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Reactions: The private life of atoms
Through an innovative, closely integrated design of images and text, and his characteristically clear, precise, and economical exposition, Peter Atkins explains the processes involved in chemical reactions. He begins by introducing a 'tool kit' of basic reactions, such as precipitation, corrosion, and catalysis, and concludes by showing how these building blocks are brought together in more complex processes such as photosynthesis.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2011
24 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Peter Atkins
209 books205 followersPeter William Atkins is an English chemist and a Fellow of Lincoln College at the University of Oxford. He retired in 2007. He is a prolific writer of popular chemistry textbooks, including Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and Molecular Quantum Mechanics. Atkins is also the author of a number of popular science books, including Atkins' Molecules, Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science and On Being.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 16, 2012
Like any other medium, from newspapers to blockbuster movies, popular science books tend to follow trends. I'm delighted to say that this is a book that breaks most of the current trends - it is probably the most different popular science book I've seen in a number of years.
Firstly, it concentrates on chemistry, the Cinderella of the sciences (at least from the point of view of popular science writing). If you aren't dealing with the elements, chemistry generally gets a very rough ride. But Peter Atkins gives us a book that is as purely focused on chemistry as it's possible to be.
Secondly, it bucks the trend that you either do a nicely illustrated book at a simplistic, for-anyone level, or a largely non-illustrated book if it's for the more sophisticated audience. The illustrations (and beautiful they are too) are key to this book, yet it's not a lightweight read in any sense of the world.
What Atkins aims to do is to present us with the fundamentals of chemistry in a new way. We start of gently with the nature of water, precipitation, redox reactions, combustion, acids and bases and the like. Over time, though, things build up until by the end we're dealing with sophisticated organic reactions (admittedly in a rather more summary fashion) and reactions that involve light.
That reference to 'redox reactions' is the clue that this is not a book that is going to appeal to everyone. The nature of oxidation and reduction, which Atkins gradually shifts from its traditional meaning to the movement of electrons, is something a popular science book is likely to cover at a fairly summary level, but here we get quite meaty. I originally intended to do a degree in chemistry before switching to physics (though it's a long time since I did any), yet I still found the book as a whole quite hard work. Its ideal audience would be chemistry students towards the end of their school career before moving on to university. It covers the groundwork beautifully, and I learned things I'm sure I never knew. But I can't see many people sitting down and enjoying this as a purely recreational popular science book. As such it's the chemistry equivalent of Cox and Forshaw's The Quantum Universe.
Atkins has a great turn of phrase. I loved remarks like 'Dissolution is seduction by electrical deception.' It's almost worth reading the book for these alone. Funnily enough, the real let down for me was those gorgeous illustrations. They show the structure of the molecules undertaking the reactions. But the trouble is there is no labelling - they rely on size, position and colour alone - and it is very difficult to work out what's going on in them. This isn't helped when the same colouring is used to mean different things in different diagrams. The idea of basing the book around these illustrations is great, but they would need significantly more development (or even better to be turned into animations in an iPad version of the book) to really do the job.
Overall then, a beautifully presented book, a great and largely overlooked subject and some excellent writing, but one for the chemistry student rather than the general reader.
Review originally published on www.popularscience.co.uk and reproduced with permission.
Firstly, it concentrates on chemistry, the Cinderella of the sciences (at least from the point of view of popular science writing). If you aren't dealing with the elements, chemistry generally gets a very rough ride. But Peter Atkins gives us a book that is as purely focused on chemistry as it's possible to be.
Secondly, it bucks the trend that you either do a nicely illustrated book at a simplistic, for-anyone level, or a largely non-illustrated book if it's for the more sophisticated audience. The illustrations (and beautiful they are too) are key to this book, yet it's not a lightweight read in any sense of the world.
What Atkins aims to do is to present us with the fundamentals of chemistry in a new way. We start of gently with the nature of water, precipitation, redox reactions, combustion, acids and bases and the like. Over time, though, things build up until by the end we're dealing with sophisticated organic reactions (admittedly in a rather more summary fashion) and reactions that involve light.
That reference to 'redox reactions' is the clue that this is not a book that is going to appeal to everyone. The nature of oxidation and reduction, which Atkins gradually shifts from its traditional meaning to the movement of electrons, is something a popular science book is likely to cover at a fairly summary level, but here we get quite meaty. I originally intended to do a degree in chemistry before switching to physics (though it's a long time since I did any), yet I still found the book as a whole quite hard work. Its ideal audience would be chemistry students towards the end of their school career before moving on to university. It covers the groundwork beautifully, and I learned things I'm sure I never knew. But I can't see many people sitting down and enjoying this as a purely recreational popular science book. As such it's the chemistry equivalent of Cox and Forshaw's The Quantum Universe.
Atkins has a great turn of phrase. I loved remarks like 'Dissolution is seduction by electrical deception.' It's almost worth reading the book for these alone. Funnily enough, the real let down for me was those gorgeous illustrations. They show the structure of the molecules undertaking the reactions. But the trouble is there is no labelling - they rely on size, position and colour alone - and it is very difficult to work out what's going on in them. This isn't helped when the same colouring is used to mean different things in different diagrams. The idea of basing the book around these illustrations is great, but they would need significantly more development (or even better to be turned into animations in an iPad version of the book) to really do the job.
Overall then, a beautifully presented book, a great and largely overlooked subject and some excellent writing, but one for the chemistry student rather than the general reader.
Review originally published on www.popularscience.co.uk and reproduced with permission.
August 4, 2012
Unfortunately, despite looking pretty inviting in the bookstore, this title left me fairly cold.
This is the fourth of Atkins's popular science titles I've read, and I expect it to be the last. Only his Molecules really worked for me. (Though his Atoms, Molecules, and Change is a superior effort to this one.)
I identify a few flaws with this book:
1) The presentation of information is too unsystematic.
2) The diagrams are not particularly helpful. Atkins uses ball-and-stick molecular diagrams but never gives you a key to the color-codings of the atoms. While there is a standard convention (hydrogen's white, oxygen's red, carbon is black, and chlorine is a sickly green, for instance), this book is pitched at a nonspecialist audience. The diagrams therefore end up illuminating less than the author seems to intend. Furthermore, he depicts reactions in solution "realistically", meaning there is a sea of nonreactant molecules clouding the illustrations.
It almost seems as if this were intended as the TV tie-in title to a science documentary, very heavy on 3-D animations, which never came to fruition.
3) As with his book The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey Into The Land Of The Chemical Elements , a metaphor which doesn't illuminate very much is stretched beyond the breaking point. In Periodic Kingdom we are asked to envision the periodic table as a geographical island in an ocean of non-matter, and different parts of the island exhibit different properties. In Reactions, the "private life" metaphor is milked and overplayed, with atoms fraternizing, marrying and divorcing. But then Atkins brings in zippers, fasteners, and chainsaws, which have no (obvious) applicability to relationships that I can discern.
There *is* interesting information in this book. I found the explanation of photochromatism (the phenomenon used in self-darkening sunglasses) quite interesting, for instance.
My gripe is primarily with the presentation. Having recently completed an undergraduate general chemistry course, this presentation was far too nontechnical for my level of preparation. And, realistically, having a semester or two of college chemistry is a very long way from having professional expertise as Dr. Atkins does. I wish he had pitched this narrative a little higher and asked more of his audience in terms of sophistication, and less in terms of discernment of chaotic diagrams of colored balls, some of which had contrast-limiting filters imposed on them to imply a "background".
Equations and Lewis structure diagrams work. They should be used.
This is the fourth of Atkins's popular science titles I've read, and I expect it to be the last. Only his Molecules really worked for me. (Though his Atoms, Molecules, and Change is a superior effort to this one.)
I identify a few flaws with this book:
1) The presentation of information is too unsystematic.
2) The diagrams are not particularly helpful. Atkins uses ball-and-stick molecular diagrams but never gives you a key to the color-codings of the atoms. While there is a standard convention (hydrogen's white, oxygen's red, carbon is black, and chlorine is a sickly green, for instance), this book is pitched at a nonspecialist audience. The diagrams therefore end up illuminating less than the author seems to intend. Furthermore, he depicts reactions in solution "realistically", meaning there is a sea of nonreactant molecules clouding the illustrations.
It almost seems as if this were intended as the TV tie-in title to a science documentary, very heavy on 3-D animations, which never came to fruition.
3) As with his book The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey Into The Land Of The Chemical Elements , a metaphor which doesn't illuminate very much is stretched beyond the breaking point. In Periodic Kingdom we are asked to envision the periodic table as a geographical island in an ocean of non-matter, and different parts of the island exhibit different properties. In Reactions, the "private life" metaphor is milked and overplayed, with atoms fraternizing, marrying and divorcing. But then Atkins brings in zippers, fasteners, and chainsaws, which have no (obvious) applicability to relationships that I can discern.
There *is* interesting information in this book. I found the explanation of photochromatism (the phenomenon used in self-darkening sunglasses) quite interesting, for instance.
My gripe is primarily with the presentation. Having recently completed an undergraduate general chemistry course, this presentation was far too nontechnical for my level of preparation. And, realistically, having a semester or two of college chemistry is a very long way from having professional expertise as Dr. Atkins does. I wish he had pitched this narrative a little higher and asked more of his audience in terms of sophistication, and less in terms of discernment of chaotic diagrams of colored balls, some of which had contrast-limiting filters imposed on them to imply a "background".
Equations and Lewis structure diagrams work. They should be used.
June 3, 2019
I would give Reactions a four out of five. The book provides a great amount of information in only one book, covering a variety of topics from general, organic, and biochemistry. It can give the reader a basic understanding of a certain topic in chemistry in only a few pages. It also gives plenty of examples on how each chemical process works in a lab setting. This is a great book for students interested in chemistry and who have some previous knowledge of general chemistry. The book did have some downsides, however, namely its superfluous use of metaphors to describe chemical processes. This seemed to dumb down the information a little, and perhaps it would have been better for there to be more examples of lab scenarios or further information on the topic. The book also has a bit of an awkward flow, yet it is organized at the same time. The four sections of topics organize the information to help the reader to follow the underlining principles of each section, yet at times it felt disconnected. Overall I did find the book to be interesting and helpful to any science students or for those wanting to know more about chemistry.
December 20, 2023
Reactions: The Private Life of Atoms" is a captivating exploration into the microscopic world of atoms, providing readers with a fascinating journey through the intricate dance of particles that shape our universe. The author seamlessly integrates discussions on Lewis structures, providing clarity on the spatial arrangement of atoms in molecules. By incorporating this essential concept, the book not only enhances the reader's understanding of chemical bonding but also adds a practical dimension to the exploration of atoms' private lives.
December 7, 2017
The nitty-gritty (and sometimes technical) descriptions of reactions both familiar and unfamiliar. Why does a catalytic converter stop working? How do you digest food? How does photosynthesis work? These are answered not in a language someone without any prior science exposure can easily decode, but anyone who took chemistry and biology in high school will get something out of this. Mostly dry, but told in quick chapters to keep the interest of the reader.
August 25, 2017
I found this book extremely interesting and I'm glad I had decided to read it. I really enjoyed how easy it was to understand considering I don't know a ton about chemistry. That being said, there were some parts that were a little bit confusing, what with all of the formulas and stuff. Despite this, I really wish I could give this book 4.5 stars, because that's how I feel.
January 22, 2018
I agree with Todd's, G. Braden's, and Brian's reviews below, so I won't repeat what they have said :-) my copy, however, seems to have a lot of editorial errors in it regarding word tense and sentence structure. I did get a brand new copy from a popular used book reseller 🤔 The illustrations were especially formidable👍
August 14, 2021
Atkins is an excellent writer, but the format of the book was a struggle to read. There was just too much expository text to follow. The writing flipped between simple and expert mode rapidly. I liked parts, but overall it just didn't come out as well as his other books.
April 22, 2012
Atkins does a wonderful job of explaining difficult subjects. His illustrations are good, esp, if viewed in color (better on iPad than Kindle). Highly recommended for beginning students in Chem, Organic Chem, and Biochem to clarify, simplify, and organize your thinking about reactions.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews