The Beauty of Chemistry: Art, Wonder, and Science

The Beauty of Chemistry: Art, Wonder, and Science 

by Philip Ball, Wenting Zhu, Yan Liang 

Language: English 

Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2020. 

382 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm. 

ISBN: 9780262044417, 0262044412 

Summary: "Chemistry is not just about microscopic atoms doing inscrutable things; it is the process that makes flowers and galaxies. We rely on it for bread-baking, vegetable-growing, and producing the materials of daily life. In stunning images and illuminating text, this book captures chemistry as it unfolds. Using such techniques as microphotography, time-lapse photography, and infrared thermal imaging, The Beauty of Chemistry shows us how chemistry underpins the formation of snowflakes, the science of champagne, the colors of flowers, and other wonders of nature and technology. We see the marvelous configurations of chemical gardens; the amazing transformations of evaporation, distillation, and precipitation; heat made visible; and more. The visuals in The Beauty of Chemistry are drawn from the online exhibition Envisioning Chemistry created by Wenting Zhu and Yan Liang in collaboration with the Chinese Chemical Society. These striking images are accompanied by accessible, engaging explanations by award-winning science writer Philip Ball"--from publisher's website

Reviews: Journal of Applied Crystallography; Scientific American

Beautiful Experiments: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science

Beautiful Experiments: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science 

by Philip Ball 

Language: English 

Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2023. 

240 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 26 cm. 

ISBN: 9780226825823, 0226825825 

Summary: Featuring two hundred color plates, this history of the craft of scientific inquiry is as exquisite as the experiments whose stories it shares. This illustrated history of experimental science is more than just a celebration of the ingenuity that scientists and natural philosophers have used throughout the ages to study--and to change--the world. Here we see in intricate detail experiments that have, in some way or another, exhibited elegance and beauty: in their design, their conception, and their execution. Celebrated science writer Philip Ball invites readers to marvel at and admire the craftsmanship of scientific instruments and apparatus on display, from the earliest microscopes to the giant particle colliders of today. With Ball as our expert guide, we are encouraged to think carefully about what experiments are, what they mean, and how they are used. Ranging across millennia and geographies, Beautiful Experiments demonstrates why "experiment" remains a contested notion in science, while also exploring how we came to understand the way the world functions, what it contains, and where the pursuit of that understanding has brought us today.

Reviews: British Journal for the History of Science; American Journal of Physics; Metascience