Chemistry in the Marketplace

Chemicals are everywhere. Many are natural and safe, others synthetic and dangerous. Or is it the other way around? Walking through the supermarket, you might ask yourself: Should I be eating organic food? Is that anti-wrinkle cream a gimmick? Is it worth buying BPA-free plastics?

This Sixth Edition of Chemistry in the Marketplace provides fresh explanations, fascinating facts and funny anecdotes about the serious science in the products we buy and the resources we use. With chapters on the chemistry found in different parts of our home, in the backyard and in the world around us, Ben Selinger and Russell Barrow explain how things work, where marketing can be deceptive and what risks you should really be concerned about — this book might even save you some money!

“"Unique book which makes chemistry come alive."”

“This is a wide-ranging, detailed and authoritative text, presented clearly and attractively with numerous images, tables and diagrams…it is good to see a text that has retained the essential chemistry and has not been oversimplified for the popular science market”.
- Janet Mitchell, School Science Review

Ben Selinger AM is Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University. His extracurricular activities have included consumer protection, regulating Australia’s chemicals, and providing features on science on talk-back radio and for the Canberra Times. He was awarded a Eureka Prize for Science Communication by the Australian Museum.

Russell Barrow is an Associate Professor in the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National University. He researches the roles of chemicals in natural systems, including chemicals involved in ecological processes such as plant pollination and the chemistry of compounds from mushrooms that are used traditionally in Papua New Guinea.

Chemicals are everywhere. Many are natural and safe, others synthetic and dangerous. Or is it the other way around? Walking through the supermarket, you might ask yourself: Should I be eating organic food? Is that anti-wrinkle cream a gimmick? Is it worth buying BPA-free plastics? This Sixth Edition of Chemistry in the Marketplace provides fresh explanations, fascinating facts and funny anecdotes about the serious science in the products we buy and the resources we use. With chapters on the chemistry found in different parts of our home, in the backyard and in the world around us, Ben Selinger and Russell Barrow explain how things work, where marketing can be deceptive and what risks you should really be concerned about -- this book might even save you some money!

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