World of Carbon

by Isaac Asimov

The important role of carbon compounds in modern life is a focus of this introduction to organic chemistry

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Nonfiction, Popular Science

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[Katya Epstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful little book. Full of information I was shocked and horrified that I didn't already know. (Now I know why organic chemists seem to think everybody else is an idiot.) This is the world around us: our food, our fuel, our own bodies. Asimov's writing is extremely charming, and the datedness (copyright 1958) is quaint. Some things don't change.
My only complaint is with his decision to keep the use of structural formulas to a minimum. I am a very visual person, so I found myself flipping to the index several times per page to look up what a hydroxyl group (pathetic, I know. How much easier could it get?) or a carboxyl group or stearic acid etc. looked like.

[Yana M · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand chemistry in an interesting and easy step-by-step way, this is the book for you.

[Timothy A Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The World of Carbon is an incredible book. Asimov is a master of explaining complex subjects and making them both easily understandable and incredibly interesting. The World of Carbon is an explanation of Organic Chemistry, which has long been the bane of existence for Pre-med, Chemistry, and other science majors. I would highly recommend such students read and study The World of Carbon. It will make O-chem bearable and perhaps even enjoyable. The contrast between Organic Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry is stark. It is a night-and-day difference. The inclusion of a Carbon atom is the reason. Inorganic molecules involve very few atoms--seldom more than 12 atoms and such compounds are highly unstable. In contrast, organic molecules can and often do include literally millions of atoms. The addition of carbon makes creation of organic molecules like building structures with Legos. The possibilities are literally infinite, which is great for mankind, as many of these discovered and yet-to-be-discovered organic compounds are often life-changing for humankind. The total number of inorganic compounds comes to about 500,000 and most have been discovered. There are literally millions of organic compounds that have been created and many millions more to be discovered.

[Levi Hochstetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, there’s a lot I don’t know. Organic chemistry is one of those things. Yet, Asmiov just writes scientific facts in straight up plain speak. Found this super easy to read and picked up some things along the way (need to eat more carrots, anesthesia has some significant trade offs and used to suck at being non-poisonous, flammable vs. inflammable, etc).

Thought he was British for half of this for some reason (I’m sorry Dr. Asimov), and some dated phrasing and definition deluging, but super good short intro book to organic chemistry

[Daniel Parnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a sort of informal preparation for organic chemistry, albeit one could accomplish the same thing with some Khan academy videos (I did that too). It really helped me to have a self-paced pleasant introduction to organic molecules and the real-world implications of their structure. Everyone should experience learning the sciences from someone who genuinely loves the material without the pressure of a fast-paced curriculum, and this book absolutely offered that.

[Gus Lackner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy to follow introduction to the subject, Asimov has the rare skill of being able to picture the beginner’s mind. The World of Carbon also gives the sense of being a single conversation, and is accordingly cohesive and self-contained.

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weirdly super compelling and interesting.

[Krisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Страхотна и полезна книга! Препоръчвам за любопитните и тези, които имат нужда да си припомнят или обогатят знанията по химия.

[Nix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I read this book when I was in school, easy to understand and I would had better grades.

[Данаил Манаилов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Чак ме е срам, че не съм знаел доста от нещата в книгата. Изключително обогатяваща, лесно смилаема и интересна.