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<< Back to the Chemisty 503 Main Page Review of Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny LeCouteur and Jay Burreson March 2008 The authors of Napoleon's Buttons accepted a great risk in the process of writing this book - they banked on their ability to simplify the technical nature of chemistry for the average history buff who is simply looking for yet another insight into one of the many variables that have shaped human history. It pleases me to say that they succeeded brilliantly. Napoleon's Buttons approaches an analysis of world history by using as a hook seventeen different broad groups of molecules - silk, cellulose, salt, and opiates, to name a few - and their impact on historical events. Had Ferdinand Magellan been aware that the debilitating effects of scurvy could be easily kept at bay by a very small serving of citrus fruit on a regular basis, his expedition would have more than likely been one of the most obscenely profitable in history (and, with more men alive when he reached Indonesia, he may not even have been killed there). LeCouteur and Burreson take the time at the beginning of the book to explain that the chemistry involved in understanding the function of many of the molecules presented in the book are simply far beyond the average reader (and, as I have discovered in my further reading, far beyond the average chemist). However, they relieve and fear in the reader's mind by presenting some very basic chemical concepts and insisting that they are all that are required for them to get their point across. They do this with a brief explanation of chemical bonds; of the difference between double, single, and triple covalent bonds; what line-angle and Lewis structure diagrams look like, what is represented by their parts, and how they will presented in the book; plus a variety of minor, basic chemistry vocabulary. From this point the authors begin on a journey through thousands of years in seventeen chapters. Each chapter begins with a semi-prose setup of the historical scenario for which the title molecules for that chapter are most involved. The text comprehensively discusses the context for the molecules, and the events that arose (or did not arise) as a result of this particular group of molecules. Once this context has been thoroughly established, the chapter changes gears and engages in a comprehensive discussion of the chemistry of the molecules in question (maximized, of course, at the level set forth in the introduction of the book). This book is bulging with small, relatively useless but wholly interesting facts. For example, I was stunned to learn that during the height of the spice trade from India, black pepper (yes, the stuff you can get at the grocery store in Volkswagen-sized sacks) was so valuable that one pound of it could purchase a slave, or enough materials to build a farmhouse. The book's title item, the tin buttons on the jackets of Napoleon's soldiers, deteriorating in the harsh cold of the Russian winters. Many of the soldiers froze to death because they could not keep their jackets closed, and this spelled doom for Napoleon's eastern campaign. Tidbits like this go on and on. My general impression of this book is that, as the introduction purports, it is written for the average reader. The chemistry of the molecules is certainly beyond the average reader in many instances, but, after looking it over for second and third time, it occurred to me that a reader with no chemistry background would not care. The language is not so technical that it is overwhelming confusing; in fact, a reader that could not follow the exact details would likely pass over it without so much as a second thought. Overall, Napoleon's Buttons was a pleasure to read. The language is straightforward and consistent, and even a reader without any chemistry knowledge can appreciate the technical aspects of the book. High school students sufficiently interested in chemistry (or history!) would find this book mildly challenging to read but richly rewarding. Even if the reader has no interest in the chemistry at all, it is feasible that the technical portions could be outright skipped over - the historical information provided could make a book in itself. About the Authors Penny Le Couteur, Ph.D, has taught chemistry at Capilano College in British Columbia, Canada, for more than thirty years. She is also a past winner of the Polysar Award for outstanding chemistry teaching in Canadian colleges. Jay Burreson, Ph.D., has worked as an industrial chemist and held a National Institutes of Health special fellowship. |
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