Mark Miodownik uses his life experiences as a scientist to weave the story of humans discovery of gases and how they impact our world. From how the air around us affects the physical world to human continuing drive to use gases like hydrogen to create new inventions like hydrogen powered passenger planes, the author allows the reader to discover how gases impact you in your own life without going too heavy into the science behind it. Great book if you love science.

This is not what I expected from the description, in the best way. I thought it was going to be a drier science book, but it was a fascinating book showing gases in the real world. I learned a lot, and learned more about the things I already knew. It didn't feel like learning because it was an almost stream-of-consciousness connection of stories explaining the world, and it was endlessly entertaining. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

"It's A Gas" is a fascinating and entertaining exploration of the hidden world of gases and their profound impact on our lives. Mark Miodownik, a materials scientist and author of the New York Times bestseller "Stuff Matters," takes readers on a journey through the history, science, and cultural significance of various gases, from oxygen and nitrogen to more obscure elements like argon and xenon.

Miodownik's engaging writing style makes complex scientific concepts accessible and enjoyable for readers of all backgrounds. He highlights the extraordinary properties of gases and their roles in everything from the formation of stars to the creation of whipped cream.

Throughout the book, Miodownik combines historical anecdotes, scientific explanations, and personal stories to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of gases and their critical role in shaping our world. By illuminating the hidden beauty and power of these invisible substances, "It's A Gas" inspires readers to appreciate the wonder and complexity of the air we breathe and the gases that surround us.

Overall, "It's A Gas" is an enlightening and delightful read that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the incredible world of gases. Miodownik's passion for the subject shines through on every page, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in science, history, or simply the hidden workings of our everyday world. Really enjoyed this one...and I flunked high school chemistry!

In It's a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World, Mark Miodownik follows up his earlier two books on solids and liquids with one on gases, and I’d say it falls somewhere in between the two (solids being the best of the three), being often fun, always fascinating, and just a tad frustrating.

This is not a chemistry book that methodically goes through all the gases, discusses Boyle’s Law, etc. First, Miodownik defines “gas” somewhat broadly, discussing in addition to methane or CO2 perfumes, wind, creation of a vacuum, and breath. And while chemistry makes an appearance throughout, Miodownik is more focused on the discovery of the gas and its application followed by its impact in human development and culture. Anyone looking for a hard science explanation and exploration of the topic is therefore best directed elsewhere. That’s not to say one won’t learn a lot here. Despite its quirky categorization and eschewing of academic structure and language in favor of an entertainingly light and conversational tone/organization (for instance, each chapter begins with a personal anecdote that somehow ties in), Miodownik offers up clear scientific explanations and a smorgasbord of fascinating details as he follows an often winding path from gas to its impact.

To offer up a few examples . . . In the section on nitrous oxide he moves from its discovery while trying to find “specific gases that could cure specific diseases” to laughing gas parties (or debaucheries depending on one’s point of view) to Samuel Colt’s invention of his titular revolver to use of ether and chloroform as anesthetics, to chloroform as every bad guy’s favorite knock-out tool in pop culture (pointing out that it actually takes much longer to knock someone out with it than movies/TV shows portray) to compressed oxygen in hospital to whippets.

In one of the more fascinating trails, he follows the use of breath to play music via animal horns to brass instruments to the invention of valves to pneumatic tires to bicycles to more freedom for women and “greater genetic diversity” to Air Jordans. And yes, it all makes perfect sense. A few other gases covered and some of their ripple effects include: methane (city lighting), helium and hydrogen (ballooning, airships, the Hindenburg), noble gases (neon signs), CO2 (climate change and possible solutions), nitrogen (poison gas, the Haber-Bosch method of creating nitrogen/fertilizer and its huge impact for good and ill). As you can see from some of these examples, the generally light tone doesn’t mean he does not cover serious topics or treat them with their due respect.

As mentioned in the intro, the book is always fascinating and also always informative. The little bit of frustration that creeps in, at least for me, is that it does feel a bit disjointed and scattershot. Not wholly “random,” as noted his leaps from point to point are always clear, easy to follow, and make perfect sense. But while that’s true within each section, one loses a narrative thread or sense of cohesion for the book as a whole. That said, there are certainly lots of options available that will do that for readers seeking that and Miodownik offers up a number of them in the “Further Reading” addendum, such as Sam Kean’s Caesar’s Last Breath: The Epic Story of the Air Around Us and Steven Johnson’s The Invention of Air, both of which I personally highly recommend. Just as I recommend It’s a Gas, if not quite with the same level of enthusiasm.

I’ve always considered Chemistry to be the most fun of all the sciences, and thus I think it lends itself very well to pop science material.

The narrative style of this is terrific, and accessible without compromising quality, Sam Kean is, to me, the reigning king of this type of science book (and indeed he’s mentioned in the Further Reading section of this book, but his work is also a bit more intensely structured and slightly less approachable. This is a good starter book for the subgenre in that it’s slightly less dense and academic, while maintaining the narrative style and humor that works for writers like Kean.

I liked the structure of this a lot, and it flows very well for nonfiction of any sort. I could have done with a few more photos and illustrations, but the ones that are there are great.