Chemical Chaos (5C24)

Date: 17/03/2026

Good morning everyone. I am Hayden from class 5C. Have you ever wondered  what makes the world's foulest stink bomb actually stink, why medical glass eyes aren't really made of glass, or how alchemists went mad chasing the Philosopher's Stone while brewing some suspicious substances?

 

Today I am going to introduce a book called Chemical Chaos written by Nick Arnold. Using simple metaphors and highly illustrative drawings,this book explains daily life chemistry in the most straightforward way. For instance,rusting is simply the reaction between water,oxygen and iron like the rusted metal railing all around the street. If you have eaten fruit yogurt before,I am sure that you must have smelled the strong scent of raspberries or strawberries when you opened the container. This so-called natural scent is actually an added chemical called ionone.

Exploring these unknown facts is really appealing to me especially when they are closely related to things around me.

Unlike our chemistry textbooks showing us a bunch of formulas, it demonstrates how and why chemical reactions occur in a comical style so you don’t have to worry about understanding specific terms or language. If you are looking for hands-on experience,numerous practical experiments that can be performed in the comfort of your own kitchen are also available as well as various short quizzes related to our daily life.

 

Furthermore,the most memorable part of the book is how chemistry has passed on through generations even though it has been described as chaotic by the writer. It mentioned that many chemists were killed back then due to suspicion of fraud. However,facing the threat of death,they still persisted in their own passion and eventually influenced the chemical industry until now.

 

Using Fritz Haber as an example,he was a German chemist who invented both agricultural fertilizers and poisonous chlorine gas in World War 1. You may say chemistry could cause great potential harm to humans,but in my opinion,it’s more like a double-edged sword. When used correctly,it could benefit people on a global scale and vice versa.Perhaps that’s why people have been delving into this controversial field knowing its dangers for the sake of a better world for all.

 

Although this book is recommended to young readers aged between 8 and 12,reading it as an introduction to the broad world of chemistry is truly helpful if you want to get an overview of this subject.

All in all, I would like to recommend this book to you all,thank you.