The Genie in the Bottle

by Schwarcz, Joe

• ISBN13: 9781550224429
• ISBN10: 1550224425
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Ecw Pr

Summary

The Genie in the Bottlemakes science downright fun. Dr. Joe Schwarcz blends quirky anecdotes about everyday chemistry with engaging tales from the history of science. Get a different twist on licorice and travel to the dark side of the sun. Control stinky feet and bend spoons and minds. Learn about the latest on chocolate research, flax, ginkgo biloba, magnesium, and blueberries. Read about the ups of helium and the downs of drain cleaners. Find out why bug juice is used to color ice cream, how spies used secret inks, and how acetone changed the course of history. It's all there! "Dr. Joe" also solves the mystery of the exploding shrimp and, finally, he lets us in on the secret of the genie in the bottle.

Author Biography

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is a professor of chemistry and Director of the Office for Chemistry and Society at McGill University in Montreal, Canada

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Health Matters
Surviving the Rat Race	p. 21
Thalidomide: A Bitter Lesson	p. 25
The Dark Side of the Sun	p. 29
Cures Me, Cures Me Not	p. 37
The Crab Shell Game	p. 42
Wondering about Wort and Grapefruit	p. 47
Nothing to Rave About	p. 53
Flushing out the System	p. 57
Jumpin' Jimson Weed	p. 61
Kissing Toads	p. 65
Willow Power	p. 69
Snake Oil for Aching Joints	p. 73
Oil You Need to Know	p. 77
Scents and Scents Ability	p. 81
The Man with the Silver Sock	p. 85
Mercury: Mysterious and Deadly	p. 89
Food Matters
You Are What You Eat	p. 95
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot	p. 99
The Evolution of Margarine	p. 103
A Different Twist on Licorice	p. 108
Chocolate Lovers Rejoice	p. 112
Berry Good News	p. 116
Just Give Me the Flax	p. 120
Remember This	p. 124
Cheers for Sour Cherries	p. 128
Bitter Water and Sweet Science	p. 132
Feeding the Diet Industry	p. 136
Green Peas, Please	p. 140
Chemistry Here, There, Everywhere
The Genie in the Bottle	p. 145
Appearing Aliens and Disappearing Urine	p. 149
A Bang of a Discovery	p. 153
By All Indications	p. 157
The Magic of Secret Inks	p. 161
Blast from the Repast	p. 164
Out of the Blue, in Prussia	p. 168
Roots and Wings of Red	p. 172
Out of the Frying Pan	p. 176
Asbestos Panic	p. 180
Murder by Thallium	p. 184
Danger down the Drain	p. 188
The Poop on Methane	p. 192
Mulish on Borax	p. 196
The Silly Side of Flubber	p. 199
From Jewelry to Jupiter	p. 203
High on Helium	p. 208
Harnessing Hydrogen	p. 212
Sticky Chemistry	p. 216
Learning From the Past
Playing with Fire	p. 227
A Man and His Elements	p. 230
Have a Drink for Dr. Snow	p. 234
The Man Who Lost His Head Twice	p. 238
You've Got to Hand It to Ignaz	p. 242
Mesmerizing Medicine	p. 246
The Chew-Chew and Do-Do Man	p. 251
The Catty Dr. Katterfelto and His Noxious Insects	p. 255
Conquering with Conkers	p. 258
From Obscure Physics to Practical Medicine	p. 262
The Not-So-Miraculous Elixir	p. 267
Silly Stuff
Bending Spoons or Bending Minds?	p. 271
Down on the Biodynamic Farm	p. 278
The Goat Gland Doctor	p. 282
A Writer and a Magician Among the Spirits	p. 287
In a Lather over Toiletries	p. 290
pHooey to Make Health Claims	p. 294
Acknowledgments	p. 299
Index	p. 301
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