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Illustrated with vibrant new full-color images on every page, this book offers a compact and engaging exploration of chemistry. It begins with the well-known formula for water, H2O, highlighting its surprisingly complex nature. Water is unique in that its solid form is less dense than its liquid, allowing ice to float. It plays a crucial role in many chemical reactions due to its properties as an excellent solvent, capable of dissolving gases and solids. The author explains that water is chemically aggressive, capable of reacting with and breaking down dissolved compounds, and details the molecular changes that occur when water freezes and melts. The narrative expands to cover essential chemical processes such as precipitation, combustion, reduction, corrosion, electrolysis, and catalysis. These foundational concepts are then connected to more intricate processes like photosynthesis, radical polymerization, vision, enzyme control, and synthesis. The author, a distinguished chemist with decades of teaching experience at Oxford, presents this material in a clear and accessible manner. This beautifully illustrated volume provides an insightful introduction to the fascinating world of chemistry in just a few hundred lively pages.