Sensitive Matter: Foams, Gels, Liquid Crystals, and Other Miracles

by Michel Mitov, Giselle Weiss (Translator)

Life would not exist without sensitive, or soft, matter. All biological structures depend on it, including red blood globules, lung fluid, and membranes. So do industrial emulsions, gels, plastics, liquid crystals, and granular materials. What makes sensitive matter so fascinating is its inherent versatility. Shape-shifting at the slightest provocation, whether a change in composition or environment, it leads a fugitive existence.

Physicist Michel Mitov brings drama to molecular gastronomy (as when two irreconcilable materials are mixed to achieve the miracle of mayonnaise) and offers answers to everyday questions, such as how does paint dry on canvas, why does shampoo foam better when you “repeat,” and what allows for the controlled release of drugs? Along the way we meet a futurist cook, a scientist with a runaway imagination, and a penniless inventor named Goodyear who added sulfur to latex, quite possibly by accident, and created durable rubber.

As Mitov demonstrates, even religious ritual is a lesson in the surprising science of sensitive matter. Thrice yearly, the reliquary of St. Januarius is carried down cobblestone streets from the Cathedral to the Church of St. Clare in Naples. If all goes as hoped―and since 1389 it often has―the dried blood contained in the reliquary’s largest vial liquefies on reaching its destination, and Neapolitans are given a reaffirming symbol of renewal.

Genres: Science

208 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2012

Reviews

[Bob Gustafson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. An undergraduate chemistry course would be a useful prerequisite. One gets a good explanation of ordinary, everyday substances as well as some exotic ones, that are hard to classify as either gases or liquids or solids. Why does paint, which appears to be a liquid, cling to a paint brush, but then comes off and clings to a wall? It is questions like that, that are rhetorically asked and answered in this book.

For some reason, the author spends a lot of time on a vial of blood of Saint Januarius of Naples, which is annoying, but if you hand wave that, use the dictionary on your Kindle from time to time, and check out Wikipedia for things that you want to know more about, this book is well worth the money and the time reading.

[Aja Baajour · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so hard to understand, I really don't understand the meaning behind this book.

[Loracarol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was hard to get through, and I have a science degree. 🤣

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book. I'm not sure if my issues are with the writing or the translation (it was originally written in French), but the majority of the book was very disjointed. There were also sections where it was clear the author was trying to be funny to attempt to prevent a dry subject from becoming too inaccessible, but I wasn't getting the humor. Again, that could be an issue with the translation, or maybe I just don't get French humor.

The transitions from chapter to chapter, as well as sections within each chapter were rough, and felt illogically laid out to me. It's not until the very end of the book, in the "Bonus tracks" section, where a partial explanation for this is given. It would have been helpful to have had that at the beginning, and may have led to my approach/expectation more closely matching what the author had planned to do. The idea that soft/sensitive matter defies definition based on current structure of matter makes total sense, but I needed to know that point was being made by the disjointed structure of the book, so I wasn't constantly asking " what information got us here?".

My last issue, which may be totally due to my own sociocentric view as an American, was that most of the scientific research being cited, both historic and current, was done by French scientists. I find it difficult to believe that there aren't other scientists in the world researching and making strides in this field. I would have liked to have read a more rounded set of examples regarding the work being done today, as well as the history of what brought us to the level of understanding we have achieved thus far.

[Mills College Library]

620.11 M6843 2012