Chain Reaction

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 *This book will change how you see the world. An absorbing read which makes chemistry fascinating and fun, as well sparking hope through learning about the author’s moving life story. * The Hon. Julia Gillard AC, 27th Prime Minister of Australia, Chair, Wellcome Board *An exuberant account of the role of chemistry in everyday life, with a wealth of down-to-earth examples * Kirkus *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 *I never thought that chemistry could be so fascinating and such fun. A brilliant book. * Baroness Manningham-Buller, Former Head of MI5 and former Chair of Wellcome *When you read Chain Reaction by Ijeoma Uchegbu you feel as if you’ve been introduced to an old friend who turns out, unexpectedly, to have a chemistry Nobel prize. Uchegbu - Dame, inventor, nanoscientist and one of the most original minds in her field - has spent a career harnessing the invisible architecture of molecules to transform medicine. Here she turns that same precise, warm intelligence to the chemistry that makes us who we are and shapes how we live. This is chemistry as memoir, metaphor, primer and love letter. It leaves you awestruck at how deftly we’ve bent chemistry to our will - and mindful of how urgently we must now use it to repair what we’ve broken. * Roger Highfield, Science Director, Science Museum Group *Life through the prism of chemistry, illustrated by Ijeoma’s life, is gripping and fascinating - from Egyptians to modern day, from Nigeria to Britain, and the chemistry of food and death. A great read! * Professor Dame Sally Davies Master, Trinity College, University of Cambridge Former Chief Medical Officer, United Kingdom *It’s rare to see “joyful” and “funny” used to describe boks about chemistry, but this engaging offering on the history of chemicals and their ubiquitous presence comes from particle nanoscientist, inventor, and Dame Commander of the British Empire, Uchegbu, a thought-provoking teacher and marvellous storyteller * Booklist *

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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