Caveman Chemistry: 28 Projects, from the Creation of Fire to the Production of Plastics

This is a junior college chemistry science text book. It is written in a conversational style that keeps your interest. He assigns the four eart signs to an imaginary friend that he has conversations with and the different sections of the book are 'narrated' by. Earth Fire Air Water. It is a fun concept until the four start to have pro and con discussions about certain subjects. :) But the important aspects of the subject are clearly explained along with the cautionary mentions about why a certain approach available was not followed. : if that was was denoted then people could be injured poisoned or disfigured. The books lists typical things that can be done at home using chemistry normally though of as confined to industry. Fermentation is clearly identified and explained. How to make a plastic out of automotive antifreeze. lots of cool projects that might become useful at some time or other. Lists the chemical name, the grocery store name and where you might find substitutes. In some instances they explain how to make the require item from other readily available things. Too many examples to list. But if this corn farmer can understand the instructions somebody else can also.

This book is a very different approach to learning something about chemistry. It certainly takes the topic from a quirky aspect, mixing history with modern chemical concepts, teaching a bit about historical skills while working in modern chemical principles. I am enjoying reading it. I was pleased to find a bit of emphasis placed on soap making toward the end, which is something I was planning to look up anyway. I doubt it will replace my formal 2.5 inch thick university general chemistry textbooks and laboratory guides, but it was never intended to do so. I already have those, because I am a retired electrical engineer back in school part time working toward a chemistry degree. This book is an unorthodox and thus enjoyable adjunct to the usual treatment of the subject. Definitely an enjoyable read once I got into the "groove" of the author's thought process.RECOMMENDED.

There's so many "banned books" and "esoteric wisdom" sections in the stores these days, but do you know what's the actually dangerous, hidden knowledge that's not talked about in our society? It's chemistry. They made it super boring in school so you wouldn't realize how easy it is to get yourself drunk or blow your fingers off. Anyways, get this book and don't skip the safety pages.

Nothing groundbreaking but I bought if for my bookshelf for that very reason, it can help explain some concepts to people in a way that let's them really understand the concepts and not be scared off by technical jargon.

Little disappointed in contents.

I'm using this book in a college chemistry class for nonscience majors. Dunn's writing is a bit eccentric, no doubt, but the projects are great and my students are engaged as never before, so--I win!Science books that are intended to be marketed both as trade books and as textbooks generally fail at both. Often the two goals are just incompatible. Dunn has achieved something special here: he has done a nice job of resolving the conflicts between these two goals. The text is rigorous enough to be used in a general-college class, yet accessible to any interested person looking for a nifty science project (or a handbook for surviving the collapse of civilization!)...and as a bonus, it's a great read. In addition he maintains an extremely helpful website for the book; I have learned almost as much about the projects from reading the comments of his students as from reading the book, and having a central place for errata to be posted online is very convenient for my students.I'd love to see a character in the next Mad-Max-style post-apocalypse movie pull out a copy of Caveman Chemistry and start a fire with two sticks, or make soap starting with ashes. But even if civilization survives, I will take consolation in this: with the projects in this book, we can participate in a tradition of human technology going back 500,000 years.

I thought this book would be informative about really primitive techniques for making useful items. instead it's filled with what the author thinks are cute stories he made up telling us how men invented everything and women were all cave living June Clevers. I had hoped he would talk about digging clay for pottery but he doesn't and then says to get a kiln. Really? a cave person kiln? he talks about spinning as if it were some little trick made up (by a male) to play with when it was one of the most important technological advances in pre history. His little myths are absolutely cringe making.

Idiosyncratic and irreverent, Caveman Chemistry is like no other chemistry textbook that I know of. It is authored not only by Kevin Dunn but also four figments of his imagination who have leapt from mind to mind down through history and do their best to make the leap out of the book and into yours. You learn the history of chemical technology through a series of hands-on projects that demand that you get your hands dirty making things from scratch: fire, paper, glass, soap, batteries, photographs, polyester, and others. The book does not shy away from potentially dangerous projects like making gunpowder, alcohol, and chlorine gas, trusting that readers are capable of all due caution.The book gave me a greater appreciation for the sources for the products that I use on a daily basis. Rather than being conjured out of thin air, the stuff in my life has its origin in the natural world. Now to get my hands dirty...

This is ancient chemistry for artsy-fartsies. Easy to read and easy to understand. If I lived in Virginia I would have signed up for a course with Kevin Dunn before I finished the prologue.

I bought this book from a recommendation, and now having had a flick through, am glad to recommend it to you. I bought it as a gift, but will be digging through it myself when i can prize it from his grasp...

Très bonne initiation aux sciences, avec expériences à faire en famille (si les parents sont motivés et les enfants assez grands) qui donnent de bonnes bases pour démarrer en chimie et surtout donnent l'envie d'aller plus loin dans ce domaine. Idéal aussi pour un adulte qui veut se mettre ou se remettre à la chimie et qui n'y a pas touché depuis le collège ou le lycée...

As described, quick delivery

This isn't for kids. It's good for (supervised) teens and adults. It's much thicker than I thought it would be. Lots of great chemistry and experiments in here, explained in scientific detail.