Black powder, the world's first chemical explosive, was originally developed during the Tang dynasty in China.It was a crude mixture at first, but over time chemists discovered the optimum proportion of sulfur, charcoal, and nitrates, as well as the best way to mix them for a complete and powerful reaction. Author and chemistry buff Simon Quellen Field takes readers on a decades-long journey through the history of things that go boom, from the early days of black powder to today's modern p...

Exploring the scientific principles behind everyday recipes, this informative blend of lab book and cookbook reveals that cooks are actually chemists. Following or modifying recipes is shown to be an experiment with acids and bases, emulsions and suspensions, gels and foams. This easy-to-follow primer includes recipes that demonstrate the scientific concepts, such as Whipped Creamsicle Topping (a foam), Cherry Dream Cheese (a protein gel), and Lemonade with Chameleon Eggs (an acid indicato...

When it comes to chemistry, most kids have more questions than answers. Why do you get cavities when you eat too much sugar? How does sun block protect your skin from getting a sunburn? What makes soda so fizzy? And why do you need antifreeze in your car? Teenager Alexa Coelho quizzed her neighbor, chemist Simon Field, with hundreds of perplexing questions, and now she has the answers. Field covers a wide variety of concepts from simple to complex, but always with straightforward, easy-to-...

Wade Bennet was shot in the arm while rescuing the kidnapped daughter of a crime boss.\But that is only the beginning of his problems.The daughter is now missing after maybe shooting her father with a gun taken from the kidnappers Wade killed.At every turn, new evidence brings to light new mysteries, and no one can be trusted.And that is just the beginning of Wade's problems.

June Clemson's mother Rachel is laundering 22 million reasons to keep her past a secret, even from her daughter.But when June's innocent DNA test reveals relatives she didn't know existed, she puts her life and that of everyone she meets in grave danger.

Sandra is in the business of finding people.Unfortunately, the man she found was murdered shortly after being found.She is on the run, hiding from her murderous client, and now from the police, who think she is killing people.But Sandra is in the business of finding people. She knows how to hide.And she knows that she must find her client in order to get her life back.Or just save it.

Randall Story isn't from around here.He knows he can get home. He just has to work to make the world a better place, a little bit at a time.But a lifetime of work is now threatened by people who have learned how to extract energy from the order of the universe.They seem to be unaware that every watt they extract makes the world descend a little more into chaos.

What if someone from the future could send messages into the head of someone in our time?And what if the only possible recipient was a schizophrenic who was used to hearing voices, and everyone he knows is used to him hearing voices?And when he starts getting rich from lottery and horse-racing wins and stock tips, he gets the interest of the police, the mob, and the SEC?

Sam hears voices. They bother him and occasionally scare the daylights out of him.He does not want to go the way of his father, whose delusions ended in suicide.But he can't shake the feeling that the voices are real, and they lead him to a beautiful world of telepathic communion that he finds addictive.But this new world has its own, very real dangers, and Sam is soon caught up in deadly serious trouble.

When she's not on the medication that keeps her sane, Raven is highly intelligent.But during one of her lucid periods, she discovers that she is transmitting radio signals from an implanted device in her spine.Is this what causes her symptoms? Who is tracking her? And why?She and her new friends race to find out because the medications are killing her, and she doesn't have a lot of time left.

What would it be like to be genetically engineered? To have your genes selected from thousands of the most successful athletes, scientists, businessmen, and scholars from all over the world? Jack Wright knows because that's just what was done to him. Growing up with the expectations of greatness, all his successes taken for granted, all his accomplishments attributed to his genes, he can run faster than any Olympian, but will never get a medal, since genetic enhancements are considered unf...

"I'm still shaking," Susie said, watching the ripples in her cup. "I've never killed anyone before."The lawyer looked down at his notes. "This isn't looking good. We have premeditation. Removal of evidence. Hiding the murder weapon. Leaving the scene. I assume there is DNA evidence all over the car. Where is the car now?""Jason has it," Susie said."The ex-con just out of prison. This keeps getting worse."Max tried to come to her defense. "This was all spur o...