The title is a near miss. It's more like "17 kinds of molecules and their historical contexts".

The history parts are feeble (some of the references are Time-Life series!), sometimes even laughable. Basically it just comprises speculation and anecdotes.

The chemistry part, though, is great (I say this as one who knows almost nothing about the subject). The introduction explains, clearly, conventions of chemical representation, and the chapters make good use of that info. Without being more technical than necessary they explain critical differences and surprising similarities between different molecules. I might actually want this book. ( )

The authors go through 17 different types of molecules (most of them organic) which had an impact on human history. They focus a lot of attention on how small changes in the molecular structure can have large impact, such as turning a colorless powder into a highly successful synthetic dye, or turning a folk remedy for headaches into aspirin. They do a good job of walking the reader through the representations chemists use to depict molecular structure, and then using those drawings to highlight the subtle differences that can have huge impacts, both good and bad, on humanity. In addition to the chemistry, they weave in quite a bit of historical context to the discoveries.

The one curious thing about the book is that, aside from a few paragraphs in the introduction, and a couple asides in the body of the book, neither Napoleon nor his buttons, are discussed. ( )

A very good introduction to the chemistry of some historically important substances, with a reasonably good introduction to organic chemistry for non-chemists. Some of the chapters tie into others reasonably well, while others the link is a little strained, but each individual chapter is quite well done. Some of the claims of the historical importance of the various compounds are a little overstated. ( )

This book has interesting historical anecdotes related to the development of the understanding of organic chemistry....from gun powder to dye stuffs and beyond. It was an interesting read, but bogged down somewhat by the emphasis on molecular structures if you're not a chemist. ( )

Did Napoleon's army fail to invade Russia for want of a better button on their uniforms?

Chemisty has changed the course of history in ways that aren't always clear. Whether it be the chemicals that give nutmed its flavor or the chemicals that let women wear nylons instead of silk stockings, chemistry and chemical engineering have played a huge role in colonization, invasions, war, innovation, and leasure. If you are looking for a social history that's light on the science, you probably need to skip this one. LeCouteur sprinkles in lots of chemical symbols and ideas-not enough to loose a non-chemistry literatre reader, but enough to slow one down. Normally, she allows the story to get lost behind the beakers, though, to my disappointment. ( )