The Beauty of Chemistry

“Philip Ball is a serendipitous writer, pursuing adventurous science. He loves to persuade and enchant his readers to celebrate the uncanny beauty of chemistry.”

Dudley Herschbach, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Harvard University

“This book combines rich descriptions of chemical phenomena with stunning photography of them as they happen. As a child, I was drawn to chemistry by the wonders of precipitating powders, fizzy water, and other ever-present phenomena. The Beauty of Chemistry took me back to those times.”

Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science, University of Toronto

“Ousiophiles unite! This book is a sensory feast that truly brings to life the 'chemical sublime,' presenting it joyfully, with scintillating images. Using remarkably concise language, Ball pleasingly telescopes in scale from the visible to the subatomic level, giving a rich dimensional exploration of the elements and their properties. This book sparkles, bubbles, and bursts with the activity of all that surrounds us. It is curiosity-igniting, deeply satisfying, and a must for anyone who delights in 'stuff.'”

Martha Willette Lewis, Visual Artist in Residence, The Yale Quantum Institute

“Philip Ball offers a lively illustrated conversation centered on the beauty of chemistry rather than its oft-examined utility. His observations meander gracefully through bubbles, flames, plant pigments, and much more, and will both captivate a wide audience and provide a refreshingly upbeat boost for the most jaded professional.”

Hagan Bayley, Professor of Chemical Biology, University of Oxford

“This book captures the aesthetics, not the mess, the mystery, not the complexity, and most of all the fundamental importance of chemistry to our everyday lives. It shows why chemists are really the musicians of matter.”

Leroy Cronin, Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow

Far from portraying a routine lab procedure, this collection showcases chemistry's excitement and aesthetic allure.

Scientific American

With atomic clarity, science writer Philip Ball narrates this visual tour through the under-appreciated chemical beauty that surrounds us...

WIRED

Ball's scintillating book is a paean to chemical beauty in nature and laboratories, with lavish images created by Wenting Zhu, Yan Liang and the Chinese Chemical Society...

Nature