Overview

All around us are ever-evolving strings of chain reactions, of bonds forged and broken, of connections made and unmade in less than the blink of an eye. In Chain Reaction, Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu dives into the chemistry that underpins our everyday existence. With warmth and personal anecdotes about the chemistry that has shaped her life, Uchegbu takes us on a journey exploring how our bodies are held together by weak chemical bonds, how our constituent molecules start to break up once our heart stops beating, how our food is stitched together by a careful exploitation of chemical bonds at the interface between water and oil, and exactly what the fibres in our clothes are made of. To be human is to be a walking chemical reaction, as our individual cells are all powered by careful co-ordination of chemistry. From hairdressing disasters and laundry mishaps to life-saving medicines and kitchen experiments, this eye-opening book reveals that chemical processes are all around us, defining our interactions with the world we live in. This is a story that's both universal and personal, grand and intimate, and it will change the way you see everything.

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9781399733175

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Reviews

An exuberant account of the role of chemistry in everyday life, with a wealth of down-to-earth examples * Kirkus * Since everything is made of atoms and chemistry is about how atoms fit together to make the world, what field of human knowledge could be more important and all-encompassing than chemistry. Nowhere have I seen chemistry described so lucidly, comprehensively and fun. Uchegbu's passion and joy shines from every page. * Jim Al-Khalili, author of The World According to Physics * Ijeoma Uchegbu takes us on a captivating journey through the world of chemistry, revealing how chemical bonds shape not only the life around us but also the very fabric of our daily lives. Her fascination with molecules is infectious, and her joy in chemistry shines through every page. This book is an inspiration to following your passion and forming your own bonds with the world of science. * John-Arne Rottingen, CEO Wellcome Trust *

Author Information

Ijeoma Uchegbu is Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London, President of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, an inventor, and an educator. She is a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a governor for Wellcome Trust and Chief Scientific Officer of Nanomerics Ltd, a company that she co-founded. She has held a variety of leadership positions in science including serving as Chairperson of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and has appeared on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, Desert Island Discs, BBC Outlook and been featured in the Guardian and Daily Telegraph. In 2025 she was made Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours.

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