Description
Despite the title, this California chemist states that his aim is to educate rather than alarm consumers about the ingredients in common products. Field describes the uses of 23 types of compounds from preservatives to abrasives in products including foods, medicines, and toothpaste. He presents structural formulas and basic chemistry lessons, but no references or further reading. Distributed by Independent Publishers Group. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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A Selection of the Scientific American Book ClubExplaining why antifreeze is a component of toothpaste and how salt works in shampoo, this fascinating handbook delves into the chemistry of everyday household products. Decoding more than 150 cryptic ingredients, the guide explains each component's structural formula, offers synonymous names, and describes its common uses. This informative resource can serve curious readers as a basic primer to commercial chemistry or as an indexed reference for specific compounds found on a product label. Grouped according to type, these chemical descriptions will dissolve common misunderstandings and help make consumers more product savvy.
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