Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases [Hardcover]

John Emsley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0854049657 | ISBN-13: 978-0854049653 | Publication Date: August 1, 2008 | Edition: 1

Molecules of Murder is about infamous murderers and famous victims; about people like Harold Shipman, Alexander Litvinenko, Adelaide Bartlett, and Georgi Markov. Few books on poisons analyse these crimes from the viewpoint of the poison itself, doing so throws a new light on how the murders or attempted murders were carried out and ultimately how the perpetrators were uncovered and brought to justice. Part I includes molecules which occur naturally and were originally used by doctors before becoming notorious as murder weapons. Part II deals with unnatural molecules, mainly man-made, and they too have been dangerously misused in famous crimes. The book ends with the most famous poisoning case in recent years, that of Alexander Litvinenko and his death from polonium chloride. The first half of each chapter starts by looking at the target molecule itself, its discovery, its history, its chemistry, its use in medicine, its toxicology, and its effects on the human body. The second half then investigates a famous murder case and reveals the modus operandi of the poisoner and how some were caught, some are still at large, and some literally got away with murder. Molecules of Murder will explain how forensic chemists have developed cunning ways to detect minute traces of dangerous substances, and explain why some of these poisons, which appear so life-threatening, are now being researched as possible life-savers. Award winning science writer John Emsley has assembled another group of true crime and chemistry stories to rival those of his highly acclaimed Elements of Murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This very well written book should find its way into most school libraries, as it will appeal to those - young and old - who are fascinated either by the chemistry involved, or by the history of several murder cases."

Book Description

This fascinating book takes the reader on a journey of discovery into the world of dangerous organic poisons. Molecules of Murder describes ten highly toxic molecules which are of particular interest due to their use in notorious murder cases. Each chapter explores the discovery of the molecules, their chemistry and effects in humans, followed by a re-examination of their deliberate misuse in high profile murder cases! Molecules of Murder is written by the highly acclaimed, award winning popular science writer John Emsley and makes enthralling reading for both scientists and non-scientists alike.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry; 1 edition (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0854049657
• ISBN-13: 978-0854049653
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Medical Books > Pharmacology > Toxicology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Few Flaws, September 10, 2008

By 

Harkius "harkius" (Laramie, WY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

mar this entertaining and well-written book, and they could easily be fixed by the time that the final version is released.

This book attempts to strike a healthy balance between informative and entertaining, perhaps attempting to hit that happy land that the Discovery channel does. Call it edutainment, if you will.

There is a lot of chemistry in here for those who are not interested. Stand warned. For those who have taken a few university courses, like intro chemistry and a basic one-semester organic chemistry course, there will not be anything new or difficult. For those without this experience, it will not be too significant to mar your appreciation for the rest of the book, so long as you are at least nominally interested.

The detective end is not quite as well-developed as the chemistry aspect, likely because the author is trained as a chemist and merely an amateur sleuth, or someone who likes crime stories. This detail in hand, it becomes much more obvious why the stories about the poisoners tend to be less florid and colorful than the chemical descriptions and the histories of the various compounds.

If you are okay with that, you will enjoy this book. If you are not really interested in chemistry, you picked the wrong book to read. This is really a targeted book, as you may guess from the fact that it is published by the Royal Society of Chemists (likely a British analog of the American Chemical Society).

One other remark about the book. Some information is strangely absent. For example, there is a mention of more details about cyanide manufacture in the glossary, but when I checked, it was absent. Other information is strangely present, as if the author has failed to foresee the possibility that some people may try to use this as a handbook of poisoning. Obviously, there is no information here that would not be easily acquired elsewhere. However, that doesn't mean that it should be presented so frankly and with so few warnings. Just a remark.

A fun read though. On the whole, it was quite good. It accomplished much of what it was intending, and a little better balance between the crime and science aspects, and I would have given it a fifth star.

Well done. B-

Harkius

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary Stuff, September 8, 2008

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases (Hardcover)

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This book is a collection of articles explaining the chemistry of various poisons used for murder. Emsley is an analytical chemist working in the UK who has been called on to assist with a number of investigations in which poisoning has been suspected. In this book, he examines ten compounds or elements that have been used for murder (ricin, hyoscine, atropine, diamorhine, adrenaline, chloroform, carbon monoxide, cyanide, paraquat, and polonium), explaining the chemistry of their toxicity, and reviewing how murders involving the substances were solved. He has divided the book into two parts, naturally occurring toxins and synthetic toxins. The book is intended for general audiences, so chemical terms are explained in an extensive glossary at the back of the book, and sources are provided in a list of "Further Reading," rather than interrupting the text with footnotes.

I found the book quite well written and straightforward to read. This is no murder mystery book, but rather very much a book about the chemistry of murder and forensics. For a chemistry book, though, Emsley does go into great detail about the lives and motives of the criminals who used the toxins that he describes. Although intended for general readers, parts of the text require at least a passing knowledge of general chemistry. Whereas Emsley has highlighted what he considers technical terms in the text and defined them in the glossary, he assumes that readers will at least have the background to understand terms like "covalently linked" and "ionically linked", as in "These drugs [Tagamet, Isoptin, and Celexa] are non-toxic due to the cyanide radical being covalently rather than ionically linked." Other such basic general chemistry terms and concepts are assumed rather than explained in the text or the glossary. Chemists, chemistry students, and others interested in forensic chemistry will find this book quite informative, as well as interesting.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book with a unique perspective, September 7, 2008

By 

M. Hyman "Artist at large" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This book is part science, part murder story. It discusses several famous murders, starting from the perspective of the poisons used to perpetrate them. It covers the chemical properties of the poison, and the plants or manufacturing process by which it is found or made. Then it covers a brief history of those involved in the famous murder cases. As such, it provides a historical set of practical use cases.

Since I am interested in science and history, this book provided a good combination of the two. For some, reading about poisoning deaths might be morbid, and for those who like murder mysteries, reading about science might be boring, but for me the combination was strong.

I was a little concerned that some of the research about the murders might not have been complete, in that his discussion of the Crippen murder painted a one sided picture, whereas the much lengthier book Thunderstruck brings in many more details and makes the murder more understandable in context and the motivations of the murderer more complex.

Regardless of this potential flaw, the book is quite worthwhile, and has certainly lead to some interesting cocktail conversations, albeit perhaps ones in which one might take a second look at what is in the cocktail.