100 Chemical Myths

Foreword (Joe Schwarcz).- Acknowledgements.- Preface.- Chapter 1. Misconceptions in general .- Chapter 2. Food.- Chapter 3. Medicines.- Chapter 4. Catastrophes, Poisons, Chemicals.- Glossary of terms.- Sources and further reading.- Picture and figure credits.- Subject index.

Dr. Lajos Kovács University of Szeged Department of Medicinal Chemistry Dóm tér 8 6720 Szeged Hungary

Dr. Dezs? Csupor University of Szeged Institute of Pharmacognosy Eötvös u. 6 6720 Szeged Hungary

Dr. Gábor Lente University of Debrecen Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry Egyetem tér 1 4010 Debrecen Hungary

Prof. Tamás Gunda University of Debrecen Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Egyetem tér 1 4010 Debrecen Hungary

Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2015


"100 Chemical Myths ... entertainingly explains in spirited stories the misconceptions and misunderstandings embalmed within the discipline of chemistry, which have so often made it little more than alchemy. ... the authors have thoughtfully compiled a 30-page annotated bibliography to accompany their 100 myths, giving voice and validity to their stories. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." (L. W. Fine, Choice, Vol. 52 (8), April, 2015)


"100 Chemical Myths - Misconceptions, Misunderstandings, Explanations will come in handy for most of the commonly-asked questions. ... Over approximately 400 pages, the authors ... tackled a huge variety of such myths, debunking some of them and explaining others. ... for a life scientist it makes a delightful, satisfying read... ." (Julia Eckhoff, Lab Times, Issue 4, August, 2016)"It provides a comprehensive collection of explanations for occurrences all around us. It is a valuable resource for updating our background knowledge on day-to-day subjects. This book can be recommended both for the bookshelf of every scientist and as an attractive gift for everybody with common sense and some scientific interest." (Reiner Salzer, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Vol. 407 (13), May, 2015)

"In their book, first published in Hungarian in 2011 and now available in English, Lajos Kovács and colleagues set out to debunk 100 such myths and misconceptions. ... many of the chapters come across as collections of scientific facts on vaguely consumer-relevant topics such as food additives or medicines. ... the book is handy as a reference for those who have doubts concerning a particular viral factoid or who want to cure others of specific misconceptions." (Michael Gross, Chemistry World, rsc.org, January, 2015)

"This excellent book indeed covers 100 'myths' in chemistry and related sciences. ... Organized by