Nobel laureate Harold Kroto leads us into the fascinating world of modern chemistry. From the experiments of alchemists, among philosophy and religion, to the “Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed” of Lavoisier, up to the invention of the periodic table of Mendeleev: the birth, development and future scenarios of science that inquires into the nature of the universe.

CHAPTERS:
A particular science
1. A long history
2. The life of Lavoisier
3. A sequence of revolutions
4. From alchemy to chemistry

First steps of modern chemistry
5. A reasonable scientific approach
6. The life of Mendeleev
7. Explain the nature of the world
8. Atoms and molecules
9. The structure and matter
10. Benzene
11. The importance of the structure

Chemistry in the world
12. Chemistry, matter and the evolution of society
13. Black gold
14. Techniques for examining matter
15. Chemistry and medicine
16. Chemical bonds
17. Chemistry and biology

A powerful examining tool
18. The color of atoms and spectroscopy
19. Examining the structure of molecules
20. Understanding how atoms remain together
21. A fantastic discovery
22. Nanotechnology
23. A biological engine
24. Nanoscience and molecular machines
25. A better society