Reddit reviews Caveman Chemistry: 28 Projects, from the Creation of Fire to the Production of Plastics
We found 4 Reddit comments about Caveman Chemistry: 28 Projects, from the Creation of Fire to the Production of Plastics. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
I think generally, early chemists ('alchemists') mixed completely random shit together in an attempt to make 'the elixir of life' or a process to create gold. Gunpowder might have been some dude mixing random shit together to make some magic potion.
Other stuff, like potash, lime, slaked lime, lye, soap, metals, pigments etc. followed a natural progression.
Have fire, get ash. Run water through the ash, get potash/lye. Discover that potash/lye + fats = soap. Enjoy soap.
Have honey in a pot (which keeps for a long time). Put it somewhere dark and where it accidentally gets a bunch of water in it. Go back to it and realize it went bad but eat it anyways. Realize it gets you drunk and start making more of the stuff. Booze.
Notice lime laying about. Heat it to get quicklime. Add water and get slaked lime. Now we have plaster and glass (obv. you have to add a few more random events in there, but you get the idea).
Pee. Let pee get old. Notice it smells funny, because it is now Ammonia. Mix it with things until you realize it can fix pigments into clothes. Now you have dyes.
From Caveman to Chemist
Caveman Chemistry! It's written by a chemistry professor and it investigates the development of real world applications of everyday chemistry. He outlines experiments you can set up to make real things, while explaining the chemistry in a very easy to understand way. It's pretty funny and really interesting, especially if you have little knowledge of chemistry but want to learn.
I suggest How to Fossilize your hamster and Caveman Chemistry. The first is more experiment based (one chapter, one experiment). Sadly, it doesn't teach you how to fossilize hamsters, despite the title. The second is more general. It has some experiments and guidance, and it's really interesting to read.
No questions. Check out this book, Caveman Chemistry. I took a class in college and our professor wrote the textbook for the class. As you create an element or project, the following ones build on from it. Goes all the way to production of pharmaceuticals and plastics. Thought you might find it interesting or an idea out of it.