Overview

"Life would not exist without sensitive, or soft, matter. All biological structures depend on it, including red blood globules, lung fluid, and membranes. So do industrial emulsions, gels, plastics, liquid crystals, and granular materials. What makes sensitive matter so fascinating is its inherent versatility. Shape-shifting at the slightest provocation, whether a change in composition or environment, it leads a fugitive existence. Physicist Michel Mitov brings drama to molecular gastronomy (as when two irreconcilable materials are mixed to achieve the miracle of mayonnaise) and offers answers to everyday questions, such as how does paint dry on canvas, why does shampoo foam better when you ""repeat,"" and what allows for the controlled release of drugs? Along the way we meet a futurist cook, a scientist with a runaway imagination, and a penniless inventor named Goodyear who added sulfur to latex, quite possibly by accident, and created durable rubber. As Mitov demonstrates, even religious ritual is a lesson in the surprising science of sensitive matter. Thrice yearly, the reliquary of St. Januarius is carried down cobblestone streets from the Cathedral to the Church of St. Clare in Naples. If all goes as hoped-and since 1389 it often has-the dried blood contained in the reliquary's largest vial liquefies on reaching its destination, and Neapolitans are given a reaffirming symbol of renewal."

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Reviews

A slim, engaging volume that mixes mini lessons on such subjects as thixotropic fluids--think house paint and ballpoint pen ink, both of which flow when someone applies pressure to them but gel when left alone--with anecdotes from the author's adventurous life...Readers come away from the book with a renewed appreciation for the complexity of such everyday substances as champagne, rubber and toothpaste. -- Sandra Upson and Anna Kuchment Scientific American 20120323

A slim, engaging volume that mixes mini lessons on such subjects as thixotropic fluids--think house paint and ballpoint pen ink, both of which flow when someone applies pressure to them but gel when left alone--with anecdotes from the author's adventurous life...Readers come away from the book with a renewed appreciation for the complexity of such everyday substances as champagne, rubber and toothpaste. -- Sandra Upson and Anna Kuchment Scientific American 20120323 Mitov has a light touch, writing like the hip, pop-culture-loving, corduroy-jacket-wearing chemistry teacher that you always wanted but never had. -- Aaron Leitko Washington Post 20120410

A slim, engaging volume that mixes mini lessons on such subjects as thixotropic fluids--think house paint and ballpoint pen ink, both of which flow when someone applies pressure to them but gel when left alone--with anecdotes from the author's adventurous life...Readers come away from the book with a renewed appreciation for the complexity of such everyday substances as champagne, rubber and toothpaste. -- Sandra Upson and Anna Kuchment Scientific American 20120323 Mitov has a light touch, writing like the hip, pop-culture-loving, corduroy-jacket-wearing chemistry teacher that you always wanted but never had. -- Aaron Leitko Washington Post 20120410 Champagne bubbles, mayonnaise, rubber, blood and sand are part of the eclectic mix of materials explored in Sensitive Matter...Mitov applies his vivid imagination to explaining how soft materials respond to disturbances...It is a quirky and fun introduction to this practical, complex field. -- Rosamund Daw Nature 20120701

Author Information

Michel Mitov is Director of Research at CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research, France) and Head of Liquid Crystal Group at CEMES (Centre d’Elaboration de Matériaux et d’Etudes Structurales) in Toulouse

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