There are many books on the chemistry shelves of libraries which focus on topics such as the Periodic Table or topics related to school courses. However, there is a lack of material available for senior students to showcase how chemistry underpins material often associated with other subjects and in a manner which combines theory, applications and experiments. From the exploitation of minerals and rocks to the design of drug molecules and how chemical compounds bring colour and communication to our lives, this book targets a gap in the market. It will also interest inquisitive adults who are rekindling an earlier interest in chemistry but who may have followed a different career path.
· A readable and accessible account of the science underpinning a diverse range of naturally-occurring and synthetic substances that are encountered in everyday life.
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Medicinal Molecules; Riches of the Rocks; Chemistry of Colour;
Communication; Experiments
Dr Bladon completed a BSc and PhD in Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and then undertook post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge. She developed an interest in the peptide field whilst setting up and running the peptide synthesis laboratory at the MRC Brain Metabolism Unit in Edinburgh and subsequently developed several peptide-based projects during her independent research career at the Universities of Edinburgh and Kent. During these two positions she combined research with teaching and focused on the latter. For several years she worked part-time as a sessional university lecturer in London during which time she wrote Pharmaceutical Chemistry: Therapeutic Aspects of Biomacromolecules (Wiley, 2002) and obtained a PGCE. For the past 15 years she has taught Chemistry at secondary schools, the last seven years of which she was the Head of Chemistry at Harris Westminster Sixth Form. Her knowledge and skills as a research chemist, proven record of writing material for publication and an ability to explain difficult concepts to students gives her the ideal background to write this book.
