Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Napoleon's Buttons
Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules that Changed History | Penny Le Couteur, Jay Burreson
6 posts | 4 read | 9 to read
Examines the roles that the molecular properties of such items as the birth control pill, caffeine, and the buttons on the uniforms of Napoleon's army have played in the course of history.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
ImperfectCJ
post image
Pickpick

Everything on Earth is made from the same handful of substances with properties that vary dramatically based on the proportions and structure of their combinations. Tiny changes have had enormous effects on human history, and we often don't know whether those changes are positive, negative, or both until well after the fact. At times overly simplistic, overall this book provides an intriguing perspective on how chemistry shapes our world.

ImperfectCJ This is one of the excellent books on the reading lists for the Build Your Library homeschool curriculum. I highly recommend this resource to anyone looking for ideas for books on many, many subjects for themselves and/or their children. 4y
36 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
ImperfectCJ
post image

My son and I finished this book about molecules that changed the world (review to follow), and in the last chapter found this bit about chloroquine. I was a little more excited about the link to current events than my ten-year-old was. Actually, I'm more excited about the book overall than he is. He's more into Captain Underpants right now.

quote
ImperfectCJ
post image

"Theophylline, found in tea, and theobromine, in cocoa, differ from caffeine only in the number of CH3 groups attached to the rings of the structure...this very small change of molecular structure accounts for the different physiological effect of these molecules."

Also, theobromine, found in cacao, comes from the Greek for "food of the gods." (Theophylline appears to derive from "leaf of the gods," but the book doesn't say this.)

starlight97 How interesting! 4y
DieAReader Very interesting! 4y
41 likes2 comments
blurb
ImperfectCJ
post image

An excerpt from our chemistry reading for the day. It's always a silly thrill to find places I know in books I'm reading. I had no idea that the town where our previous orthodontist was located was so significant in the history of oral contraceptives. Not pictured here are the researchers' interesting workarounds for Massachusetts's draconian laws at the time.

PurpleTulipGirl My hometown was an answer on Jeopardy last week. At least I got one answer right! 4y
ImperfectCJ @PurpleTulipGirl It's satisfying when it works out like that! My kids and I love watching Jeopardy, but we only see it during football season (the only time our family is willing to pay for TV). 4y
34 likes2 comments
quote
ImperfectCJ
post image

"It has been estimated that one ounce of botulinum toxin A could kill 100 million people."

I'm not sure it changes my thinking on preservatives, but it does give me something else to be paranoid about. Yay, reading!

TheAromaofBooks haha good times, right?? 😂 4y
43 likes1 comment
blurb
bridge12
post image

Yeah!!! I finally came home from such a long day to be able to open my #nonfictionbookexchange2018 package!! Thank you SO much for the book love @REPollock I‘m so excited to read these guys! @inwhichHeikereadsharder for setting this up! I hope everyone‘s #2018NFBE was as good as mine! ❤️

REPollock Yay! I‘m glad they made it there, and I hope you like them! 📚❤️ 6y
4 likes1 comment