Chemistry for Breakfast

February 26, 2021

Nguyen-Kim, host of popular science videos on YouTube and German television, makes chemistry less intimidating by explaining how it is all around us. The book takes readers chronologically through the substances and chemical reactions they might encounter over the course of a typical day: melatonin and cortisol levels that change as we wake; Teflon that helps our eggs slide off the pan; and fluoride in our toothpaste. This organizing principle soon fades to the background though, and topics of physical, biological, organic, and inorganic chemistry are eventually addressed in a fairly arbitrary order. In addition to demystifying scientific terminology and describing basic principles through analogies and simple illustrations, Nguyen-Kim debunks common anti-science myths like "natural" ingredients being better for you, and describes how peer-reviewed scientific research can be misrepresented through simplification in the media. The style is casual and familiar, but personal anecdotes interspersed throughout the narrative feel contrived--one is never sure whether the secondary characters in these anecdotes are actual people or were invented to create interest and drama. VERDICT Intellectually curious non-scientists who can't watch Nguyen-Kim's explainer videos in their original German and who may find a textbook approach daunting should enjoy this quick tour of everyday chemistry.--Wade Lee-Smith, Univ. of Toledo Lib.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2021
Nguyen-Kim is a chemist and a science communicator who runs a popular German-language YouTube channel. Her first book takes readers on a journey through her typical day, from waking up and having her first cup of coffee through visiting a friend to charging her smartphone to an evening dinner party, showing how chemistry defines the world along the way in terms understandable to science newbies. Chemistry is central to food and nutrition, cosmetics and cleaning products, technology, even moods and how we fall in love. (The nutrition labels examined are German, not American.) Nguyen-Kim uses everyday examples to teach the basics of chemistry, and illustrates (aided by illustrations by claire Lenkova) that scientists are cool and interesting people, far from the stodgy stereotype. The more we know about how chemistry works, the better choices we can make about the things we use and consume. Ultimately, she wants to inspire a passion for science, which makes the world more fascinating, more beautiful, and more complex. Altogether, this is an impassioned, quirky, fun, and engaging read.

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