Vanity, Vitality, and Virility: The Science Behind the Products You Love to Buy

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Oxford University Press, UK, Apr 8, 2004 - Science - 272 pages
Vanity, Vitality, and Virility is a fascinating portrait gallery of chemicals involved in our everyday life, from Viagra and selenium to whispering asphalt, nappies, and chewing gum. While it will not advise you what to do if you want to improve your looks, your health, your peace of mind or your sex life, it explains the science behind many of the products that claim to be able to do just that. Lift the lid on the secrets behind products we use every day with renowned science communicator John Emsley, author of The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide, Molecules at an Exhibition, and Nature's Building Blocks. - ;Vanity, Vitality, and Virility is a fascinating portrait gallery of chemicals involved in our everyday life, from Viagra and selenium to whispering asphalt, nappies, and chewing gum. While it will not advise you what to do if you want to improve your looks, your health, your peace of mind or your sex life, it explains the science behind many of the products that claim to be able to do just that. Chemistry is too often associated with poisonous gases and strange bubbling solutions, yet it is all around us, and inside us too. Renowned science communicator John Emsley lifts the lid on the secrets inside the products we use every day. -
 

Contents

Acknowledgements
No Mom Wrinkles
Food for Thought
Virility Sterility and Viagra
Gems Warfare
xxii
Depression and antidepressants
lii
Polymers in Disguise
lxxxi
Chemiphobia its Causes and Cure
cix
Glossary
cxxi
Further Reading
cxxxiii
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