5.0 out of 5 stars Fun!

A.C. · December 19, 2017

Great photos and fun layout -- to thrill young scientists. My nephew has become interested in chemistry this year (he's in 7th grade) and has been self-teaching himself. I researched and found this book plus "The Disappearing Spoon" (about the periodic table) and have found them to be perfect gifts for him this Christmas!! (I read through parts of each book to be sure they were suitable for young readers.).Mad Science is like a coffee table / picture book of all kinds of strange and dangerous experiments ... each one spans 3-4 pages of photos, large print, hazard warnings, quirky bits of knowledge, and info on the elements involved in the experiments. No danger of a kid doing these dangerous experiments at home (where is 7th grader going to get chlorine gas, solid sodium or jet fuel??But what a way to show why chemistry is fun and interesting and a mental workout. This book is like a Ripley's Believe It or Not magazine about chemistry.

5.0 out of 5 stars very interesting

W.H. · July 20, 2012

I was very excited to receive this book after my chemistry professor recommend it. It was much larger than expected and read most in one day. The experiments are laid out very nicely but some of the items are impossible and illegal to obtain (red phosphorus) but most seemed well in reach with my minimal chemistry background. The best part was it was loaded with pictures in the demonstrations and any applicable warnings to keep your skin on your face. Great read for anyone who likes how to, technical, or do it yourself type books.

5.0 out of 5 stars WTSHTF and TEOTWAWKI - Have a copy of this book or know where Theo is located!

J.S. · May 5, 2016

Your really, really shouldn't do any of these experiments at home. Nor should you allow your tweens and teens to get a hold of this book. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Otherwise - great, informative, and interesting book. Back when Theo was published in Popular Science, I'd get the latest copy and flip straight to his article first. Glad to have all of those articles centralized in one book. Now I can get rid of those stacks of PopSci, and I'm locking the book in my safe where the stygian-underage-hellions that are my children can't get to it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Theo Gray's guide to "hands on chemistry" will inspire interested students to look further into what their world is made of.

W.C.M. · December 2, 2013

I am a professional PhD chemist, and as a youth in the garage and in the basement performed more than my share of "experiments". Theo Gray is a master in showing chemistry to be both fun and available to anyone who is interested. I purchased 8+ copies of this book as well as his Elements book, which I then used as gifts for those that I knew were likely to be excited about what chemistry you can do " But Probably Shouldn't", at home.

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely impractical but thoroughly entertaining

B.L. · August 17, 2019

I'm the kind of person who often takes warnings to "not try this at home" as a challenge. I like to tinker and experiment, and I have a particular fondness for demonstrations that look incredibly dangerous but are actually quite safe as long as I've taken the proper precautions. I purchased this book in the hopes of being able to proudly disregard the "...but probably shouldn't" part of the subtitle. On that point, I was largely disappointed, but the book made up for this shortcoming in other ways.The simple fact of the matter is, many (not all) of the experiments described in this book can't actually be done at home. Some are prohibitively expensive. Some are seriously dangerous (in the no kidding, "you will kill yourself if you aren't professionally trained" sort of way, not in the stereotypical "do not try this at home" sort of way). Some require ingredients that are illegal to possess without some kind of proper license. While it's true that several other experiments actually can be done at home (exactly how many cross that threshold depends largely on the reader's willingness to purchase expensive equipment), if you're buying this book hoping to find a bunch of backyard science experiments to do with your family, you will be disappointed.However, what the contents lack in practicality, they more than make up for in entertainment value. Most books of "do it at home" science experiments rehash the same old demonstrations we all learned about in middle school. This book will actually show you some that, unless you're a professional chemist, you've probably never seen before. Yes, it covers some familiar territory as well, but I was seriously impressed by how many of the experiments were new to me. Indeed, some of them even taught me some interesting new principles of chemistry beyond the particulars of the reaction in question. With that in mind, if you're looking for an entertaining and informative collection of science demonstrations without regard for their practicality, this book is just what the doctor ordered.Whichever category you find yourself in, I think you'll be impressed with the author's casual yet informative tone and often humorous commentary. Similarly, the photography almost every page is first-rate. You might not be able to do these experiments at home, but they've been beautifully rendered in images, often from high-speed cameras, that are almost as impressive as it would be to see the demonstrations in person.This was not at all the book I thought it was when I purchased it, but I found myself glad to have bought it and read it anyway. My disappointment at the impracticality of the experiments was more than compensated for by the book's other qualities.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good information but not what I expected

S.O. · October 26, 2009

This book is informative and interesting. It is well written and the it is perfect addition for any hobby area. That said, I was disappointed. Not only should you probably not do the experiments listed in this book, you can't. Some of the experiments call for chemicals not even available to the public without special licenses or permits... The experiments that can be done still require some very expensive equipment (Milling machines, Blast shields, and other chemicals available from the Mad Science website).

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be titled "Experiments You Probably _Can't_ do at Home"

S.S. · October 7, 2009

This is a beautiful, fun, inspiring, and thoroughly entertaining book, but it's also filled with experiments requiring either heavy machining equipment or substances that you need a license to buy. You could only do these experiments at home if you also have a machine shop in that home. Mr Gray probably has all the equipment in his basement, but most folks don't.For those looking for cool stuff to do with kids, the "sneaky uses for everyday things" books are a better source, if less entertaining in their own right.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift for the chemistry kid in you

R.M. · March 22, 2020

This was a perfect gift. You might not get it for yourself. Great for kids about junior high age (and their parents!) with a scientific bent, particularly chemistry. You're not going to do any of these yourself. Fun to see photos of the experiments and learn the why's.

Perfetto

a.g. · June 9, 2013

Libro bellissimo ottime condizioni e v e l o c i t á di c o n s e g n a.

Tolles Buch

E.H. · July 27, 2016

Ich bin noch nicht ganz durch mit diesem Buch, aber es ist einfach klasse. Wer hätte gedacht, daß man sich eine Blasenkammer zum Beobachten von Elementarteilchen einfach so selbst bauen kann? Und auch sonst findet man da alles, was schräg und abgedreht ist und laut knallt ;-)

Gorgeous photos, engaging explanations, remarkable science demonstrations.

B. · October 26, 2021

This is the science book you've been looking for.

Fun to read about, mostly too dangerous to copy!

B. · May 4, 2023

The book is, correctly, replete with warnings about the danger of some of these procedures and experiments and although they are most interesting to read about, - and there is just the right amount of scientific background to explain what you really need to know about what is going on, but not so much that it is indigestible - I can't see myself having much of an appetite for the level of risk some of them involve. (I also suspect that some of the ingredients might be a lot harder to acquire here in Nanny-dominated England than may be the case in America.) But this book is both entertaining and educations, and, like its successor, Mad Science 2, which I happened to come across first, is well worth acquiring.

Five Stars

I.I. · July 9, 2017

Perfect!