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    Cover of Caveman Chemistry

    Caveman Chemistry

    Kevin M. Dunn · 2003

    Idiosyncratic and irreverent, Caveman Chemistry is like no other chemistry textbook. It is authored not only by Kevin Dunn but also four figments of his imagination who have leapt from mind to mind down through history and do their best to make the leap out of the book and into yours. You learn the history of chemical technology through a series of hands-on projects that demand that you get your hands dirty making things from scratch: fire, paper, glass, soap, batteries, photographs, polyester, and others. The book does not shy away from potentially dangerous projects like making gunpowder, alcohol, and chlorine gas, trusting that readers are capable of all due caution.

    Physics & CosmologyPopular Science
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    1recommend
    2mentions
    2people
    2015–2025years
    50% recommend50% neutral

    Mentions per year

    201520172019202120232025

    What Hacker News says

    1. oldbuzzardFeb 2015
      Kevin Dunn's "Caveman Chemistry"[1] is a fun book.

      Instructions for tinkerers "for making bronze from metal ores; glass from sand, ashes, and limestone; paper from grass or straw; soap from fat; alcohol from honey; photographs from egg whites; chlorine from salt water and celluloid from cotton."[2] among other things.

      [1] http://www.amazon.com/Caveman-Chemistry-Projects-Creation-Pr...

      [2] http://www.cavemanchemistry.com/

      thread
    2. JKCalhounJul 2025
      Tried a few links and found them broken.

      For example, Dunn's book on soap making. Nonetheless, Googled it:

      https://www.amazon.com/Scientific-Soapmaking-Chemistry-Cold-...

      The lead me to his Caveman Chemistry book on Amazon as well:

      https://www.amazon.com/Caveman-Chemistry-Projects-Creation-P...

      thread

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