In Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything Gray goes beyond the 118 elements in the periodic table to explore, through fascinating stories and stunning photographic imagery, what he considers to be the most essential and interesting of the millions of possible chemical bonds. At the beginning of Molecules Gray explains what molecules and compounds are, what holds them together and how they form bonds, the difference between ionic and covalent bonds, how molecules get their names and what their scientific names mean and the difference between organic and inorganic compounds.
Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything is then divided into chapters including Rocks, Minerals and Crystals; Ores; Plastics and Rubbers; Ropes, Yarns and Filaments; Edible Compounds; Perfumes, Stink Bombs and Other Aromatic Substances; Pigments and Paints; Goops and Oils; Soaps and Solvents; Medicines: Biblical Compounds (ie. frankincense, myrrh, and pitch); Compounds that Go "Bang"; and Nasty Compounds You Don't Want to Meet.
Theodore Gray is the author of the bestselling The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe; Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home, But Probably Shouldn't; Mad Science 2: Experiments Your Can Do At Home, but Still Probably Shouldn't; and of Popular Science magazine's Gray Matter column. With his company Touch Press, Gray is the developer of bestselling iPad and iPhone apps including The Elements, Solar System, Disney Animated, The Orchestra, The Waste Land and Skulls by Simon Winchester.