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The Secret Lives of Molecules
Everything that surrounds - and we ourselves - are made of molecules, combinations of atoms bonded together in very particular ways. They are constructed from a limited set of elements that can combine in an almost limitless variety of arrangements. And when they do, they take on properties and significance greater than the sum of their parts. This book is all about how individual atoms work together to take on new and bigger roles. It offers a look at just 52 molecules that help make us and the world around us. It explores their impact on our lives and how they keep us engaged with life and living.
This book is all about how individual atoms work together to take on new and bigger roles. It offers a look at just 52 molecules that help make us and the world around us. It explores their impact on our lives and how they keep us engaged with life and living.
This book is all about how individual atoms work together to take on new and bigger roles. It offers a look at just 52 molecules that help make us and the world around us. It explores their impact on our lives and how they keep us engaged with life and living.
- GenresNonfictionScienceBiology
224 pages, Hardcover
Published August 8, 2023
7 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Harkup
14 books96 followersKathryn Harkup is a chemist and author. Kathryn completed a PhD then a postdoc at the University of York before realising that talking, writing and demonstrating science appealed far more than spending hours slaving over a hot fume-hood. Kathryn went on to run outreach in engineering, computing, physics and maths at the University of Surrey, which involved writing talks on science and engineering topics that would appeal to bored teenagers, and she is now a science communicator delivering talks and workshops on the quirky side of science.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 10, 2023
A number of years ago, the Royal Society of Chemistry began a podcast series called Chemistry in its Element. After completing the 118 episodes for the elements, they branched out into the much richer field of compounds. Kathryn Harkup did not contribute to the series, but this book feels like the next step from those podcasts - bite-sized, enjoyable pieces, in this case looking into each of 52 key molecules. (Even if you've heard the podcasts, the content here is entirely different.)
Harkup builds into each article a significant story that may be tangential, but makes the subject come alive. So, for example, when talking about sodium chloride - salt - she majors on the significance of salt to humans and Ghandi's protest against the restrictive salt laws in India in the 1930s. As you go through the book you will meet other familiar, big name compounds, such as water, carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid (oddly, this, and sulfur are written as sulphur, despite sulfur now being the standard spelling both according to international chemistry bodies and the RSC). But there are also molecules that are rather more obscure by name if not by function, from lithium iron phosphate to cyanidin and geosmin (evocatively described in the article's subtitle as the smell of rain).
This is a handsome book that would clearly work well as a gift - and it is ideal for dipping into on the commute, though probably not one to read end-to-end in a sitting. It is aimed at an adult audience, but I felt occasionally that Harkup's tone drifted towards writing for younger readers. Take, for example, the final paragraph of the sodium chloride article: 'His actions, and those of his followers, did not end the salt tax, but it was the start of change. The world was now watching what went on in India. And it was clear that the British could not rule there without the consent of the Indian people.' This wording feels pitched at the level of a GCSE textbook, rather than for a more sophisticated reader.
Secret Lives certainly isn't a textbook, though. Harkup does some excellent storytelling and this makes the book an excellent addition to the surprisingly short list of good chemistry popular science titles - for some reason chemistry is definitely the Cinderella science in this regard. Although I was familiar with most of the compounds we met, in every article I learned something new. Harkup has a gift for taking a story in an unexpected direction. So, for example, in the geosmin article, she gets in the Gods of Olympus, the smells of wet earth, bacterial action, the insects called springtails and the human sense of smell. It's a book that's entertaining and informative in equal measures.
Harkup builds into each article a significant story that may be tangential, but makes the subject come alive. So, for example, when talking about sodium chloride - salt - she majors on the significance of salt to humans and Ghandi's protest against the restrictive salt laws in India in the 1930s. As you go through the book you will meet other familiar, big name compounds, such as water, carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid (oddly, this, and sulfur are written as sulphur, despite sulfur now being the standard spelling both according to international chemistry bodies and the RSC). But there are also molecules that are rather more obscure by name if not by function, from lithium iron phosphate to cyanidin and geosmin (evocatively described in the article's subtitle as the smell of rain).
This is a handsome book that would clearly work well as a gift - and it is ideal for dipping into on the commute, though probably not one to read end-to-end in a sitting. It is aimed at an adult audience, but I felt occasionally that Harkup's tone drifted towards writing for younger readers. Take, for example, the final paragraph of the sodium chloride article: 'His actions, and those of his followers, did not end the salt tax, but it was the start of change. The world was now watching what went on in India. And it was clear that the British could not rule there without the consent of the Indian people.' This wording feels pitched at the level of a GCSE textbook, rather than for a more sophisticated reader.
Secret Lives certainly isn't a textbook, though. Harkup does some excellent storytelling and this makes the book an excellent addition to the surprisingly short list of good chemistry popular science titles - for some reason chemistry is definitely the Cinderella science in this regard. Although I was familiar with most of the compounds we met, in every article I learned something new. Harkup has a gift for taking a story in an unexpected direction. So, for example, in the geosmin article, she gets in the Gods of Olympus, the smells of wet earth, bacterial action, the insects called springtails and the human sense of smell. It's a book that's entertaining and informative in equal measures.
October 2, 2025
Very much recommend. I really liked the way each molecule is explained and how each explanation is combined with a lesson on science history.
Creative approach on learning everything I forgot from high school :).
Creative approach on learning everything I forgot from high school :).
July 3, 2024
She did it again! Kathryn Harkup's latest book tackles 52 molecules and their story: their role in our lives, how they were discovered, how they ruled and what they are up to these days.
It is interesting to finally get a picture of how impactful and why the molecules are: from our safety and health, well-being (both good and dark), to politics and science, they are everywhere!
A fascinating read as always and I can't wait to read her next book, when it will be out! :)
It is interesting to finally get a picture of how impactful and why the molecules are: from our safety and health, well-being (both good and dark), to politics and science, they are everywhere!
A fascinating read as always and I can't wait to read her next book, when it will be out! :)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews