Author(s): John Emsley

Popular Science

Have you ever wondered whether wrinkles can be smoothed away, how lipstick can shimmer, why diamonds are a girl's best friend, and how best to kill germs? Vanity, Vitality, and Virility provides the answers, using simple and lively explanations of the chemistry behind everyday products. Covers food, sex, and hygiene products, including up-to-date topics such as margerines that claim to lower cholesterol, and whether nitrates in our water can cause cancer. Reveals the unexpected ways in which modern products improve our lives. John Emsley is a renowned and award-winning science writer. Vanity, Vitality, and Virility is a fascinating portrait gallery of chemicals involved in our everyday life, from Viagra and selenium to whispering asphalt, nappies, and chewing gum. While it will not advise you what to do if you want to improve your looks, your health, your peace of mind or your sex life, it explains the science behind many of the products that claim to be able to do just that. Chemistry is too often associated with poisonous gases and strange bubbling solutions, yet it is all around us, and inside us too. Renowned science communicator John Emsley lifts the lid on the secrets inside the products we use every day. Readership: General readers with an interest in popular science; professional scientists; chemistry students.