ReAction! Chemistry in the Movies

ReAction! Chemistry in the Movies (2009, ISBN 978-0-19-532692-5) is a nonfiction book about movies, chemistry, and chemistry in the movies by Chemistry Professor Mark Griep and Artist Marjorie Mikasen published by Oxford University Press USA.

From the publisher: Although chemistry can exist between actors or play a part in special effects, this book focuses on chemistry’s role in the narrative. It gives the perspectives of a scientist and artist on the dark and bright sides of chemistry in film. In the movies, this supposedly neutral science has two faces, one personified by the benevolent Dr. Jekyll and the other by the evil Mr. Hyde. This provides an avenue for describing chemistry’s influence on a variety of movies and even the movie industry itself. Among over 110 selections, the authors focus primarily on contemporary Hollywood feature films but also include some documentaries, shorts, silents, and international films. The authors were awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant in the area of Public Understanding of Science to research and write the book.

In the book, chemical structures of several fictional compounds were revealed for the first time, including:

• Dr. Jekyll’s ‘Hyde formula’
• The invisibility drug monocaine from The Invisible Man (film) of 1933
• The ‘green speck’ and ‘black object’ extraterrestrial matter from The Andromeda Strain (film) of 1971
• Elvis’ GOOP varnish from the Clambake (film) of 1967

External links

• 2008 Nebraska Public Radio Interview by Jerry Johnston titled “Chemist, Artist Explore Chemistry in the Movies”