrogenated
oils, especially during WWII, in the search for a way to reuse otherwise
discarded components of corn and cottonseed. Through the revolutionary
reaction of hydrogenation, waste materials became a stable product that
wouldn't spoil when packaged or carried without refrigeration. Once thought
of as a miracle, shoppers were once willing to pay more for fully
hydrogenated oils than their natural, unsaturated forms. Only in recent years
has evidence of health risks checked their popularity and given them the
image of cheap, unhealthy fillers. (Summary by LivelyHive)

Read by LivelyHive. Total running time: 11:06:34

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Cover picture in book. Copyright expired in U.S., Canada, EU. and all countries with author’s
life +70 yrs laws. Cover design by Annise. This design is in the public domain.

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