Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I admit, I was expecting a little more exposition and a little less on the "blurbs".
Nevertheless, the book is informative. It covers a SWATH of those cryptic ingredients that we see on products, and explains what they are used for and why. (Sodium Benzoate, Propylene Glycol, Benzaldehyde, etc.) If you're a chemistry student / enthusiast you'll probably like this. The explanations of the properties are well-done, although at times it does read like an abridged MSDS ;)
That said, if you're expecting something more like a musing exploration of chemical additives, you're going to be disappointed. (If that's the case, you may find more joy in the likes of "The Carbon Age", or "Napoleon's Buttons", which deal specifically with entertaining narratives about chemicals and their histories).
This book would be best used as a shelf reference for those moments when you're reading the Ingredients list of a consumable and are REALLY curious about what some of them are used for. Pop open the book, find out, then put it back.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients
A Selection of the Scientific American Book ClubExplaining why antifreeze is a component of toothpaste and how salt works in shampoo, this fascinating handbook delves into the chemistry of everyday household products. Decoding more than 150 cryptic ingredients, the guideexplains each component's structural formula, offers synonymous names, and describes its common uses. This informativeresource canserve curious readers as a basic primer to commercial chemistry or as an indexed reference for specific compounds found on a product label. Grouped according to type, these chemical descriptions will dissolve common misunderstandings and help make consumers more product savvy.
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