The Chemical Century

This fascinating new volume provides a comprehensive yet concise overview of the chemical aspects of some of the major innovations and changes that occurred during the 20th century, relating chemical structures and properties to real-life applications. Developed for a course taught by the author for several years at UVA, the author covers the important and consequential developments in chemistry and explains their everyday, real-life applications. These include such topics as consumer products, fossil fuel use, polymers, agriculture, food production, nutrition, explosives, and drugs. The section Molecular Biology and Its Applications includes examples of the application of biotechnology and genetic engineering.

Richard C. Sundberg, PhD, is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Virginia and has been teaching for 50 years. He was a Fulbright Scholar (France) in 1978-79, and he was honored as a Distinguished Alumni by the University of Minnesota in 2001. He has published about 100 research papers and five monographs in the area of heterocyclic organic compounds and has directed 25 PhD theses. His past books include Advanced Organic Chemistry (all editions) (co-authored with Francis A. Carey), Springer; Indoles, Best Synthetic Methods, Academic Press, 1996; and The Chemistry of Indoles, Academic Press, 1970.

POWER FROM MOLECULES. Explosives and Propellants: Power to Breach Mountains, Wage War, and Visit the Moon. Hydrocarbons as Fuels and Petrochemicals: Shaping the Past; Dominating the Present; Complicating the Future. MAKING THINGS WE USE. The Chemical Industry: An Overview. Halogenated Hydrocarbons: Persistence, Toxicity, and Problems. Polymers: Making New Materials. Household and Personal Care Products: Cleaning Up and Looking Good. Silicones: From Contact Lenses to Pavement Sealants. CHEMISTRY AND FOOD. Chemistry and Agriculture: Helping Feed the World. Chemistry, Food and the Modern Diet: What's in Food Besides Food ?. Vitamins and Nutrition. MOLECULES FOR THE TREATMENT OF ILLNESS. Drug Discovery, Development, and Distribution. Antibiotics: The Battle with the Microbes. Analgesic, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Pyretic, and Anesthetic Drugs: Dealing with Pain, Inflammation, and Fever. Antihypertensive Drugs: Controlling Blood Pressure. Steroids: Arthritis, Fertility, Heart Attacks, and Home Run Records. Diabetes and Anti-Diabetic Therapy: Control of Glucose. Drugs For Treatment of Neurological and Psychological Conditions. Anti-Malarial and Other Anti-Parasitic Drugs. Response to the AIDS Pandemic. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATIONS. DNA Structure, Sequencing, Synthesis, and Modification: Making Biology Molecular. Applications of Biotechnology: Biology Doing Chemistry.