Giant Molecules
From Nylon to Nanotubes
by Walter Gratzer
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Giant Molecules
Macromolecules—also known as polymers—are among the most versatile entities in the physical world. They allow us to see, hear, breathe, move and fend off viruses and bacteria; they make up the solid parts of our bodies; and they form paper, paints, adhesives and packaging. In Giant Molecules, Walter Gratzer offers a thorough and accessible guide to these small wonders.
As late as the 1930s, some scientists insisted that molecules with more than a few hundred atoms did not, and could not, exist. But not only do they occur in nature; we can create our own. Gratzer explores the structure of proteins such as albumin and hemoglobin, and the DNA and RNA molecules. As well, we can synthesize so-called “designer proteins” that glow fluorescent green when injected in animals.
Further along in the book, we turn to carbon and its remarkable variants that have been discovered in the past two decades or so. The buckyball, also known as buckminsterfullerene or carbon 60, is a famous example discussed here, as is the carbon nanotube, which—although 100,000 times narrower than a human hair—is the strongest material we know and has been envisioned as the basis of a “space elevator” reaching from Earth to orbit.
Meanwhile, from neoprene to Bakelite, the plastics industry has crafted a plethora of macromolecules with a huge range of applications. We retrace the development of nylon, as well as less successful creations such as DuPont’s artificial leather Corfam. Later on, Gratzer considers the variety of structural forms that polymer molecules can assume; profiles the engineering of molecules to serve as the basis of drug delivery systems; and highlights such marvels as polymeric conductors, also known as “plastic metals.” The book concludes with a look at innovative applications of the DNA molecule, including DNA computing.
Giant Molecules celebrates a fascinating class of objects that make life as we know it—and life itself—possible.
Hardcover : 144 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc. ( November 15, 2009 )
Item #: 12-861169
ISBN: 9780199550029
Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 7.75 inches
Product Weight: 14.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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