Stories of the invisible
Stories of the invisible: a guided tour of molecules Philip Ball
Publisher: Oxford ; Oxford University Press, c2001.
ISBN: 0192803174
DDC: 541.22
LCC: QD461
Edition: (pbk.)
Summary:
Spiced with quotations from Primo Levi, Flann O'Brien, and Thomas
Pynchon, Stories of the invisible takes us on a tour of a world few
of us knew existed. The author describes, for instance, the
remarkable molecular structure of spider's silk--a material that is
pound for pound much stronger the steel--and shows how the Kevlar
fibers in bulletproof vests were invented by imitating the alignment
of molecules found in the spider's amazing thread. We also learn
about the protein molecules that create movement, without which
bacteria would be immobile, cells could not divide, there would be no
reproduction and therefore no life. The book describes molecules
shaped like miniature sculptures, containers, soccer balls, threads,
rings, levers and geodesic domes, all made by sticking atoms
together. Perhaps most important, Ball provides a fresh perspective
on the future of molecular science, revealing how researchers are
promising to reinvent chemistry as the central creative science of
the 21st century.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (p. 195) and index.
Engineers of the invisible: making molecules -- Vital signs: the
molecules of life -- Take the strain: materials from molecules --
Burning issue: molecules and energy -- Good little movers: molecular
motors -- Delivering the message: molecular communication -- Chemical
computer: molecular information.
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