Gallery: Explore the Building Blocks of Everything From Poison to Soap
Nick Mann01kit
Like this chemistry set, Theodore Gray's *Molecules* contains compounds that might be considered dangerous. He believes the best way to protect people from these dangers is through education.
Theodore Gray02Alphaprodine-p148
Alphaprodine is a painkiller that's closely related both to spicy foods and many poisons. In fact, the hexagonal ring on the left is a piperidine molecule, which is what gives black pepper its sharp taste.
Theodore Gray03Glucose
Glucose is one of three simple sugars. When combined in different ways with the other two, fructose and galactose, it helps create the sweet tastes in things like cookies, gummy bears, and maple syrup.
Theodore Gray04CellulosePolymer-p116
Glucose is also the building block of cellulose chains, which are the main ingredient in plants' rigid cell walls. Cellulose is what lets us turn plants into things like paper, rope, and magnificent wooden sailing ships.
Nick Mann05colors-p213
Before the invention of synthetic dyes, non-fading colors were expensive. That's because many bright, saturated colors could only be obtained by either grinding up semiprecious stones, or highly toxic salts and metals.
Theodore Gray06soap-p063
Without soap, oil and water won't mix. Water is polarized (electrically charged), and oil is not. Soap molecules, however, are charged on one end, and uncharged on the other. This image shows how soap molecules attract water with their charged end, while their noncharged ends surround and isolate small, dissolvable chunks of oil.
Theodore Gray07Etorphine-p149
This messy looking molecule is etorphine, a close relative of morphine. It's way more fatal, though. In fact, experts believe that it might be the mystery chemical that was pumped into a [Moscow theater in 2002](http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hostage-crisis-in-moscow-theater), killing over 170 people.
Theodore Gray08Carfentanil-p149
Carfentinil is the world's most powerful tranquilizer, and is usually used to take down big animals like bears or elephants. As you'd expect, this makes it very potent for humans. It is another candidate for the chemical that responsible for the 2002 Moscow tragedy.
Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group/University of Illinois09signal-p193
This is a model of a chemical signaling molecule called fibroblast growth factor. It tells cells to grow during wound healing.
Theodore Gray10Vanillin-p180
This relatively simple molecule is called vanillin, and it is the main ingredient in both natural and synthetic vanilla. By extension, it is also the reason why we have vanilla ice cream, which arguably makes it one of the most important molecules in the world.
Nick Mann11woolburn
One of the best parts of doing chemistry is that you are constantly setting things on fire. In *Molecules*, Gray demonstrates how setting wool on fire proves that it is natural and not synthetic (synthetic wool would melt). His next book, due in 2016, is called *Reactions*, which means it will probably include many more images of things on fire.
