Napoleon's Buttons - Book Review

"For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost.For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost.For the want of a horse, the rider was lost.For the want of a rider, the battle was lost.For the want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.And all for the want of a horse-shoe nail."~ Old English Nursery RhymeHow could Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest military leaders of all time, go from leading a world dominating superpower to a straggling band of no more than 10,000 tattered soldiers in seven months? Believe it or not, chemistry may hold the answer to that baffling question. This old English rhyme may sum up Napoleon's defeat when said, "And all for the want of a button." The buttons that held together every garment from Napoleon's own greatcoat to the pants of his soldiers was made from tin, a shiny metallic element. However, in cold temperatures, like the ones that would have been present in the Russian winter of 1812, tin undergoes a chemical reaction that transforms it into a crum
bly gray substance. Yes, it's still tin, but in a very different structural form. Does this mean that the soldiers would have been too busy trying to keep their shirts and pants closed? Was the bitter cold too much for the Grande Armée to handle without their coats? Could Napoleon's defeat really be traced back to something as simple as a couple thousand tin buttons disintegrating in the cold? Maybe not, but it's still a possibility.Napoleon's Buttons explores the intricate world of chemical structures, all while telling the story behind major chemical advances. Did you know that TNT came from a kitchen experiment that involved an exploding apron? Or how about the fact that today's golf balls were a by-product of the search for rubber tires? Did you realize that one of the highly addictive substances in cigarettes, Nicotine, is a potent natural insecticide? Did you know that the hallucinogen LSD is actually just one of twenty-five synthetic derivatives for a compound known
as Lysergic Acid? The world of molecules in an interesting place. The addition of an extra OH here and a few more double-bonds there can change a harmless substance into a lethal poison.¡Christos E Espiciarias! The search for spices fueled much of early exploration. Pepper, once a highly valued and expensive commodity, is still the most commonly used spice. It's "spiciness" comes from it's chemical makeup. The hot sensation you experience when pepper makes contact with your tongue isn't really a taste; it's a response from our nerve endings when they encounter Piperine. This chemical has a special shape that allows it to bond to the nerve endings in your mouth and induce the fiery pain that has made pepper famous.Ascorbic acid, otherwise known as Vitamin C, is found in citrus fruits or in over-the-counter supplements. However, for sailors in the early 1500s, it was incredibly hard to come by. One of the most infamous killers on the high seas was known as Scurvy. This disea
se causes exhaustion, swelling of the limbs, softening of the gums, diarrhea, bad breath, rotten teeth, nose hemorrhages, kidney malfunctions...the list of symptoms goes on and on. Needless to say, Scurvy was a miserable experience for anyone unlucky enough to contract it, and most likely meant death while at sea. It wasn't until Captain Cook required his men to drink lime juice on their voyages that Ascorbic acid was finally recognized as an antiscorbutic, and gained widespread attention (and implementation) as a way to lower the high death toll at sea.Sugar is something that makes life a lot more enjoyable. Whether it's glucose, glycerol, sucrose, lactose, or fructose, sugar makes our world go 'round. The search for sweetness actually introduced the concept of artificial compounds. The Vitamin C produced in a lab is synthetic, or chemically identical to the Vitamin C found in oranges. Artificial sweeteners, however, are substances that are unlike sugar's chemical structure
at all - the only similarity is that they are sweet.Cellulose is one of the most uninteresting, but most important, things you'll ever eat. It usually goes by the name of dietary fiber. Why is this so important? Because humans cannot digest it! Cellulose makes up the bulk of all plant matter. There's tremendous amounts of energy stored in it, but only plant-grazing animals can break it down for use.Nitrated compounds have increased our ability to wage war, blast through tons of solid stone, and light the sky with fireworks. The process of nitration was first discovered by the ancient Chinese. Gunpowder was their invention, mainly used to launch rockets and fireworks. You are probably familiar with one very popular nitrate compound. Trinitrotoluene, sometimes called TNT.In the early days of Europe, silk was a luxury. The only way to get silk was to cultivate a mulberry bush and grow tiny caterpillars fed on the leaves. These tiny silkworms spin cocoons of silk fibers that th
e ancient people of the orient would harvest, turn into fabric, and sell to Europeans at high prices. It's chemical makeup makes it incredibly hard to duplicate, however, in the 1870s a scientist named Chardonnet created artificial silk. (Remember, since it's artificial it's not identical in structure to silk, it just has some of the same desirable qualities as silk.) Later, another scientist at the Du Pont Fibersilk company invented Nylon, a replacement for silk that's still used today.The first totally man-made polymer went by the name of Phenol, and was used for its antiseptic abilities in surgery. It was a huge success and effectively lowered the rate of death in hospitals. Later, however, phenol was used in a different application. For centuries the cue ball in billiards was cut from the heart of an ivory elephant tusk. However, ivory was expensive and "perfect" cue balls were hard to come by. Phenol was the answer. By combining it with other compounds it formed a subst
ance called Bakelite - a versatile thermoset material that is used in everything from billiard balls to artwork.Rubber has literally changed the entire world. From tires to golf balls to erasers to chewing gum; rubber has a huge impact on day-to-day life. When it was first discovered and experimented with, rubber was a horrible compound. It was either too brittle or too malleable; it was either freezing stiff or melting into a shapeless mound; and it always stunk! Through time it developed into something more. Charles Goodyear took the novelty "Eraser" and turned the substance called rubber into an automobile tire. What had once been a frustration to chemists turned into a goldmine!Dye is essential to the clothing, printing, and paint companies of today. Dyes color our clothes, our furniture, our walls, our books, our appliances, even some people's hair! While pigment has been a human fascination since pre-historic times, dye wasn't perfected for thousands of years. Before s
ynthetic and artificial dyes were invented, color came from nature. Brown, green, and red were common colors while blue and purple were harder to come by. (Hence purple was associated with royalty. They were the only ones who could afford expensive purple dyes for their clothes.) Today dyes are all factory-mixed from a variety of elements. It's a wonder to think that the modern dye industry was born in the kitchen of a British teen on summer vacation.As you could guess, medicine is all chemistry. Sulfa drugs were the primitive beginnings, followed by penicillin, and then by modern antibiotics. In the 1900's the life expectancy for a U.S. Male was only about 46. By contrast, the average U.S. Male lived to be 72 within the next century. What made the difference? Chemicals! Medicine helped people to stay healthy, fight infection, and recover from disease like never before. It's little wonder that people started to live longer.Chemistry has led to moral conflicts more than once.
One of these is that of birth control. Often referred to as "The Pill," birth control wrecked havoc when it was first developed. (Although the scientist who invented it meant it to be used to enhance fertility, not hinder it.) From the medieval remedy of spitting into a frog's mouth to the oral contraceptives of today, birth control has always been a hot topic for some chemists.Who would have thought that the Salem Witch trials could have roots in chemistry? It's true! The Witches of Salem were likely descended from the Herbalists of old Europe. Before witchcraft was known as an evil sin, it was simply thought of as the ability to control nature for your own gain. Some of this witchcraft still exists today. The popular Botox treatment comes from potent toxins in herbs known to these so-called witches - just applied in smaller doses.It's little wonder that with the human desire to feel good, three different alkaloid molecules have had such a huge impact on our lives. Morphin
e (From the Opium poppy), Nicotine (Found in cigarettes), and Caffeine (In coffee, tea, energy drinks, and chocolate) have had a profound influence on our lives. While both Morphine and Nicotine are illegal, there is no restriction on Caffeine. This lack of legal restraint was led to energy drinks that are little more than cans of liquid Caffeine, and are marketed as such! It brings up an interesting discussion. What is it that we're trying to outlaw? The chemical or the effects of the chemical? If you answered "the effect" do you think we should outlaw energy drinks as well as Heroine and Marijuana?The ancient lore surrounding olives gives us a sneak peek into just how valuable they were to the old world. A chemical spin on a good claim to the market would define it as, "an uneven distribution of highly desired molecules." Olive oil was like this. The olive tree was only cultivated in certain areas of the world; Greece and Italy, to be exact. Why? The Romans said that it wa
s because Heracles planted the first olive tree in their land. Greece credited Athena with its cultivation. Wherever it's origin, you can still see the impact it has on the modern world. It's key in cooking and the ideas fostered from ancient Greece's affluence (made by the olive) still impact Western civilization.Salt, with the chemical name Sodium Chloride, has one of the most interesting histories of any molecule. Early on in history people collected salt for preservation or to enhance flavor. Evaporating seawater, mining rock salt, or boiling brine were common ways to obtain salt. In the days of Rome, the fastest way to cripple and demoralize a city was to cut off their supply of salt. The ultimate irony surrounding salt is the fact that by the time modern technology had made it widely affordable, modern technology had also made it obsolete as a form of preserving food.Refrigeration was definitely a huge leap into the future. Since 2,000 B.C. humans have been using ice t
o keep things cool. It wasn't until 1748 that the first primitive refrigerant was invented. Refrigeration was a tricky business, though. Many of the first refrigerants were explosive, flammable, bad-smelling, toxic, or a combination of all of these. Freon was invented as a solution. It was non-flammable, non-toxic, and orderless. The dark side turned out to be the fact that they destroyed the Ozone layer. While people may point fingers of blame, the fact that refrigeration has revolutionized the world cannot be discounted.Malaria is an infamous killer. Transmitted by a female mosquito searching for a meal, Malaria has devastating symptoms. It would silently strike and kill the great and the small. (Alexander the Great supposedly died of Malaria.) The search for Quinine, a known antidote took several years. While it could be obtained from the bark of certain tropical trees, it was an expensive and labor-intensive process. The manufacture of Quinine has never fully been recogn
ized. To fix the problem DDT, a powerful insecticide, was developed. (Although it was quickly put out of use when multiple negative side-effects were exposed.) Malaria has been reduced from it's "glory days" when it would kill multiple millions of people each year, but it is still a problem in many places of the world. Perhaps chemistry still holds the answer to eradicating this fatal disease once and for all.If you don't believe that chemistry has shaped your life; look around! The clothes you wear, the food you eat, the car you drive, the house you live in...all of it is there because of chemistry. Chemicals make up the world around us. They are literally everywhere. While some molecules may not have made any significant impact on society, most have played a major role in how history has played out. If it were not for spices, cellulose, sugar, rubber, or medicine, where would we be today? Chemical compounds can be both a blessing and a curse to humanity - and often, we don
't know which it will be at the time it's first synthesized. In future generations, what will be the chemicals that have shaped our lives? We are in good company if we hesitate to guess at which molecules will make our posterity say, "Now that changed the world." I doubt that few scientists would have guessed that the molecules they were working with would someday shape the modern world.

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The Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam Part 1

This book is subtitled: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wages Wars and Save Our Lives.Unfortunately, the book's subtitle is far from describing its actual contents, which are more along the lines of "Why a Journalist Thinks Psychology Supports the Democratic Party."That we have unconscious (or subconscious) minds that influence our behavior in ways we often don't recognize or acknowledge is nothing new. Freud wrote about it explicitly in modern times. Artists and marketers have long known how to push our internal buttons without us understanding how.The first sections tell some interesting stories which help to make the author's case that we're far more influenced by our unconscious than we wish to believe. Again, nothing really new.Then he moves into tests showing that North American preschoolers are unconsciously prejudiced against blacks and for whites, despite all efforts by parents and teachers to eliminate such bias. And the author makes the
case that their hidden minds, despite everything adults tell them, pick up on the fact that in their communities white people are the majority.This raises lots of questions. Is it true of black children growing up in black neighborhoods where nearly everybody they meet is black?And how about some cross-cultural studies? The author comes from India which, as he knows better than he admits, has far more diversity and cultural, racial, ethnic, caste and religious divisions -- and corresponding bias -- than the United States.And then he moves into really dangerous ground -- asserting that science shows that political conservatism is positively correlated with unconscious racial bias. And he goes into depth on this issue as it related to the presidential race of 2008.He tries to be careful, but he doesn't consider all the factors. Perhaps he has his own unconscious biases?For example, he claims that white male union members supported Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 because of inn
ate racism. After all, he was against their economic interests.Therefore, he assumes that the class warfare rhetoric of the Democratic Party is correct. He does not consider that Americans may prefer -- for rational reasons -- free enterprise to socialism.While spending many pages on the racism of white people toward Barack Obama, he takes only one long paragraph to dismiss the argument that black people showed more racial bias in 2008 than whites, because they voted overwhelmingly for Obama, while whites split their votes between Obama and McCain. If millions of whites hadn't been willing -- despite what the author claims is their manifest unconscious racism -- to vote for Obama, he would have lost. The truth is, they considered the issues, and some decided Obama was the better candidate, not because or in spite of being black, but because of his stands.

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Is "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle" the Ebook For You?

Written by professional bodybuilder, personal trainer and nutritionist, Tom Venuto, you can be assured that "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle" is chock-full of information and a veritable trove of tips to help you burn fat, lose weight and get that trim and toned physique that you want.An easy read, this e-book is only 340 pages long and well-divided into 17 bite-sized chapters. Each chapter talks about an important aspect of weight loss, so you can be sure that your interest will be sustained throughout this quick read. Both men and women, who are looking forward to improving their health and physique, can and will benefit from this book.Point to note though, is that "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle" focuses primarily on the role of nutrition and diet to weight loss. So you'll find information on the differences between good and bad nutrition and will also learn how to lose or reduce your body fats without having to imbibe supplements or diet pills.So are you more likely to succeed
your weight loss and fat burning goals with this e-book than with others?Well, one point in its favor is it that "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle" is written by a recognized and qualified health and fitness expert, unlike many other weight loss book, e-books or programs that you can find in the market. As a result, this book is content- and information-rich, Tom's wealth of knowledge down on paper. This could potentially lead to an information overload for some though, which would limit the effectiveness of the book for them.It is positive though that the e-book educates you on diets and nutrition. Many people do not realize that weight loss and fat loss is, in fact, more dependent on diet and nutrition than other factors. Certainly, an understanding of how to eat healthily and get proper nutrition is a major factor that contributes to successful weight loss.Of course, no amount of reading and tips will help you if you don't take action and start implementing the tips into you
r exercise regime. Don't be too ambitious either; start one step at a time and build up momentum. Before long, you'll be in full swing, clocking in workouts and complementing that with a healthy diet.Ultimately, unless you're looking for a book that presents a magic, quick-fix, weight loss program, "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle" is more than able to meet your needs.

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