There is a book named "Visual Journey: Molecular Mysteries of the Chemical World"

"Visual Journey into the Molecular Mysteries of the Chemical World (Color Collection Edition)"

By Theodore Gray

Photography by Nick Mann

A good popular science book that I almost missed.

If the visual journey is filled with flowers, grass, sunshine and beaches, that is what I like. The world of chemistry immediately baffled me. It reminds me of the periodic table of elements that I can never memorize and the frightening chemical experiments. I don’t know where my imagination comes from, and I am always worried about operational errors.

Therefore, when I could study liberal arts, I quickly abandoned "Chemistry".

So, when I got this book, I flipped through it and was left in the cold.

In recent years, I suddenly fell in love with reading again. As I read, I felt dissatisfied. I didn’t believe that I was incompetent in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. At the same time, I also felt that if I didn’t understand mathematics, physics, and chemistry, I lacked basic common sense. It would be impossible to be objective in understanding people and the world, and it would not be a good thing for reading itself.

So, I finally remembered "Visual Journey".

"Everything in reality is composed of various elements. When they are combined with each other, they form a variety of molecules."

This sentence makes My heart moved and I read again, "In this world, all existing substances are composed of various elements in the periodic table of elements." I no longer doubted life.

While I am superstitious about jade and crystals to ward off evil spirits, I don’t believe in chemistry. When I was superstitious about organic food and pursued original ecology, I also did not believe that sugar, saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, etc. were all of the same kind. I thought "sugar" was an original ecological food, and my family warned me when I was a child. You are not allowed to buy sugar water from takeaway because you may end up drinking saccharin water. When you grow up, even if you clearly see the packaging instructions for sugar, you can still pretend that you don't know that it is chemical synthesis. "Visual Journey: Molecular Mysteries of the Chemical World" makes it clear, "Nature and factories have created a variety of sugars, and the changes depend on the types, quantities, and ways of connecting the monosaccharides that are connected. Each type Each combination has its own unique chemical structure, taste and health significance.”

The reason why I rarely touch cosmetics in the past few years is that I finally accepted the fact of “chemical effects” and would rather eat and drink well. I no longer torture my face. In fact, humans have been inseparable from chemicals for a long time. Chemicals are acting everywhere in our daily necessities, food, clothing, housing and transportation. When we mention chemistry, we cannot think of pollution or toxicity. These also exist, and how to treat them scientifically and rationally is the key.

The elements and molecules under the lens of photographer Nick Mann are so beautiful that they are so unforgettable that they even fall in love with studying chemistry. I really don’t understand why I stubbornly ignored it a few years ago. Even if I take another look at the author's profile, I should buy the author's other works, such as the best-selling popular science book "Visual Journey: Magical Chemical Elements" that has been translated into 23 languages.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no plan to study in the Department of Chemistry, but it is necessary to master more popular science knowledge so that you will not make big jokes in life. The more you know, the more you can have solid happiness through reading.

After putting down this book, I remembered that during self-study in the middle school and late evening, I sat crookedly and pretended to be reviewing, and was criticized by the female chemistry teacher for not even sitting up. How could I study well? A little embarrassed and a little touched.

It is true that I did not do well in my studies. A few years later, I reluctantly went to study abroad. Of course, the tall and handsome head teacher had seen my resume. The first thing he said to me was to ask me if I knew someone. teacher? I said I knew her. She taught me chemistry. The head teacher said he was his college classmate.

After chatting for a few words, my restraint was relieved. I stupidly said this in the dormitory, and then nothing happened. I have been living a stupid life until now, "Life is complicated!" Someone reminded me along the way, but I have never been able to make it complicated. Until now, the only thing that can comfort me is "Foolish people have stupid blessings".

My handsome head teacher only took us with us for a year, excluding winter and summer vacations, and we didn’t get along with each other for long. I remember that he wore light-colored sunglasses and walked with his head held high. I remember that he was a child at that time. Very small and a bit timid. I'm a liberal arts student, and he didn't teach us chemistry. He seemed to be the secretary of the school's youth league committee. He was a little old, and I didn't see him after he left school. I heard that he later dropped out because of some things. A few years ago, I met the female chemistry teacher in junior high school. She was still as fast-talking as before. I don’t remember if I mentioned my handsome class teacher to her.

Memory is becoming more and more unreliable. Cantonese people often say that life is also very chemical. How can you and I ignore chemistry?

From chemical elements to life insights, is this a problem only for liberal arts students, right? If I could have read a few interesting popular science books back then, maybe my life would have had a different story?

Don’t regret it, it’s still not too late, just embrace science in the sea of ??books.