Publication date: 1978
This book is an expanded version of the first edition of Chemistry in the Market Place. It is a work of high seriousness but its 'flavour' is perhaps best captured in the words of its author as he describes the circumstances of its beginnings: {u2018}over three glasses of cool, artificially coloured, artificially foam stabilised, enzyme clarified, preserved, gassed, amber fluid{u2019} two colleagues and he came to realise that consumers needed some {u2018}real{u2019} chemistry, chemistry that would help them to make sense of the arguments that rage about various aspects of consumer products, particularly those of safety and efficacy. The thrust of the book is towards the product and the chemistry needed to understand it, rather than towards chemistry illustrated by the product. Its scope is wide and includes chemistry in the laundry, the kitchen, the garden, the boudoir, the medicine chest. It also deals with motor cars, the accidental poisoning of children, and carcinogens. It is extensively illustrated with plates, figures, and tables, and contains practical experiments for its users. The book will be welcomed by high school, college and adult education lecturers who are interested in creating courses in consumer chemistry. Concerned consumers will also benefit greatly from the information the work contains, regardless of their knowledge of chemistry. Home economics teachers will find that it forms a perfect complement to their existing texts. It is, in short, an important, practical, hook on a highly significant subject.
