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Copyright Copyright © 2017 by Theodore Gray Cover by MRCokeley Design, LLC. Cover copyright © 2017 by Hachette Book Group, Inc. Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Hachette Book Group 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10104 www.hachettebookgroup.com www.blackdogandleventhal.com www.theodoregray.com First ebook edition: October 2017 Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers is an imprint of Hachette Books, a division of Hachette Book Group. The Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to www.hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591. The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher. Additional copyright/credits information is here. ISBN 978-0-316-50874-2 E3-20170916-JV-NF Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Introduction 1 Chemistry Is Magic Is That Really Magic? Ancient Magic Was Mostly Chemistry The Reactions I Remember from When I Was but a Wee Lad 2 Atoms, Elements, Molecules, Reactions What Is a Molecule? What Force Holds Molecules Together? What Is a Chemical Reaction? Energy Follow the Energy The Arrow of Time Entropy 3 Fantastic Reactions and Where to Find Them In the Classroom In the Kitchen In the Lab In a Factory On the Street In You 4 On the Origin of Light and Color Absorbing Light Emitting Light The Ancient Chinese Art of Chemical Arranging 5 The Boring Chapter Watching Paint Dry Watching Grass Grow Watching Water Boil 6 The Need for Speed Weathering Fire Fast Fire Really Fast Fire The Fastest Reaction of All Acknowledgments Photo Credits Newsletters Introduction WHEN I FIRST STARTED writing my book The Elements in 2008, I had the idea that it should be the first in a three-part series—Elements, Molecules, and Reactions. Together these three books would represent a tour of the world of chemistry. You start with elements, because everything starts with elements. Then you put them together into molecules. Then you send those molecules at each other in a sort of nanoscale fight club. It’s been nearly ten years (ten years!), but the trilogy is now finished! In the time it’s taken to write these books, and live the life necessary to make them possible, I feel that I have been transformed as much as any of the molecules I talk about. My children have grown and my hair has shrunk. It’s been worth it. I hope you enjoy reading any or all of these books, as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.

Description:

The third book in Theodore Gray's bestselling Elements Trilogy, Reactions continues the journey through the world of chemistry that began with his two previous bestselling books The Elements and Molecules. With The Elements, Gray gave us a never-before-seen, mesmerizing photographic view of the 118 elements in the periodic table. In Molecules, he showed us how the elements combine to form the content that makes up our universe. With Reactions Gray once again puts his one-of-a-kind photography and storytelling ability to work demonstrating how molecules interact in ways that are essential to our very existence. The book begins with a brief recap of elements and molecules and then goes on to explain important concepts the characterize a chemical reaction, including Energy, Entropy, and Time. It is then organized by type of reaction including chapters such as "Fantastic Reactions and Where to Find Them," "On the Origin of Light and Color," "The Boring Chapter," in which we learn about reactions such as paint drying, grass growing, and water boiling, and "The Need for Speed," including topics such as weather, ignition, and fire.