Front Matter

Preface

C HEMISTRY is a closed book to many of us. We regard it as something difficult, hard to understand, and remote, when as a matter of fact it is inherently one of the most interesting of subjects. Instead of being remote, it is part and parcel of our daily lives. It sums up the whole process of nature. Each one of our every-day habits—eating, drinking, breathing—is nothing more nor less than a chemical reaction.

The recent World War brought us to a sharp realization of just what chemistry may mean for us in the future, either for weal or woe. On the one hand it produced insidious gases, powerful explosives and the deadliest agents of destruction that the world ever witnessed. On the other, it came to the aid of more than one nation by supplying nitrates for the soil and artificial clothing and foodstuffs.

To make us acquainted with some of the wonders of every-day chemistry is the purpose of this book. It is not concerned with the scientific side except incidentally. The author is a practical experimenter who knows whereof he speaks, and better still knows how to tell the reader about it in understandable language. He takes us behind the scenes, as it were, and points out the marvellous little elves called "atoms" actually at work. He presupposes no advance knowledge as he takes the reader on this fascinating trip through his laboratory. He first discusses the wonders of air and water, and that modern magic, liquid air. Then he takes up common acids and salts, metals and alloys, gases, explosives, and other topics of live interest. We learn something of the magic of coal tar, from which the most beautiful colors and delicate flavors are obtained. There are talks on photography, artificial diamonds, radium, and the electric blast furnace with its heat running into the thousands of degrees.

These are but a few of the marvels of chemistry, which are fascinating on their own account, and are also of tremendous importance to each one of us. While primarily addressed to young folks, this book has a message to older readers as well.