VJOURNAL SMART BOOK · Volume I · What everything is made of
Chemistry
Six chapters, each with a living 3D picture and a sandbox: atoms, the periodic table, molecules, reactions, pH and states of matter.
Start readingChemistry asks a simple question with a huge answer: what is everything made of, and why does it change? Here the answer is something you can turn around in your hands. Beside every block of text there is a living 3D picture: an atom with its electrons, a table of elements rising into blocks, a water molecule you can rotate, a flame burning methane atom by atom.
Each chapter has five moments. Read a block, press play, and the picture jumps to the moment it describes; scrub back and it returns exactly as it was. Under the picture there is a sandbox that invites you to try it yourself: build an atom, pick a property of the elements, build a molecule, balance an equation, check a pH, or change the temperature and pressure of water.
Contents
- 01Atoms: the smallest piecesFrom Democritus (about 400 BC) to electron cloudsEverything is made of tiny atoms. An atom has a very small, heavy centre called the nucleus and a cloud of even tinier electrons around it. The number of protons in the centre decides which element the atom is.
- 02The periodic tableFrom Mendeleev's gaps (1869) to element 118The periodic table is a map of all the elements. Elements in the same column behave alike. Mendeleev left gaps for elements nobody had found yet, and later they were found.
- 03Molecules and bondsHow atoms hold together: H₂, water, CO₂, saltA molecule is a group of atoms held together by shared electrons. Water is two hydrogens and one oxygen. Salt is different: it is a neat crystal of charged atoms stuck together.
- 04Chemical reactionsFrom Lavoisier (1789) to rust and photosynthesisIn a chemical reaction atoms swap partners but none are lost. That is why a chemical equation must have the same atoms on both sides. Heat makes reactions faster, and some give out heat while others take it in.
- 05Acids, bases and pHThe pH scale from 0 to 14, from lemons to soappH tells you how sour or slippery a liquid is. Lemon juice is an acid with a low pH, soap is a base with a high pH, and pure water sits exactly in the middle at 7.
- 06States of matterSolid, liquid, gas and plasma: water as the exampleParticles in a solid shake in place, in a liquid they slide, and in a gas they fly about. Heat or pressure can switch one into another. Water is odd, because its ice floats.
What follows
- Organic chemistryBeing written
- The chemistry of lifeBeing written
- Electrochemistry and batteriesBeing written
- Materials: from steel to siliconBeing written
VITON13 LAB
Keep studying on the LAB table
Open the chapter's experiment, timeline or map on VITON13 LAB, with your notes as a document beside it.
Open VITON13 LABAbout this book
How does the animated chemistry textbook work?
Every chapter pairs a text with a living 3D picture. The text is split into blocks, and each block belongs to one moment of the animation. Scroll to a block or press its play button and the picture shows that moment. You can pause, scrub the timeline, and use the sandbox under the picture to try your own atoms, equations and numbers.
Is this chemistry textbook safe to follow at home?
Yes. The book explains well-known school chemistry and works in the picture and the sandbox, not on your kitchen table. It never gives recipes for dangerous substances. Where household products come up, the advice stays general: read the label, ventilate the room, and never mix cleaning products.
Who is it for, and what maths do I need?
It is written for readers from about twelve: pupils meeting atoms and equations for the first time, students who want pictures to go with formulas, and adults who always wondered how it works. You need arithmetic, counting atoms and, in one chapter, powers of ten. Each chapter has a short version for younger readers.
What comes after Volume I?
Volume I covers what everything is made of and how it changes. Volume II is planned to continue with organic chemistry, the chemistry of life, electrochemistry and batteries, and materials. Each new chapter follows the same pattern: a picture, a text, a worked example and a sandbox.