It's Elemental: The Hidden Chemistry in Everything
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- Create Date：2022-07-13 16:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kate Biberdorf
- ISBN：0778333078
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Summary
In this fresh and engaging guide to chemistry， Dr。 Kate Biberdorf， aka "Kate the Chemist，" reveals the fascinating science we experience every day
Have you ever wondered what makes dough rise？ Or how your morning coffee gives you that energy boost？ Or why your shampoo is making your hair look greasy？ The answer is chemistry。 From the moment we wake up until the time we go to sleep （and even while we sleep）， chemistry is at work--and it doesn't take a PhD in science to understand it。
Dr。 Biberdorf has appeared on TV programs from the Today show to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert， lighting the world on fire and changing the face of chemistry as we know it。 In It's Elemental ， she demystifies the fundamental principles of the science that may have eluded you in high school and shows how chemistry comes alive in everything we do。 With wry wit and infectious enthusiasm， this entertaining guide will ignite your passion for science and change the way you experience the world。
Have you ever wondered what makes dough rise？ Or how your morning coffee gives you that energy boost？ Or why your shampoo is making your hair look greasy？ The answer is chemistry。 From the moment we wake up until the time we go to sleep （and even while we sleep）， chemistry is at work--and it doesn't take a PhD in science to understand it。
Dr。 Biberdorf has appeared on TV programs from the Today show to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert， lighting the world on fire and changing the face of chemistry as we know it。 In It's Elemental ， she demystifies the fundamental principles of the science that may have eluded you in high school and shows how chemistry comes alive in everything we do。 With wry wit and infectious enthusiasm， this entertaining guide will ignite your passion for science and change the way you experience the world。
Reviews
Sandra Leszczyńska
，
Jestem chemikiem i ją kocham。 Jeśli kiedykolwiek będę uczyć chemii， to chcę właśnie tak。
Matt Casas
，
The first part of the book was the quickest recap of gen chem 1 and 2 possible。 The book was not advertised to contain this section and it was a let down to find out nearly half the book was essentially a For Dummies book。 The recap was not necessary。The second part of the book had its moments， but it didn't say much。 The book relied too much on saying something like "stuff" is "attracted" to the swiffer， or kitchen sink， or whatever without actually telling how cleaning materials worked。 I thou The first part of the book was the quickest recap of gen chem 1 and 2 possible。 The book was not advertised to contain this section and it was a let down to find out nearly half the book was essentially a For Dummies book。 The recap was not necessary。The second part of the book had its moments， but it didn't say much。 The book relied too much on saying something like "stuff" is "attracted" to the swiffer， or kitchen sink， or whatever without actually telling how cleaning materials worked。 I thought I was going to learn something here。 。。。more
Bookclubbish
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CategoriesBiochemistry， History of Science
Łukasz
，
Chemia opisana w bardzo przystępny i fascynujący sposób。 Autorka pokazuje， że każde zjawisko， jak parzenie kawy， sen， kac， zachód słońca to tak naprawdę chemia。 Jedynym minusem książki są czasem problemy w tłumaczeniu， bo mam wrażenie， że nie do końca precyzyjnie przełożono sens niektórych zdań。
po。czytane
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3。75Pamiętaj chemiku młody， wlewaj zawsze kwas do wodyI to by było na tyle， jeśli chodzi o moją wiedzę z zakresu chemii。 Przy ogromnym rozczarowaniu mojego taty， który na swoim koncie ma nie tylko zajęcia z tego przedmiotu na poziomie uniwersyteckim， ale również wysadzenie czegoś w swoim liceum， co na zawsze pozostawiło ślad na suficie， a czym do dzisiaj ciągle się chwali。 Ja， choć starałam się ze wszystkich sił， nie potrafiłam się w tym przedmiocie odnaleźć。 Ale seria „Zrozum” już nieraz ratowa 3。75Pamiętaj chemiku młody， wlewaj zawsze kwas do wodyI to by było na tyle， jeśli chodzi o moją wiedzę z zakresu chemii。 Przy ogromnym rozczarowaniu mojego taty， który na swoim koncie ma nie tylko zajęcia z tego przedmiotu na poziomie uniwersyteckim， ale również wysadzenie czegoś w swoim liceum， co na zawsze pozostawiło ślad na suficie， a czym do dzisiaj ciągle się chwali。 Ja， choć starałam się ze wszystkich sił， nie potrafiłam się w tym przedmiocie odnaleźć。 Ale seria „Zrozum” już nieraz ratowała mnie z opresji， to i może z chemią by sobie poradziła？ Bo właśnie na tym obszarze skupia się czerwcowa premiera tego cyklu o jakże wdzięcznym tytule „Roztwory i spółka”。Już pomijając fakt， jak dobrze dobrany jest polski tytuł （pozdrawiam wszystkich fanów animacji „Potwory i spółka”）， to autorka podobnie jak w bajce otwiera przed czytelnikiem kolejne drzwi， chcąc udowodnić， że nie taka chemia straszna， jak ją malują。 Jasne， pierwszy rozdział， w którym Biberdorf stara się wyłożyć potrzebne czytelnikowi podstawy， może przerazić nawet najbardziej zdeterminowanych。 Ale później to już jest bułka z masłem。 Autorka zabiera nas na wycieczkę po własnych mieszkaniach， barach czy ciałach， żeby pokazać， że choćbyśmy chcieli， nie damy rady uciec od chemii， nawet jeśli zakończymy swoją edukację， a notatki w glorii chwały spalimy bądź wyrzucimy。W tej książce znajdziecie odpowiedzi na pytania， które może nigdy was nie nurtowały， ale po ich zadaniu sobie musicie poznać odpowiedź。 Dlaczego szybciej opalamy się na plaży， a w ogródku osiągnięcie takiego efektu jest prawie niemożliwe？ Czy znajomość chemii pomoże wam zostać baristą i przyrządzić pyszną kawę？ A może istnieje skuteczny przepis na pozbycie się kaca， ale przez wasz wstręt do tego szkolnego przedmiotu nigdy go nie odkryliście？Nie każdemu podejdzie ta książka。 Biberdorf， choć jest nauczycielką wyrozumiałą i tłumaczącą wszystko powoli i dokładnie， nie zaczeka na tych， którzy w ogóle nie są zainteresowani poznaniem chemii。 Trzeba mieć w sobie chociaż minimalne chęci zrozumienia， inaczej po przeczytaniu książki będziemy mogli odłożyć ją na półkę i po tygodniu w naszej głowie nic już z niej nie zostanie。 Nie twierdzę， że po przewróceniu ostatniej strony staniecie się chemicznymi geniuszami， ale dobrze jest rozumieć， co dzieje się obok nas， a czasami nawet i wewnątrz nas。 I właśnie o tym jest ta pozycja。Kate Biberdorf jest tą nauczycielką chemii， na którą zapewne nigdy nie trafiliście， jeśli pamiętacie z tego przedmiotu tyle， co ja。 W niezwykle lekki i przystępny sposób tłumaczy zagadnienia， które przydadzą się czytelnikowi nie tylko na kartkówce czy sprawdzianie， ale też w prawdziwym życiu。 A chyba to jest najważniejsze， prawda？ Warto zrobić krok do tyłu i podejść do chemii na nowo， z otwartą głową。 Bo ta koniec końców może okazać się naprawdę interesująca。 。。。more
Gilbert Stack
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I have mixed feelings regarding this book。 On the one hand， it is a fascinating attempt to help the reader to see chemistry in every part of their daily life。 On the other hand， despite a Herculean effort by the author， it’s still very dense reading。 If you are interested in science and/or chemistry， this book is worth the effort。 But be forewarned， it’s tough slogging。
Adam Mirek
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gdybym napisał kiedyś książkę o chemii， mogłaby wyglądać właśnie tak
Josh
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Pretty fun way to dip your toes into the world of chemistry。 And I appreciate the invitation at the end for other people to nerd out on whatever it is that gets their own inner fire burning。 Recommend for anyone who has to but really doesn’t want to learn this stuff。
Simon Taylor
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The names Bond。 Covalent Bond。
Jaclyn
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I picked this up from my school library。 As a chemistry teacher， I am always on the lookout for new and interesting books that I can recommend to my students that might help them better understand the importance of the subject matter。 This book was actually a pretty good introduction to basic chemical concepts， including organic chemistry that we don't often get to cover in class。 The second part was also interesting in how it breaks down the appearance of chemistry in everyday life。 I definitel I picked this up from my school library。 As a chemistry teacher， I am always on the lookout for new and interesting books that I can recommend to my students that might help them better understand the importance of the subject matter。 This book was actually a pretty good introduction to basic chemical concepts， including organic chemistry that we don't often get to cover in class。 The second part was also interesting in how it breaks down the appearance of chemistry in everyday life。 I definitely found some things that I will use in class， though I would have liked a little more detail in the second part。 I understand why that detail is missing， but I'm a chemistry geek， so I would have liked more。 Still， this book seems to be a good introduction to chemistry and how it impacts our lives every day and is pretty accessible， even for the science averse。 。。。more
Lindsay
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A good basic foundation of chemistry with some interesting practical applications。
Jessica
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I'm really not sure who the real target audience is for this。 The first part is still pretty technical， despite supposedly trying to "simplify" chemistry to non-science people。 I mean， there are pictures of orbitals in here -- non-science people do not really want to read anything about MO theory， even simplified。 I read it while thinking about how to teach some concepts to students， but I was still bored。 The second part is a bit more interesting because it is amazing how chemistry is *everywhe I'm really not sure who the real target audience is for this。 The first part is still pretty technical， despite supposedly trying to "simplify" chemistry to non-science people。 I mean， there are pictures of orbitals in here -- non-science people do not really want to read anything about MO theory， even simplified。 I read it while thinking about how to teach some concepts to students， but I was still bored。 The second part is a bit more interesting because it is amazing how chemistry is *everywhere* but some parts （like analyzing her whole shower and makeup routine， including specific brands） got kinda weird。 I also think some of my dislike came from the overkill of her super excitement of everything。 It's like every paragraph has a sentence or two that either has （or is read like it should have） an exclamation point。 I mean， yes， I love chemistry， but her super perky tone got really grating， and I had to keep putting the book down and take frequent breaks from it。 I am glad books like this are written because it puts many aspects of chemistry into easier to understand context and help make it perceived as less "hard。" 。。。more
Lori Gibbany
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Not a book for everyone but if you are interested in every day chemistry this is for you。 Why do things react the way they do？ Why should I not do this？ If you have these questions this is your book。
simona。citeste
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În primul rând， relația mea cu chimia nu a fost una bună deși am studiat în liceu la profil bio-chimie。 Totuși nu mă feresc de ea și abordez cărți cum este aceasta， carte care face chimia să fie plăcută și ușor de înțeles， cu aplicații în viața noastră cotidiană。 A fost o experiență plăcută deși recunosc că uneori m-a depăsit într-o mică măsură （probabil din cauza faptului că nici măcar acum nu acord chimiei o așa mare importanță）。
Elmwoodblues
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One of the most approachable books on chemistry ever。 I felt unjudged and free to skim past the hieroglyphics of atoms and bonds， in a way I dared not do in a physics book。 Much of the author's twee advice， on baking and cleaning and her husband's bathing suit choices， got to be a bit much; but that was a trade-off I was ultimately okay making， while going back more than once to get the science right in my own world and own understanding。 A good "put this in the library for the grand kids' quest One of the most approachable books on chemistry ever。 I felt unjudged and free to skim past the hieroglyphics of atoms and bonds， in a way I dared not do in a physics book。 Much of the author's twee advice， on baking and cleaning and her husband's bathing suit choices， got to be a bit much; but that was a trade-off I was ultimately okay making， while going back more than once to get the science right in my own world and own understanding。 A good "put this in the library for the grand kids' questions" book。 。。。more
Mihir Kumar
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The two stars are because this was too technical for me。 Kate does to make it easy by providing an overview and going through a day in our lives from the perspective of Chemistry！The chapters are nicely organized -- takes us from Breakfast to Happy hour。You get a very different perspective and will look at your omelet with a different set of eyes after reading this book。Definitely recommended for people with a slightly higher knowledge of Chemistry - aspiring students etc。
Frank
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Fun book， good description of how chemistry impacts so many parts of daily life， and probably as good of job as you can do describing the various molecules， covalent and ionic bonds， and a whole bunch of other stuff。
Laurel
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Really FUN chemistry read - I enjoyed learning all the chemical science stuff about the every day things I use every day and how they work on the molecular level。 I really liked the Cooking/Baking and Getting Be-YOU-tiful chapters！
HBalikov
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I might not be the target audience for this book。 I am interested in science but not a scientist。 I have had several chemistry courses so there was not much I learned from explanations such as this: “It may surprise you to learn that the shape of any given molecule isn’t determined by the atoms it’s made of。 Instead， these shapes are based on what chemists are obsessed with。“Electrons。“In 1957， Gillespie and Nyholm published what’s called the VSEPR theory （valence shell electron pair repulsion）， I might not be the target audience for this book。 I am interested in science but not a scientist。 I have had several chemistry courses so there was not much I learned from explanations such as this: “It may surprise you to learn that the shape of any given molecule isn’t determined by the atoms it’s made of。 Instead， these shapes are based on what chemists are obsessed with。“Electrons。“In 1957， Gillespie and Nyholm published what’s called the VSEPR theory （valence shell electron pair repulsion）， which accurately predicted the three-dimensional shape of any molecule based on the number and relative position of the electrons。”This above is part of the first section of the book which explains chemistry in brief。 The second section， which I enjoyed a lot， contained many practical applications。 The explanation of how using sodium chloride as a disinfectant in hot tubs works was fascinating。 And her detailed descriptions of baking chemistry and “breaking the rules” admonitions， I will commit to memory。I am not as enthusiastic about this book as I was after reading Stuff Matters https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。But I am not sorry to have spent some time with It’s Elemental。 。。。more
Narayanan Kashyap
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My interest in chemistry （especially organic） was killed by the way it was taught at school。 The way the first half of this book simplifies some basics is really interesting。 For those who aren't really interested in science， the mid to last part of the book might get a little heavy/boring。 Worth a read。 My interest in chemistry （especially organic） was killed by the way it was taught at school。 The way the first half of this book simplifies some basics is really interesting。 For those who aren't really interested in science， the mid to last part of the book might get a little heavy/boring。 Worth a read。 。。。more
Evan Kostelka
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Chemistry affects nearly everything and Kate the Chemist takes you through a LOT of it。 The first half of the book is a refresher on Chemistry and is like being back in high school but more interesting。The second half of the book is the author explaining the actual chemistry behind beer/wine/sake， sunscreen， sunsets， coffee， eating， sleeping， cleaning， and so much more。 It's overwhelming to hear how much chemistry is taking place in us and around us。 Chemistry affects nearly everything and Kate the Chemist takes you through a LOT of it。 The first half of the book is a refresher on Chemistry and is like being back in high school but more interesting。The second half of the book is the author explaining the actual chemistry behind beer/wine/sake， sunscreen， sunsets， coffee， eating， sleeping， cleaning， and so much more。 It's overwhelming to hear how much chemistry is taking place in us and around us。 。。。more
Tim Peterson
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This book would be a great read for students first being introduced to chemistry in middle school or high school。 Biberdorf does an amazing job explaining how we use chemistry in our day to day life and makes it interesting as well as informative。 She starts out more educational than fun， discussing the periodic table， chemical formulas， and the basics the reader would need in order to understand the rest of the book。 She then goes on to discuss topics like makeup， clothing， cleaning， food， and This book would be a great read for students first being introduced to chemistry in middle school or high school。 Biberdorf does an amazing job explaining how we use chemistry in our day to day life and makes it interesting as well as informative。 She starts out more educational than fun， discussing the periodic table， chemical formulas， and the basics the reader would need in order to understand the rest of the book。 She then goes on to discuss topics like makeup， clothing， cleaning， food， and alcoholic drinks。 She explains the chemistry in the creation of all of these things， as well as the chemistry that is happening with them in your home。 I enjoyed listening to this book and learning about the chemistry behind my day to day life。 Things I don’t normally thing about， but probably should since it affects my life so much。 。。。more
Tracy
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My husband heard about this book on a podcast and so I told him I would get it for him。 He was reading something else when we picked it up from the library， so I went first。 I will admit that I slogged through the first part that gave the basic information to understand the more interesting parts of the book: cooking， food， cleaning and working out。 I did enjoy the fact that the author used Ryan Reynolds to help her explain covalent bonds。 This book might not be for everyone， but expanding your My husband heard about this book on a podcast and so I told him I would get it for him。 He was reading something else when we picked it up from the library， so I went first。 I will admit that I slogged through the first part that gave the basic information to understand the more interesting parts of the book: cooking， food， cleaning and working out。 I did enjoy the fact that the author used Ryan Reynolds to help her explain covalent bonds。 This book might not be for everyone， but expanding your horizons to look at how chemistry is at work in your life is not a bad thing。 。。。more
Craig Beyers
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This is a fun book。 While it starts with how chemistry works， establishing the language of chemistry for non-chemists， the second part of the book explains how chemistry works in our lives。
Maureen Caupp
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An interesting read for anyone with an interest in any kind of science （I love how chemistry， biology， physics， geology， etc。 all overlap and help explain why things around us behave the way they do）。 A reminder that chemistry impacts every part of our lives everyday。 I love Kate Biberdorf's enthusiasm for chemistry and the way she has tried to share it with a wider audience than just chemistry nerds like me。 I have had friends tell me that chemistry is too hard， a class to fear in school， which An interesting read for anyone with an interest in any kind of science （I love how chemistry， biology， physics， geology， etc。 all overlap and help explain why things around us behave the way they do）。 A reminder that chemistry impacts every part of our lives everyday。 I love Kate Biberdorf's enthusiasm for chemistry and the way she has tried to share it with a wider audience than just chemistry nerds like me。 I have had friends tell me that chemistry is too hard， a class to fear in school， which to me is sad。 Yeah some of it can be hard （I never did wrap my head around the symmetries and rotations in inorganic chemistry， but that doesn't mean I can't be fascinated by how it is able to explain so much and lead to discoveries that can change lives。The book begins with several chapters that introduce some chemistry basics and the rest of the books goes into multiple ways we experience chemistry， often without realizing it。 From cooking and enjoying food， to our shampoo， to playing in the sun， to cleaning， the way see light， enjoy that happy hour with friends， and so much more。 。。。more
Johanne McInnis
，
Let’s make this very clear， I am… a chemistry geek。 This book brought me back to high school and college but in a way that made sense in the every day life。 For people who didn’t quite “get” chemistry when they went to high school etc - the first few chapters are perfect， but when you start hitting the middle chapters - might just be as lost as they were back then。For me， it reiterates the everything in our world relates to chemistry = May it be how your dough rises， how a sunset’s rays are a ce Let’s make this very clear， I am… a chemistry geek。 This book brought me back to high school and college but in a way that made sense in the every day life。 For people who didn’t quite “get” chemistry when they went to high school etc - the first few chapters are perfect， but when you start hitting the middle chapters - might just be as lost as they were back then。For me， it reiterates the everything in our world relates to chemistry = May it be how your dough rises， how a sunset’s rays are a certain colour because of the retinas in your eyes or why a simply styrene cooler keeps your food insulated。Great examples of every day “stuff” but maybe a tad too technical at times。Loved it！ 。。。more
Christian Hartman
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A chemistry nerds book， which I absolutely loved。
Suncerae
，
The Good: Enthusiasm on every page; chemistry in everyday lifeThe Bad: Some chapters more interesting than others; switches topics too fastThe Literary: A few good historical references; interesting structureFrom your morning coffee to the happy-hour margarita， Dr。 Kate Biberdorf explains the fascinating chemistry of our daily lives。 You may have seen "Kate the Chemist" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert or the like， where she enthusiastically lights things on fire。 Specializing in general ch The Good: Enthusiasm on every page; chemistry in everyday lifeThe Bad: Some chapters more interesting than others; switches topics too fastThe Literary: A few good historical references; interesting structureFrom your morning coffee to the happy-hour margarita， Dr。 Kate Biberdorf explains the fascinating chemistry of our daily lives。 You may have seen "Kate the Chemist" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert or the like， where she enthusiastically lights things on fire。 Specializing in general chemistry for non-majors， Kate fills in the chemistry you missed in high school in the hopes of igniting a passion for science。One of the most interesting things about this book is how it's organized。 The first third is an in-depth crash course chemistry lesson。 I like the few historical tidbits about the chemists themselves， but even with the humorous interjections and profanity， chemistry 101 is still a lot to throw at a pop science audience， especially with so few pictures or diagrams。 Kate does have a few new analogies to explain some of the concepts， but I'm disappointed by the real-world examples in the first section （like the cringe-worthy Ryan Reynolds hand-holding metaphor）。The second two-thirds of the book is the promised chemistry of everyday things。 It's arranged by "day"， but only loosely。 Beginning with breakfast， working out， getting dressed， there's a left turn to the beach， then back to the house with cooking and cleaning， before concluding with happy-hour and bedtime， with a specific focus on sex。 Unfortunately， within each of those chapters， the topics careen wildly and don't seem to follow any apparent order。 For example， the breakfast chapter ranges from caffeine absorption， the process of roasting coffee beans， pasteurization of juice， milk as a colloid versus an emulsion， induction cooktops， amino acids， salmonella， vitamins and minerals， and using radioactive iodine to treat hyperthroidism。One of the issues with a pop science book or a survey class is the limited amount of time to dive deep into any subject。 But even so， some strong takeaways and useful recommendations are what made the cooking and baking chapter one of the most useful。 Kate provides specific suggestions to up your baking game， including measuring by weight instead of volume， as well as using specific brands of flour depending on what dessert you want to whip up。 Contrast that with the getting dressed chapter， which is primarily about hair and makeup。 The best recommendation was to use a heat protector if you use hot tools to curl or straighten your hair， but it isn't necessary if all you are doing is blow drying the hair。Thinking back to the beginning， several of the concepts taught in the first section aren't used in the rest of the book， which leaves me wondering if skipping the orbital shapes or stoichiometry would have kept a reader interested long enough to get to the fun stuff。 Or if organizing the necessary chemistry directly before the useful application would have been better。 Deep within this medley there are some gems， but it's a mixed bag。readwellreviews。com 。。。more
Arlene S
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Well done; nice blend of basic chemistry for the uninitiated but with enough depth to be satisfying （ to me）， and a chatty writing style。 I could imagine being in her classroom while reading。 And her analogies were mostly very apt -allowing common experiences to make the chemistry understandable。 Good thing she has a glossary in the back， since I have no mental scaffolding to keep in my mind all that vocabulary and some abbreviations， （ IMF， covalent， atomic orbitals） especially in the first par Well done; nice blend of basic chemistry for the uninitiated but with enough depth to be satisfying （ to me）， and a chatty writing style。 I could imagine being in her classroom while reading。 And her analogies were mostly very apt -allowing common experiences to make the chemistry understandable。 Good thing she has a glossary in the back， since I have no mental scaffolding to keep in my mind all that vocabulary and some abbreviations， （ IMF， covalent， atomic orbitals） especially in the first part， after which she says: "。。。by now you have learned *nearly* everything that I would teach in a six-week course on general chemistry。" 。。。more
Jenna
，