Caveman Chemistry: 28 Projects, from the Creation of Fire to the Production of Plastics

by Kevin M. Dunn

Half a million years ago our ancestors learned to make fire from scratch. They crafted intricate tools from stone and brewed mind-altering elixirs from honey. Their descendants transformed clay into pottery, wool into clothing, and ashes into cleansers. In ceramic crucibles they won metal from rock, the metals lead to colored glazes and glass. Buildings of brick and mortar enshrined books of parchment and paper. Kings and queens demanded ever more colorful clothing and accessories in order to out-class clod-hoppers and call-girls. Kingdoms rose and fell by the power of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. And the demands of everyday folk for glass and paper and soap stimulated the first round of chemical industrialization. From sulfuric acid to sodium carbonate. From aniline dyes to analgesic drugs. From blasting powder to fertilizers and plastics. In a phrase, From Caveman to Chemist. Your guides on this journey are the four alchemical elements; Fire, Earth, Air and Water. These archetypical characters deliver first-hand accounts of the births of their respective technologies. The spirit of Fire, for example, was born in the first creature to cultivate the flame. This spirit passed from one person to another, from one generation to another, from one millennium to another, arriving at last in the pages of this book. The spirit of Earth taught folks to make tools of stone, the spirit of Air imparted knowledge of units and the spirit of Water began with the invention of spirits. Having traveled the world from age to age, who can say where they will find their next home? Perhaps they will find one in you.

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Nonfiction, How To, History, Reference, Survival

424 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jonathan Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idiosyncratic and irreverent, Caveman Chemistry is like no other chemistry textbook that I know of. What textbook that you've read quotes regularly from the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trimegistus? It is authored not only by Kevin Dunn but also four figments of his imagination representing the classical elements who have leapt from mind to mind down through history and do their best to make the leap out of the book and into yours. You learn the history of chemical technology through a series of hands-on projects that demand that you get your hands dirty making things from scratch: fire, paper, glass, soap, batteries, photographs, polyester, and others. The book does not shy away from potentially dangerous projects like making gunpowder, alcohol, and chlorine gas, trusting that readers are capable of all due caution.

The book gave me a greater appreciation for the sources for the products that I use on a daily basis. Rather than being conjured out of thin air, the stuff in my life has its origin in the natural world.

[Zed · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent lab based introduction to chemistry, covering much that is practical about chemistry (metallurgy, textiles, explosives etc.)

[Jason]

Surprisingly right-brained for such a left-brained field. Highly entertaining *hands-on* journey through the major discoveries in chemistry from the time of the cave-men in a marvelously creative narrative.

[J Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to start? Dr. Dunn's book is a hell of a piece of work.

I learned about CC after Amazon told me that purchasing survival books meant I wanted to learn chemistry. And I thought "What the hell. It has a recipe for aspirin. That might come in handy some day."

Then I jumped into the mind of a mad scientist. Dr. Dunn invited a number of elemental and chemical meme-spirits to co-author the book and bicker among themselves. As the projects became more advanced, he started reviewing the histories and development of the industrial processes that create these materials today. I actually found these anecdotes to be the most interesting parts in the book. He explained the origins of companies like duPont, Bayer, and lots of others. So the history lesson was trivially cool.

The actual chemical processes described in the book looked well thought out, with an eye towards reproduction in a home or school chemistry lab. The only bummer is that many of the reactants for the really cool projects, like aspirin and dacron, must be ordered from chemical suppliers. I was hoping for a "make-nylon-from household-ingredients", but no such luck.

[Patrick Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's exciting to be offered the opportunity to make glass, knap an arrowhead from a beer bottle, alloy bronze from metal salts, produce guncotton and one of the first plastics as well as little gems like (for the advanced kitchen chemist) a tantalizing description of the short steps to acetaminophen?

Others have written better reviews than I ever could, so I'll leave it at "I wish I had this book when I took my chemistry degree."

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still a great book, and huge fun to teach from. Reading this during the semester, I am re-inspired to look into the history of the chemical industry and some of the other topics. I hope I can do the class again in a future year.

[Traveller · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing because i haven't read it yet or couldn't find the option how to read it man. damn it