When temperatures drop below 56°F, tin crumbles into powder. Were the soldiers of the Grande Armée acutee fatally weakened by cold because the buttons of their uniforms fell apart? How different our world might be if tin did not disintegrate at low temperatures and the French had continued their eastward expansion! This fascinating book tells the stories of seventeen molecules that, like the tin of those buttons, greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration and made possible the ensuing voyages of discovery. They resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine; lie behind changes in gender roles, in law, and in the environment; and have determined what we today eat, drink, and wear. Showing how a change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous differences in the properties of a substance, the authors reveal the astonishing chemical connections among seemingly unrelated events. Napoleon's Buttons offers a novel way to understand how our contemporary world works and how our civilization has been shaped over time.

    When the seventh row of the periodic table of elements was completed in June 2016 with the addition of four final elements—nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson—we at last could identify all the ingredients necessary to construct our world.In Elemental, chemist and science educator Tim James provides an informative, entertaining, and quirkily illustrated guide to the table that shows clearly how this abstract and seemingly jumbled graphic is relevant to our day-to-day lives.James tells the story of the periodic table from its ancient Greek roots, when you could count the number of elements humans were aware of on one hand, to the modern alchemists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries who have used nuclear chemistry and physics to generate new elements and complete the periodic table. In addition to this, he answers questions such as: What is the chemical symbol for a human? What would happen if all of the elements were mixed together? Which liquid can teleport through walls? Why is the medieval dream of transmuting lead into gold now a reality?Whether you're studying the periodic table for the first time or are simply interested in the fundamental building blocks of the universe—from the core of the sun to the networks in your brain—Elemental is the perfect guide.

    Now she’s about to marry another man. Will he let her go… or will he stand up and take the bride? Ryder Hammond and Sierra Knight were high school sweethearts. Despite him being her brother's best friend, their relationship burned hot and fast… and ended with heartbreak and regrets. Years later, she’s at the altar, about to marry another man. He’s only there for closure, to finally put the past behind him. But when the preacher asks if anyone has a reason the couple shouldn’t wed, she turns around and her gaze locks on his. Suddenly he’s out of his seat. Objecting. Claiming. And ultimately stealing the very pissed off bride and taking her to a secluded cabin. He wants one week to convince her they’re meant to be, to remind her of the fiery passion still burning between them. When their time together is up, will she walk away and break his heart this time, or will he finally have the woman he's wanted all along? **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

    Unfortunately, that promise leads to years of bland relationships. Bland isn’t a word anyone would use to describe Zach, the enforcer for the Hell’s Handlers MC. He stirs up every desire Toni has worked so hard to suppress. Is there any chance Toni will be able to resist Zach’s pull when her past mistakes collide with his current enemies? Maverick In the blink of an eye, FBI agent Stephanie’s entire world is turned upside-down. Kidnapped, injured, rescued by an outlaw MC, and protected by a biker who stands for everything she works against, Stephanie soon finds the lines between good and evil blurring. Unable to resist Maverick’s charms, she dives into a world of passion, lies, and deception. But when secrets are revealed, what will keep her fiercest protector from becoming her greatest enemy? Jigsaw Once upon a time, Jigsaw had a perfect life and perfect wife. He learns the hard way all he holds dear can be ripped away in a horrifying instant. Burned by experience, the fierce and independent Izzy is convinced the only person she needs to get by is herself. Danger from the MC’s enemies forces them to learn to rely on each other for protection. Can they also learn to overcome their traumatic pasts, and let love in their lives?

    Gorgeous, wounded, sexy as hell. The man of my dreams wants me. He's offering to take my virginity. Too bad he's a total nightmare. Sweet one minute. Sour the next. Always totally and completely irresistible. I want to slap him. And tear off his clothes. This can work. As long as I don't fall for him. As long as we play by a few simple rules... No feelings, no secrets, no falling in love. There's no way I'm falling in love with someone I hate this much... is there? *A Sexy Prequel*

    An early snowstorm has struck Chicago, blanketing the city in a foot of snow. She finally makes it into work, only to be fired from the soul-crushing job she never wanted in the first place. When she catches her fiancé with his tongue in another woman’s mouth, she decides to stop letting the universe decide her fate. Taking a leap of faith, she packs up her car and heads to Utah to take a job with an old friend. Luke Denver has been in love with Emma for years. Now she’s finally single and she has moved into the house next door. This is the chance he’s been waiting for, but is Emma ready to love again? Emma knows that Luke is everything her fiancé wasn’t- he’s kind, considerate, affectionate, and wants nothing more than to make her happy. But now that she has finally escaped her nightmare, she must decide if she is ready for all of her dreams to come true.

    But how many of us appreciate the ways our bodies also depend on phosphorous, say, to hold our DNA together, or potassium to power our optic nerves so that we can see? In The Human Elements, physicist and award-winning author Anja Røyne takes us on an astonishing journey through chemistry and physics, introducing the building blocks from which we humans—and the world—are made. Not only does Røyne explain why our bodies need iron, phosphorus, silicon, potassium, and many more elements in just the right amounts in order to function properly; she also takes us on a tour around the world to where these precious elements are found (some of them in ever-shrinking quantities). Røyne makes us understand how precarious the balance that keeps us and our environment alive really is, how there are finite amounts of our life-giving elements available to us, and how, from the smallest to the grandest scale, the world and everything that lives in it are wonderfully interconnected. The Human Elements will make you look at the world and your place in it in an entirely new way.

    Three of her four daughters, however, had different ideas. Rosemary rejected it; Jess was destroyed by it; Celia found it eluded her. Only Emily pursued her mother's ideal, with disastrous results. Penelope begins to record their family story as it unfolds. But when Rosemary discovers these private papers she is enraged by her mother's distortions of the truth and proceeds to tell the story from her perspective. From D-Day on into the turbulent post-war years, a picture emerges not only of a single family in all its complexities, but also of the changing world that shaped their lives.

    Today, more than sixty years later, members of a new generation of scientists are attempting to create life from the ground up. Science has moved forward in leaps and bounds since Schrodinger's time, but our understanding of what does and does not constitute life has only grown more complex. An era that has already seen computer chip-implanted human brains, genetically engineered organisms, genetically modified foods, cloned mammals, and brain-dead humans kept alive by machines is one that demands fresh thinking about the concept of life. While a segment of our national debate remains stubbornly mired in moral quandaries over abortion, euthanasia, and other right to life issues, the science writer Ed Regis demonstrates how science can and does provide us with a detailed understanding of the nature of life. Written in a lively and accessible style, and synthesizing a wide range of contemporary research, What Is Life? is a brief and illuminating contribution to an age-old debate.

    Acclaimed science writer and broadcaster Jay Ingram wonders the same things. After a long career of asking important questions (Does time speed up as we age? How much Neanderthal is in me? Why do some animals throw their feces?), he’s here to put our scientific quandaries to rest. In this insightful, witty book for curious readers of all ages, Jay shares his favorite head-scratchers and mind-benders, settling pressing questions, such as... -What is déjà vu? -Why were Tyrannosaurus Rex’s arms so short? -Why are you plagued by mosquitoes while your friends aren’t? -Does your cat actually like you?* -What is déjà vu? ...along with everything you ever wondered about human echolocation, Bigfoot and farts (though not all at once). Whimsically illustrated and chock-full of fun science facts (and fictions), this book will delight and surprise your inner science geek. *SPOILER: She actually thinks you’re a larger, dumber version of her mother.

    But now GCSEs are behind her and she suddenly starts to think: what was the POINT of it all?When Gracie thinks she's dying of a disgusting tropical illness, she starts to worry she's been wasting her best years being sensible. It's like people say: you only live once - so isn't it about time she started LIVING?(OK, so the tropical illness turned out to be a fake-tan miscalculation. Anyone could make the same mistake.) When Gracie decides to do something, she does it properly. Gracie Dart is about to live out her dreams. However embarrassing.

    That is until his womanizing ways catch up with him and he gets a much needed wake-up call. Just as he decides to clean up his act, the ultimate temptation enters his life. When Mackenzie Reed meets Brayden, the attraction is instant and she knows that together they could achieve the kind of career success she’s always craved. But Mackenzie isn’t like most women. She has very good reasons for keeping her heart locked up tight. For her, this isn’t about love. This is about power. Sparks fly as Brayden and Mackenzie try to avoid the one thing neither of them wanted. Each must choose between the life they’ve worked hard to achieve and the one they never imagined. Will they come to the same decision before it’s too late? Or will a hidden threat keep them apart?

    But two decades ago, real chemistry sets began to disappear as manufacturers and retailers became concerned about liability. ,em>The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments steps up to the plate with lessons on how to equip your home chemistry lab, master laboratory skills, and work safely in your lab. The bulk of this book consists of 17 hands-on chapters that include multiple laboratory sessions on the following topics:Separating Mixtures Solubility and Solutions Colligative Properties of Solutions Introduction to Chemical Reactions & Stoichiometry Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) Reactions Acid-Base Chemistry Chemical Kinetics Chemical Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle Gas Chemistry Thermochemistry and Calorimetry Electrochemistry Photochemistry Colloids and Suspensions Qualitative Analysis Quantitative Analysis Synthesis of Useful Compounds Forensic Chemistry With plenty of full-color illustrations and photos, Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments offers introductory level sessions suitable for a middle school or first-year high school chemistry laboratory course, and more advanced sessions suitable for students who intend to take the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry exam. A student who completes all of the laboratories in this book will have done the equivalent of two full years of high school chemistry lab work or a first-year college general chemistry laboratory course. This hands-on introduction to real chemistry -- using real equipment, real chemicals, and real quantitative experiments -- is ideal for the many thousands of young people and adults who want to experience the magic of chemistry.

     Chains is a Night Rebel, one of the largest MCs in Southern Colorado. Powerful Harleys, stiff drinks, and club girls are his idea of the good life. He swore off relationships years ago when he caught his old lady and his buddy sharing some fun time between his sheets. Now bitterness is his companion. The only women in his life are the club girls who know the score: fun without commitment. He likes it that way—he’s better off alone. Then he meets her and everything changes. Sexy curves that spark his libido, and the most soulful eyes that penetrate the emptiness inside him. Autumn Stanford has worked hard to build her veterinary practice, and at thirty-one years old, she finally has it all: career, money, a fiancé. She should be busting with joy, but she’s not—something’s missing. When the rugged biker brings his dog to her clinic, she is taken in by his good looks and muscular build. An undeniable desire sizzles between them. But there is one small problem: Autumn is engaged to Chains’s brother. All of a sudden, Chains’s world turns upside down, Autumn is caught in the crossfire of grudges. The Night Rebels MC series are standalone romance novels. This is Chains’ story. This book describes the life and actions of a gritty outlaw motorcycle club. HEA. No cliffhangers.

    Along with biographies of the chemists who transformed scientific knowledge, here is your quickest way to know your plutonium from your europium.