Molecules of murder

Molecules of murder

John Emsley

Cambridge: RSC 2008 2008 | Pp276 | £14.95 | ISBN 978 0 85 404965 3

Reviewed by John Nicholson

John Emsley, one of the foremost writers on chemistry, generally extols the virtues of the subject. However, his latest book is different, dealing with poisons and the activity of criminal poisoners.

The book is divided into two parts, From medicine to murder and So simple, so useful, so deadly, each of which contains five chapters. The first part covers substances whose principal function is medicinal - ricin, hyoscine, atropine, diamorphine and adrenaline - and includes accounts of the famous cases of Dr Crippen and Dr Harold Shipman. Part two covers other chemicals, including chloroform, carbon monoxide, cyanide, paraquat and polonium, bringing us right up to date with an account of the murder of the Russian dissident and writer Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.